Head in the Clouds

I was left wondering why this film got made. It cost $43 million, and made back less than half a million. One weekend gross was listed as $72. Not thousand dollars. Dollars! All I can figure is that Charlize Theron wanted to make another film with her boyfriend, who co-stars. But did she have that kind of clout when this pic was lensed, as they say in Variety? Whatever. It’s a routine steamy romance set in pre-WWII Europe and the war itself, which serves mostly as background. Theron’s character is fascinating but not anything we haven’t seen before. The rest is oddly lifeless. The outdoor city sets are awkwardly lit and as unconvincing (purposely?) as, say Irma la Douce or An American in Paris. Old-fashioned Technicolor palette, harsh artificial light coming from all the wrong directions. Streets end in poorly painted panoramic backdrops. Charlize gets to wear some really great clothes, and is stunning in all ways, as always. If it hadn’t been for goggling at her, though, I’d have been bored mindless.