Simone

I like just about anything with Al Pacino in it. In Simone, he plays a frustrated film maker whose latest, greatest project is thwarted when a demanding diva leaves the set, and the studio refuses to let him continue. No one wants to work with him anymore. So he takes the footage and goes home. Meanwhile, a fan tracks him down. The fan happens to be a computer graphics expert who has committed his life to making a life-like, computer-generated actor. He gives his data to Pacino, who incorporates Simone (computer SIMulation ONE) into his unfinished film. The film's a hit, Simone's a star, and Pacino builds his career around his mysterious, secretive actress.

There's some pretty cute comedy with Pacino convincing the rest of the world that Simone is real. There's some obvious self-reflection by Pacino, who has to deal with what he has created and who he is. For all its formulaic elements, the movie isn't really predictable, and thoroughly enjoyable. This may not be a Pacino classic, but I liked it anyhow. Bottom line, two and a half stars.