Seberg

I went into this film with very low expectations and I wasn't disappointed. I am not a Kristen Stewart fan whatsoever! But the trailer made it appear as though she gave it her best effort so I gave this movie is shot. It left me confused and bored; not knowing if I am supposed to sympathize with our lead character, like her, pitty her or root for her. Through it all I simply didn't care about her one way or the other. Stewart portrays Seberg as unstable, unfaithful and as a neglectful mother so I just didn't care what happened to her. If we are supposed to dislike the FBI for their tactics, it didn't make an impact. I DID like the period sets and Seberg's costumes and that is what the two stars are for. In a nutshell, I completely lost interest before the movie was over and I'm STILL not a Kristen Stewart fan!

An exploration of US civil rights in the late 60s (which, lest we forget, was the result of many years of less than glorious actions from white america) through the device of its impact on Jean Seberg. One might take exception with some actions of the Panthers (especially after the period depicted here); but much of that is afterwards; it is also the case that reports of incidents between panthers and police are unreliable. It is true that if people feel oppressed, they begin to fight - and that is where we are soon after the panther formation. It is well documented that Seberg was the target of a propaganda campaign about her pregnancy - the "sol" letter is real. There may be factors unexplored, but this is a film focussing on Seberg, not a text book exploring every facet of the Panthers - and it does a decent job.

Mega star Seberg (Stewart) is pursued by Hoovers FBI agents who wish to discredit her because of her support for the Black Panther movement. Yet another damning indictment of Hoover FBI, Stewart is pretty impressive as the lead slowly but surely disintegrating under the pressure. Good support as well from O'Connell as the agent who questions the motives of bosses and Vaughn, unpleasant as the only good red is a dead red, extreme right wing type. So good performances and a tale worth telling - it is though quite a depressing experience.

The problem with this film most definitely is not the performance of Kristen Stewart, who does a good job in bringing Jean Seberg to life. Seberg was another generation of movie star, harassed by the FBI on account of her sympathy for left-wing political causes, who ultimately committed suicide. But the film combines its portrayal of her struggle with the story of an entirely fictional, liberal-leaning FBI agent who wrestles with his conscience while surveilling her. It's not clear what his story is supposed to add to hers. In addition, the film presents Seberg in a positive light throughout, which fails to illuminate what ultimately drove her to end her life. It feels like there should be an interesting movie in here somewhere; but unfortunately, this isn't it.

Saw this tonight , thoroughly enjoyed it , an entertaining couple of hours . Stewart looked lovely , a true beauty , well acted , great detail in the fashions and good soundtrack . Cinematography was excellent . Wonderful images. Whether it tells the true story of Jean Seberg I'm not totally sure. But nowadays if you want to see an accurate account of stuff like this then watch a documentary or try wiki.

The trouble with powerful films about race relations in America is that they are most often made 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years too late. They don't really facilitate change, they just make us shake our heads in dismay over the way government agencies were given carte blanche to conduct illegal surveillance of American citizens when they should have been serving and protecting those very citizens, and they make us wonder how much has really changed. The film is based loosely on the life of actress Jean Seberg, a rich white woman who dared to support the fight against injustice in apartheid America. She paid a terrible price for her naivete and her determination to make a difference. Looking at other IMDB reviews of this film leaves me wondering why some would-be reviewers are so eager to trash this movie that they don't even bother to spell Kristen Stewart's name right. Her moving performance deserves at least that much respect.

This is a story that had serious liberties taken to push agenda. I feel stories about real people should be as accurate as possible. This isn't a true story, but it is pushed as one. And Stewart might be the most overrated star in Hollywood today. A friend complained about her facial expressions years ago during the Twilight series and I can't help but notice it in every movie since. She simply is not a good actress. Passable yes, but not good. Her 'acting' always consists of goofy facial expressions. Tired of what should be good movies ruined by her miscasting (See: Charlie's Angels for example). I had high hopes...it didn't live up to it.

American actress Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart) is the darling of the French New Wave with films like Breathless (1960). On a flight to L. A. for a screen test, she is taken with black activist Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie). She becomes the target of the FBI. FBI agent Jack Solomon (Jack O'Connell) is thrown into the case and struggles with their more troubling methods. It's the compelling tragic true story of actress Jean Seberg. I have to assume that much if not all of Jack Solomon's story is fictionalized and there lies the problem. While I understand his purpose in the story telling, I really don't believe in that last scene. If that actually happened, she would return that material. That scene rings false. Instead of that scene, the movie should end with her suicide. That's the completion of her tragedy. In the end, her real-life story is fascinating and Kristen Stewart puts in her own personal history into the role.

Sauce

Having read some of the poor reviews for this movie I went with low expectations. The movie is flawed but it is not nearly as poor as some of the reviews would have us believe. The movie started out with St. Joan, directed in 1957 by Otto Preminger, a movie that left her scarred both mentally and physically. However it did nothing to explain her popularity in France or her work with Goddard. That, I think should be essential in any movie about Seberg. Next problem off course is the movies coverage of the FBI surveillance. Why it had to invent a sympathetic FBI agent is hard to understand. Which brings me to why this movie is worth seeing. Kristen Stewart gives an outstanding central performance as Seberg. Forget that she does not look like her. A lookalike doing a Seberg impersonation would have been a disaster. This will be recognized in time as one of the performances of her career. The supporting cast are all fine. Go and see it for yourself and don't let the reviews put you off.