Francis Ford Coppola’s divisive, $120M gamble ‘Megalopolis’ the talk of Cannes Film Festival

Movies

By Mara Siegler

Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” got a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, but the film is dividing critics, many of whom even seem torn by their own opinions.

Coppola dropped $120 million of his own money on the movie that stars Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

“I don’t care, I never cared about money,” the director, 85, said at a Cannes press conference. “In the end there are so many people when they die that say, ‘I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that.’”

He added, “But when I die I’m gonna say ‘I got to do this. I got to see my daughter [Sofia] win an Oscar, and I got to make wine, and I got to make all the movies I wanted to make. And I’m going to be so busy thinking about what I got to do that when I die I won’t notice it.”

The New York Times‘ film critic Manohla Dargis called the move a “great leap,” but added, “I don’t think ‘Megalopolis’ will be for everyone, but art rarely is.” She also wrote: “It admittedly took me awhile to get accustomed to both the dialogue and the performances, which while not exactly alienating did feel destabilizing.”

Deadline dubbed the movie, “something of a mess — unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame. It is also, however, a pretty stunning achievement, the work of a master artist who has taken to Imax like Caravaggio to canvas.”

The review adds, “you might well wonder what the hell Jason Schwartzman thinks he’s doing in it, or whether Dustin Hoffman called his agent to negotiate a quick exit.”

The Hollywood Reporter wondered, “Is it a good movie? Not by a long stretch. But it’s not one that can be easily dismissed, either.”

The film’s synopsis says, “An architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster,” but many critics seem confused. A New York Magazine headline online wondered, “What Even Is Megalopolis?”

Beyond all the confused critics, buzz around the fest has been over a report in the Guardian that accused Coppola of inappropriate behavior on the film’s set.

Anonymous sources alleged the director pulled women to sit on his lap and “tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras,” claiming he was “trying to get them in the mood”.  

Executive producer Darren Demetre denied the report, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.”  

“There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players,” he told the publication. 

“It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.”