Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

It would be truly uncharitable to observe that Roman Coppola is 37 years old and that by the time his dad, Francis was the same age, he'd already directed two of the greatest American movies ever made (the Godfathers) and at least one other minor classic (The Conversation).

Alternatively, I could observe that Roman Coppola's first feature, CQ, is fully of obvious joy at the possibilities of filmmaking and that his father, Francis, hasn't made a film this alive and exhuberant since 1979. So you give a little and take a little.

CQ is the second straight exceptional debut from the Coppola progeny, following Sophia's sterling Virgin Suicides. It should be noted that while neither film is a flawless masterpiece, even if the directors didn't have famous last names, The Virgin Suicides and CQ would signal the arrival of new talents worth watching.

CQ features a remarkably diverse international cast including Jeremy Davies, Dean Stockwell, Elodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini, Billy Zane, and Jason Schwartzman. No real stars here, but every performance is a small gem. CQ was also filmed in a wide variety of locations, including Rome, Paris, and apparently Luxemburg. The result of all of this international flavor, is that CQ feels like more of a cheeky art film than an independent Hollywood feature and the film's aesthetic influences clearly tend towards the French New Wave and Fellini.

The story is deceptively simple. Jeremy Davies plays Paul, an American ex-pat in Paris at the end of 1969 (it's hinted, I guess, that he may be avoiding the draft back home). By night, Paul works at home filming his life with a black and white camera (much to the consternation of his French girlfriend Sylvia, played by Bouchez) , but by day he's working of a cheesy Barbarella-esque sci-fi film starring the beautiful Valentine (model Angela Lindvall in her first feature role). The film, about a secret agent Code Name: Dragonfly, has no ending, which makes the film's arty director (Depardieu) perfectly happy, but the Italian producers (including Giannini) want an explosive conclusion. Ultimately, Paul ends up taking over the picture, but will he be able to find his way around his own artistic integrity to give the picture the ending it needs? Or will he somehow be able to tap into his own life experiences to give the film a personal touch.

CQ is a film slightly out of touch with its own time. The film's style is clearly late Sixties Swinging European, but it's mixed with an early Sixties La Dolce Vita flavor. It also depicts the kind of international co-productions that were more prevalent early in the decade. And because what's old is always new again, it has a pleasant freshness as well, mostly particularly in the groovy soundtrack from Mellow. CQ is all an endearing muddle.

Coppola, who has spent the past decade mostly making music videos, is at his best with the film-within-the-film and the behind the scenes scenes. Operation: Dragonfly, may be a horrible movie waiting to happen, but it's great fun to watch. Coppola is never mocking of the sexy sci-fi genre so much as he loves its conventions, from the shag rugs on spaceships to the model in a catsuit running in slow motion on the moon. The film also makes cheeky nods to Kubrick, with an onboard computer with a hilarious French accent, and the film's 2001 setting, which seems to wildly fanciful to everybody involved. Coppola embraces every part of the process, including a great scene in which the actors do dubbing on the film's trailer ("Who is... Dragonfly?"). You hope you never pay money to see a movie as bad as Operation: Dragonfly, but in snippets, the film looks great.

Contrasted with the stylized world of his dayjob, Paul's real life is quite bland. His apartment in Paris is minimalist to begin with and in the grainy black and white stock of his camera, it's even more stark. But as his self-examination becomes more personal and as he becomes more involved with the picture, Paul's life becomes more exotic, with trips to Rome and car chases through the streets of Paris, all en route to discovering the end to Dragonfly.

My main concern with the film is that the Paul sequences away from Dragonfly are even duller than they need to be. Or maybe dull is not the right word, since the contrast is intentional. I guess Coppola was able to make his points about cinema a little more clearly, but perhaps a little less obviously. You can tell what he's trying to say about the importance of self-reflection in cinema and I guess he's suggesting that it's possible to put yourself into a film no matter its genre. But the point ends up a little obscure.

I also wish that Jeremy Davies had been given a little more to do. He basically wanders through the picture looking lost. Granted, he's the straight man in world of excess, but he's also sometimes a black hole in the middle of the picture. Fortunately, there's a ton of life around him. Giannini and Depardieu are marvelous and Elodie Bouchez taps an endearing comedic vein with her broken English. As a young director of cheesy horror films (seemingly inspired either by Hammer films or by early Mario Bava depending on your point of reference), Jason Schwartzman is a total hoot (Is his character supposed to be inspired by Roman Polanski, or is that just something I chose to read in?). And Angela Lindvall has good screen presence that goes beyond her beauty. She's a natural. And it should also be noted that CQ features Sophia Coppola's finest performance since the third Godfather movie.

Francis Ford Coppola's greatest gift to his son (besides genetics, executive producing this film, and letting Roman work second unit on many of his films) may be the use of his regular production designer Dean Tavoularis (who won an Oscar for Godfather 2 and received several other nominations for his work with Coppola). CQ isn't the kind of film that gets Oscar notice, but Tavoularis's work both on the faux Dragonfly set and on the film's other locations is flawless and much of the film's success goes to his credit. Also providing outstanding technical assistance are DP Robert Yeoman (Wes Anderson's regular cinematographer) who works especially well with white space, and editor Leslie Jones, who perfectly handles the shifts between the various films-within-the-film.

CQ (the title refers to the Morse Code "Seek You," though why that's what Coppola chose for his title is a bit of a mystery) is probably the best film about filmmaking since Olivier Assayas's Irma Vep, and perhaps the best in an even longer while. It'll probably help your enjoyment of the film if you happen to be a cinematic obsessive, but it isn't necessary. Roman Coppola's debut mixed in-jokes and broad humor to create a thoughtful and fun experience.


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older