This line is in the movie and applies to it perfectly. It's even closer: Al plays a great actor in decline and it's exactly what's the movie turns to be: Al in decline or more accurately Al in a really bad movie. Indeed, this production is the usual BS that Hollywood feds up with since a couple of years: awful orange / blue grading: maybe it's a bit less exaggerated here as there is some beautiful natural light but when the grass is green, i still don't want to see it brown. the gay character: in the 80s, every family movie needs to have a dog; in the 2000s, every American movie needs a lesbian or fag: they are so much everywhere that you could expect it's the norm now. the shrink character: as the previous one, this one seems also inescapable and it's rather a gloom verdict: in American movies, it seems that personal problems means psychiatric ones and to have a better life, you must be cured by those incredible medicine officers! This analysis arises indeed when the character fails to work... Did the writer ever heard about economy and being old ????the wealthy character: forget the old ordinary, working people, now Hollywood stars want only movies that matches their lifestyle and you wonder why the budget are so important! the narcissus behind the scenes: Hollywood doing movies about actors, movies is just the ground 0 of imagination, filmmaking! With all their money, they are shameful lazy to bring new ideas! the amoral romance with a Grandpa and a young woman: Here the age difference is 43 years and they mall call it love, i call it light incest: it's like a Dad sublimates his pulsation with a surrogate daughter. I remember to have watched a stinker like this recently (Elegy with Pénelope) and i'm not surprised it has the same pitiful (and old) writer Roth! So with all that BS, it was painful to watch Al, all the more that he was doing comedy for one time! His Shakespeare moments are also great because he is really into that and i suppose that we are really close to the real Al (messy hair, slumped, bad dark dressed) but at the end, this movie is rather disgusting! Actually, with a feeble Spielberg (bridge of spies) and a poor Al, we must realize that American movies are in big crisis if not in total decay and fresh air, new ideas must come in if they want to inspire again!!!

This film speaks to the genius of Al Pacino. Where an ordinary actor, or in his case film icon, would dictate his life story to a writer or simply write a book, in staying true to his magnitude as an actor and being the true artist that he is, he decides to sum up parts of his life, make into a film with extreme highs and lows obviously. Yes, it is an adaptation of a novel, but adapted into a script that Pacino can speak through and put his stamp on. Am I talking out of thin air? No! I was fortunate enough to see a screening of it where Al Pacino spoke afterwards, and he himself said it was somewhat autobiographical, and that's the way I felt when I was watching the film, and that it took about a year to write the script, or adapt it into the film, so it was wonderful to hear him confirm that "autobiographical part". I think he may continue to make films like this for a while, that he can speak about his own life through, his true fans will appreciate it, and it will be a part of his legacy as an actor. Good for him!It's brilliantly funny, and it's for the intellectual palate, it's not your typical Hollywood comedy with silly fart jokes, this is humor with sophistication, humor that actually titillates your brain. It's also low budget, don't expect explosions and cgi, this is an actor's film. For people who love good acting and an intricate story. His acting in it is superb, this is my personal favorite performance of his. You get a window into his intellect, his personal thoughts on acting all through this character. At the end you come out knowing this man is only interested in one thing, the truth in his work, and being truthful in it. When the film opened, I said to myself "oh, this is similar to Birman," (which I thought was just okay) but as it progressed, I realized there was no comparisons and all of the accolades that film got, The Humbling deserved and I personally loved it. They're similar except this is a million times better, you actually get what it's about and it's not abstract for the sake of being abstract with fancy camera tricks to distract you from a fragmented story. Yes there are so many partisan reviews promoting self-interest and bashing good films that deserve a chance. I urge everyone who loves Pacino or has loved any film he's been in prior to see this film.

This film can be quite funny but also quite weird, as it had a certain appeal to me and I ended up liking it. Not everything works here, and I would venture to say it's not for everyone, but I felt the parts of the movie that do work, work well and make it worthwhile.Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig are exceptional here, in the lead roles, and play off each other quite well. Pacino portrays Simon, an aging actor who sees his mental capabilities diminishing before his eyes, thus markedly affecting his ability to perform. Following an intentional leap from a stage into an empty orchestra pit, landing face first, followed by a botched suicide attempt, He ends up in a rest and rehab home for 30 days, before being released into the outpatient care of his therapist (Dylan Baker), whom he has sessions with on Skype.Gerwig plays Pegeen, who shows up at Simon's front door, one day, and is the daughter of former friends and co-performers of his, many years before. She tells Simon, whom she hasn't seen in many years, that as a child she used to have an enormous crush on him when he would visit their home. Despite declaring she's an avowed lesbian, she begins to boldly seduce Simon and they soon begin a May-December relationship.All kinds of quirky characters will come and go throughout the film, such as Sybil (Nina Arianda) who met Simon in rehab and now is stalking him to kill her vile husband. Also, Prince (Billy Porter), who used to be Priscilla and in a relationship with Pegeen before the operation. It's fun to see some veteran screen notables make varying screen time appearances, including Charles Grodin, Dianne Wiest, Dan Hedaya, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mary Louis Wilson.It's nice to see the acclaimed filmmaker Barry Levinson (Rain Man, The Natural) back with a movie on screen, with a screenplay from the great Buck Henry (The Graduate), and Mechal Zebede.All in all, this film offers something different but, as mentioned it will not appeal to everyone. With the performances of Pacino and Gerwig, as well as solid support, plus some quirky humor, I felt there was enough here for me to enjoy.

Al Pacino leads Barry Levinson's 'The Humbling', which despite some arresting moments, is an Uneven Comedy. Its a slow-paced tale of an artist losing his mind, but Pacino never makes him melodramatic or nagging.'The Humbling' Synopsis: A stage actor who is slowly losing his mind engages in a relationship with a sexually confused younger woman.'The Humbling' is a terrific idea, which doesn't translate into a terrific film. Reason? The Erratic Screenplay, which appeals in bits & pieces. Buck Henry & Michal Zebede's Screenplay, which is based on a book by the same name, is situationally funny, but overall, its erratic. There are moments when you feel for the protagonist, but at times, you just disconnect. Better Writing was the need of the day!Levinson's Direction, however, is as complex as ever. Cinematography is aptly mounted, while the Editing lacks sharpness.Coming to performances, Pacino is the life of 'The Humbling'. As an artist losing all he's got, the legend gives us a character that remains with you even after the show concludes. He's excellent. Greta Gerwig & Dianne Wiest deserve a special mention, for their brilliant performances, as well.On the whole, 'The Humbling' will mostly appeal to Pacino fans.