Disclaimer: Before I start this review, I want to make it clear that I do not intend to determine whether Jeremy Piven was ācollateral damageā of the #MeToo movement or whether the eight women who accused him of sexual misconduct told the truth. My role as an SFR critic is to separate his personal life from his latest movie, THE PERFORMANCE, and let audiences know if they should see it. And they shouldā¦ whenever.
Jeremy Piven gives the movie āperformanceā of his career as an American Jew who returns to Berlin during WWII to tap dance for a specialā¦ performance. That logline should be enough to entice audiences to watch Shira Pivenās (Jeremyās sister) film.
While the film has several tonal shifts that donāt always work, what semi-keeps it all together are Piven and the premise. Piven (forever known as Ari) spent a decade learning to tap dance. And you can see it in his performance. Itās good, but not quite at the award-worthy level that would earn him a nomination.
As for the premise, seeing a story like this is compelling. The idea of a Jew returning to WWII for selfish reasons (fame) is fascinating. And if the movie had focused more on that and less on the gimmicky 16MM documentary camera, fast cuts that donāt let the dance numbers breathe, and over-produced music score, it wouldāve all worked. As is, THE PERFORMANCE may be a passion project for the Pivens, yet that passion is muted in their final product due to behind-the-camera choices.
THE PERFORMANCE opens in limited release in theatres on 12/20.