YAHOO! MOVIES EDITORIAL – WILL CRONENBERG’S ‘COSMOPOLIS’ HELP/HURT ROB’S CAREER?

David Cronenberg has gone from creepy cult favorite director to daring, respected visionary with serious, creepy cult street cred. Robert Pattinson is hoping to transition successfully from sparkly vampire teen heartthrob to serious actor. The two are together bringing “Cosmopolis” to the big screen, by way of Cannes, and hope the seductive and bizarre metaphorical drama will win over audiences and critics alike. Actors’ careers are defined by the choices they make. Will this new role help or hurt Pattinson’s career? Working With the Best Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises” recently netted “Lord of the Rings” sex symbol Viggo Mortensen an Oscar nomination, so Pattinson isn’t wrong to hope for a little critical love amid the screaming fan girls. “Cosmopolis” is packed with high-caliber costars like Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, and Samantha Morton who aren’t afraid to go to crazy places on screen. Setting yourself up with top-notch talent isn’t a bad way to try to solidify your serious acting chops. Unfortunately, working with the best isn’t always a guarantee; just ask the perennially pretty Orlando Bloom, who worked with big name directors like Ridley Scott and Cameron Crowe as well as respected first-timers like actor Mark Ruffalo. Whatever flaws films like the epic “Kingdom of Heaven” had, the blame from critics and viewers mostly fell on Bloom’s attractive head. If “Cosmopolis” is a convoluted disaster, Pattinson will likely take more of the blame than anyone else, whether he deserves it or not. Going for the Sex A wise move when transitioning from a rabid, vampire-lover audience to more “serious” works of art is to not alienate the fan base that made these new film companies think you were a good box office draw. While “Cosmopolis” is not anywhere near the “Twilight” genre — except perhaps in moody atmosphere — there’s no hiding Pattinson behind monk robes or a shaggy beard. The trailer indicates there will be a lot of bare skin and plenty of steamy sex in his characters’ stretch limo, which ought to drive the actor’s current fans wild and earn him some new ones along the way. But Will Anyone Understand It? The bare bones synopsis for “Cosmopolis” is that it’s about an obscenely rich, self-made man who has a bunch of strange adventures while traveling in his stretch limo across town to get a haircut. Oh yeah, and people are trying to kill him. Throw in a lot of sex, and maybe viewers won’t care to know anything other than that. Watch the trailer, however, and you’re bound to be very confused. Read The New Yorker review of the source material, a book by Don DeLillo, and it’s clear that there’s a lot more going on than just a late night joy ride. Cronenberg’s 1999 film “eXistenZ” tackled virtual reality taken to extremes, but “Cosmopolis” appears more ambitious in its metaphorical take on capitalism and technology, and even the nature of reality. The weird and muddled “eXistenZ” was a large financial flop at the box office, but Pattinson can take heart that it didn’t seem to set star Jude Law back any. Cronenberg has definitely honed his skills over the years, escalating that muddled weirdness into strangely mesmerizing ambiguity. If “Cosmopolis” manages even one or two profound thoughts amid the baser, freaky charms its trailer illustrates, this could be a win-win for Pattinson with both fans and movie critics. SOURCE: Spunk-Ransom via Yahoo