Jonathan Mostow
Il mondo dei replicanti

Author's introductory note: the summary for those in a hurry and always busy materializes by reading exclusively the bold sentences.

2009 film by Jonathan Mostow starring Bruce Willis and Rosamund Pike and others (of course).

Well, it's not a masterpiece, but I'll tell you, it has some really interesting ideas.

This story where everyone is in their room and sends around the surrogate youngster and indeed they’re all old, fat, and ugly, while the surrogates are somewhat polished but almost perfect, well, this story is intriguing. Are you perhaps telling me that I, interacting with other human beings almost exclusively through social networks, I who remake my face by injecting strange stories and my life is aimed at appearing what I am not, at hiding my flaws, you are telling me that I by doing so, am like Bruce’s beautiful and high-strung wife, Rosamund, who hasn't shown him anything for ages and if only that were all! She doesn’t even leave the room, doesn’t even get out of bed! She sends around a twenty-year-old of metal and plastic! Well, would I do the same? Is this what you are telling me?

Then maybe you’re starting to appeal to me.

Besides then, there's Bruce Willis, whom '90s kids can’t help but love (forgiving the recent telephonic blunders, pecunia non olet*) who after about twenty minutes of the classic bad luck that Bruce always has when he plays the cop, he ditches his doll and goes to kick other people's surrogates' asses by slapping them, the old-fashioned way, the way we like, with even a finale full of hefty choices and collective awareness, which always gives us hope, because America is a great country that knows how to learn from its mistakes (cue anthem).

A pleasant blockbuster that also has the advantage of knowing how to entertain and make people reflect on the society we live in.

* money doesn’t smell, is a Latin saying originally said, it seems, by Vespasian that I quoted because it gives a tone to the review. Thanks, Graziella and thanks… one might say, taking it literally. But then, thinking about it makes sense and is an evergreen, now more than ever. Like Cash Rulez Everything Around Me.