The Muse (1999)
I grew up laughing myself silly watching The Muse, and I feared that as a grown-up, I might not like it anymore. I watched it recently and, relieved, laughed myself silly! This silly, cynical, yet strangely not depressing, comedy is perfect for all ages. Although, there’s really nothing better than watching it when you’re a kid.
Albert Brooks stars as a Hollywood screenwriter in a slump. His best friend, Jeff Bridges, cranks out hit after hit, and when Al comes to him for advice, Jeff confides a secret: he’s had a muse—a real muse. Al begs for an introduction, and when he meets Sharon Stone, he’s blown away. She has an extremely detailed, expensive list of demands, and as he shuffles along and reluctantly tries to make her happy, the audience is left in stitches. Sharon has to live in a suite at the Four Seasons, she needs all her beautiful clothes dry-cleaned, she has a huge grocery list, she can’t be wrong, and she needs to be showered with gifts, preferably from Tiffany’s. When Al runs out of money to support her high hotel bill, he puts her up in his guest cottage, where she infiltrates his family life in addition to his professional life.
I know Sharon’s famous for her other, less-dressed roles, but I’ll always think of her as The Muse. She’s so delightful, charming, and irresistible, it’s no wonder a stream of directors are seen coming and going from her cottage: Martin Scorsese, Rob Reiner, and my favorite cameo, James Cameron. He presents her with a large box, and Sharon says, “It’s not…?” indicating the necklace from Titanic. When James laughs and it isn’t, Sharon glares at him and slams the door. Isn’t she adorable?
And if one adorable lady isn’t enough, Andie MacDowell costars as Albert Brooks’s wife. While perfectly contented to be a housewife, once she meets Sharon, she gets inspired to become the next Mrs. Fields. While Sharon drives Albert crazy at work, Andie starts driving him crazy at home, baking incessantly and telling him with her signature grin, “Have a cookie!” whenever he’s hungry. Just as The Muse is my favorite Sharon Stone movie, it’s also one of my favorite Andie MacDowell movies. You’ve got to rent it. I know you’ll love it.
More Andie MacDowell movies here!
Albert Brooks stars as a Hollywood screenwriter in a slump. His best friend, Jeff Bridges, cranks out hit after hit, and when Al comes to him for advice, Jeff confides a secret: he’s had a muse—a real muse. Al begs for an introduction, and when he meets Sharon Stone, he’s blown away. She has an extremely detailed, expensive list of demands, and as he shuffles along and reluctantly tries to make her happy, the audience is left in stitches. Sharon has to live in a suite at the Four Seasons, she needs all her beautiful clothes dry-cleaned, she has a huge grocery list, she can’t be wrong, and she needs to be showered with gifts, preferably from Tiffany’s. When Al runs out of money to support her high hotel bill, he puts her up in his guest cottage, where she infiltrates his family life in addition to his professional life.
I know Sharon’s famous for her other, less-dressed roles, but I’ll always think of her as The Muse. She’s so delightful, charming, and irresistible, it’s no wonder a stream of directors are seen coming and going from her cottage: Martin Scorsese, Rob Reiner, and my favorite cameo, James Cameron. He presents her with a large box, and Sharon says, “It’s not…?” indicating the necklace from Titanic. When James laughs and it isn’t, Sharon glares at him and slams the door. Isn’t she adorable?
And if one adorable lady isn’t enough, Andie MacDowell costars as Albert Brooks’s wife. While perfectly contented to be a housewife, once she meets Sharon, she gets inspired to become the next Mrs. Fields. While Sharon drives Albert crazy at work, Andie starts driving him crazy at home, baking incessantly and telling him with her signature grin, “Have a cookie!” whenever he’s hungry. Just as The Muse is my favorite Sharon Stone movie, it’s also one of my favorite Andie MacDowell movies. You’ve got to rent it. I know you’ll love it.
More Andie MacDowell movies here!