Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Steven Phillips (Albert Brooks) is an experienced screenwriter. He has written for the best. He even receives a humanitarian award which is code for lifetime achievement. However, his latest script is rejected. Lifetime achievement seems more like lifetime retirement. He has his wife Laura (Andie MacDowell) and family. He needs to continue writing but his career has hit a wall. His friend Jack Warrick (Jeff Bridges) suggests a muse. She's literally the mythical creature in the form of Sarah Little (Sharon Stone). Steven is taken aback by her constant demands and expected gifts. She inspires Laura to create a booming cookie business and even moves in with them.This is satire of the Hollywood world. It is a lesser Albert Brooks movie. He is not unlikable but he is usually more adorable than this. There are some good jabs at the movie world and there are plenty of big name cameos. It is not quite funny enough and I expect better from him.

Talky fantasy-comedy with the sardonic Albert Brooks playing a struggling screen-writer who re-discovers his mojo after he's introduced by buddy Jeff Bridges to a mysterious muse (Stone) who holds the power to inspire creativity and success - at a price.The only trouble I had with this picture were some of the performances, Brooks & Stone in particular, which seemed self-indulgent and more than a little sarcastic in their delivery of the wry dialogue. Bridges seems fairly sincere in his role as a journalist whose career nose-dive has been recovered by Stone's influence, while Andie MacDowell plays the neurotic Brooks' savvy wife with assurance, the two coming off as the film's more likable characters.It's an interesting concept and the script is full of smart one-liners in a very hit and miss affair; low key, a sort of "inside" Hollywood story that's perhaps more for the actors and the audience.

For a hard of hearing french, watching an American movie without subtitle is "mission impossible". I don't understand what people say, so it's like everybody is mute. So, have laughs: here's my debriefing of what I have understood: Mr Brooks is a famous director (or writer?) who gets fired by a studio! Why? I don't know. Desperate, he believes to have an appointment with Spielberg but meets another one. Hopefully, the real Bridges gives him help with the address of his muse. If this muse brings inspiration, she needs a lot of things and attention. He works about of script about fish but it's her wife that benefits much, becoming a successful cookie maker. What does the muse says exactly: I don't know.If the dialogs were hard to follow, the music wasn't and for a Elton John composition, it is really surprising good. But it is used to fill the walks or car errands! Finally, it's a pity to understand so little because it seems to be a good comedy about Hollywood. The cameos are funny even if I think that making a movie about movie lacks of inspiration! Where is the muse?

I know that most people are very demanding of the movies they watch. That being said, I guess I'm not one of them. I have owned "The Muse" for about three years, and I usually watch it about once a year, after being reminded of its existence on cable/HBO. I always enjoy it every time I watch it. I think Sharon Stone portrays her character with class and humor; not to mention that she is one of the most stunning women ever to be in motion pictures. While I do think that by the end of this movie, you'll probably have had enough of Albert Brooks' whiney, monotonous voice, some of his lines and "sound effects" are rather funny. Andie MacDowell is a beautiful woman, and while her characters are never really memorable, I feel she is a good actress, and entertaining to watch in movies.This movie is a light-hearted, film of mindless entertainment. Certainly, it is not one for the "Hall of Fame", but if you're looking for an amusing story, with attractive scenery (who doesn't like looking at Hollywood mansions), and a plot you don't have to race to keep up with, "The Muse might be for you.