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Simone is a 2002 science fiction comedy film directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, and Rachel Roberts. The movie follows the story of a desperate movie director named Viktor Taransky (Pacino), who is struggling to complete his film after his lead actress walks off the set. Taransky becomes increasingly desperate until he meets an eccentric computer programmer who offers him a solution - a synthetic actress generated by a revolutionary computer program named Simulation One (Simone).

At first, Simone (Roberts) is a huge success, and Taransky rises to fame because of her. The public adores her, and Simone becomes a household name in Hollywood. However, Taransky soon discovers that he has become too dependent on Simone and the program that made her, and that keeping her a secret from the world is getting increasingly difficult. Things start to go wrong when Taransky realizes that Simone has a personality of her own and that she is capable of making her own decisions. The plot thickens when the public and Hollywood insiders start to suspect that there is something strange going on with Simone, and rumors begin to surface about her true identity.

Simone's rise to stardom poses a significant challenge to Taransky, who is forced to keep up the charade that Simone is a real actress. He tries to control her every move and expression, and he's caught in a cycle of lies that gradually spirals out of control. Simone becomes increasingly popular and famous, and Taransky's manipulation of her takes a toll on his personal life. Her personality and face become so popular that everything and anything "Simone" is all the talk of the town. Written entirely by Simone now, Taransky soon realizes that his creation is running rampant and may break him.

The film uses satire to comment on celebrity culture and the entertainment industry's dependence on technology. Niccol explores the ethical quandaries and implications of creating a synthetic actress and questions the morality behind faking an entire career for someone who is not real.

Pacino delivers a strong performance as a movie director in crisis, and Robert's portrayal of Simone is remarkable. The film is visually stunning, and the visual effects used to create Simone are impressive. Keener also delivers a great performance as Taransky's ex-wife, who is caught in the middle of his obsession with Simone. The movie's soundtrack and cinematography add to the overall mood of the work, which is both playful and thought-provoking.

Simone is a must-see for those who enjoy science fiction, drama, and comedy, although it is a film more interested in exploring these ideas than in offering answers to moral dilemmas. Andrew Niccol's imaginative film is an engaging commentary on media, gender, and technology, questioning who or what we allow to control our image and narrative. It conveys an acerbic message about the dangers of fame and the human obsession to control everything around us. Simone is a carefully crafted movie that delivers an entertaining performance with gripping storytelling, without compromising any of its multiple underlying themes.

Simone is a 2002 science fiction movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 57 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 49.