What The Weeknd wants, The Weeknd gets in “The Idol,” a skintastic, dark-side-of-showbiz fable that perpetuates the myth that pop stars are corporate puppets with no say in their own image-making, even as it allows hit-maker The Weeknd to call the shots (and reshoots, apparently, since the five-part HBO series was overhauled late in production to suit him).
It’s always a bit suspicious when shows try to market themselves as edgy. What are they trying to prove? This obvious effort to make The Idol appear controversial took an ironic turn when the series became the subject of an explosive Rolling Stone report. Interviews with roughly a dozen people from the cast and crew revealed that the show, initially billed as an exploration of the seedy underbelly of Hollywood and the music industry, became what it tried to satirize. Sources alleged that after director Amy Seimetz was replaced with Sam Levinson, the drama’s perspective changed. Instead of subtly skewering the misogynistic and predatory nature of the business, The Idol became a forbidden love story — the stuff of a toxic man’s fantasy.
Picture “Blonde” as Joe Eszterhas might have written it, but with better music.
After making a toe-dip cameo as himself in A24’s “Uncut Gems,” the R&B phenom-turned-TV producer plunges head-first into acting here, teaming with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson to imagine a shady super-predator just looking to corrupt an unsuspecting young pop singer. The edgy, high-gloss HBO series, which premiered the first two of its five episodes at the Cannes Film Festival, demands a lot of star Lily-Rose Depp. She plays “rags-to-riches, trailers-to-mansions” Jocelyn, a mono-monikered Britney or Miley type who seems empowered one moment, impressionable the next.
The Bottom Line Tries too hard.
Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Out of Competition)
Airdate: Sunday, June 4 (HBO)
Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, Rachel Sennott, Suzanna Son, Ramsey, Hank Azaria, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Da'vine Joy Randolph, Eli Roth, Hari Nef, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney
Creators: Reza Fahim, Sam Levinson, Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye
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