The Counsel — Film Review By Ray Bennett, August 16, 2010 08:33 ET Bottom Line: Cliched mob yarn with a nonsensical script. LOCARNO, Switzerland — French director Cedric Anger’s ambitious legal thriller “The Counsel” (“L’Avvocat”) looks good and has a fine cast but his script covers familiar terrain and is so naive that the whole thing becomes laughable. Told in flashback, it’s the story of a brilliant young lawyer who goes to work for a mob boss but gets in too deep and discovers that his only way out is by incriminating the man — or by dying. Such predicaments have been explored and picked over in such an endless number of books, films and television shows that the film should face scorn from fans of crime yarns who expect their puzzles to have a lot more intelligence. Handsome and keen-eyed Benoit Magimel cuts an effective dash as Leo, a sharp and driven attorney whose skill at courtroom oratory wins him a job at a top legal firm. He proves his mettle fast but is soon bored. There’s no suggestion that his employer is a mob operation such as the one in “The Firm,” but when a hoodlum big in waste disposal seeks to hire him, the head of the legal firm, played with imperial elegance by director Barbet Schroeder, tells him the client is always right. Gilbert Melki gives the mobster, Paul, the smooth veneer of a polished psychopath as he involves Leo deeper in his criminal activities with the lawyer failing to hear any of the most clanging alarm bells. Violence against witnesses, bribery, double books on the waste disposal and the income it generates, none of these bother the counselor a bit. He’s not suspicious when Paul offers him tens of thousands over his usual salary, and talk about the illegal storage of toxic hospital waste troubles him not a whit. His beautiful pregnant girlfriend (Aissa Maiga) doesn’t push him for riches and Anger’s script gives Leo no motivation for his greed and willingness to be a party to criminal corruption. He is pleased that Paul appears to like him and even befriends Paul’s enforcer Ben, who is made both sinister and engaging by Samir Guesmi. Eric Caravaca gives an oily touch to the inevitable law officer who comes knocking on Leo’s door with the option of giving evidence or going down with the bad guys. The howlers keep coming although delivered with a straight face and only the handsome shape of the production maintains interest. Guillaume Schiffman’s cinematography has a classic structure and there’s even an old-fashioned montage showing Leo’s quick career path. If only Anger the screenwriter had plugged the many gaping holes, Anger the director could be proud of this film, rather than leaving viewers to shake their heads. Venue: Locarno International Film Festival Production company: Sunrise Films Cast: Benoit Magimel, Gilbert Melki, Aissa Maiga, Eric Caravaca, Samir Guesmi, Barbet Schroeder Director/screenwriter: Cedric Anger Producer: Thomas Klotz Director of photography: Guillaume Schiffman Production designer: Antoine Platteau Music: Gregoire Hetzel Costume designer: Marielle Robaut Editor: Simon Jacquet Sales: Snd Groupe M6 No rating, 100 minutes

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NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Last week, nobody knew Steve Slater. Now, office water coolers, Twitter feeds, Facebook and chat rooms are buzzing with expressions of support and the question: What’s next for the flight attendant who quit his JetBlue job in such memorable fashion that some have called him an instant American hero? Heroic or not, the story of Slater’s confrontation with a misbehaving passenger has swept through Madison Avenue and Hollywood in addition to Main Street. Slater’s story has the most immediate effect on TV news organizations, with broadcast networks and CNN among outlets trying to book him for interviews. A media scrum followed Slater’s brief jail stay. “Good Morning America” producers jumped into the same car as Slater, but he made them get out. An ABC News spokeswoman said Wednesday that the producers had done nothing unusual and simply were chasing the story as their peers were. “It’s a very competitive story, and everybody wants to hear from him directly about what happened,” said David Friedman, executive producer of CBS’ “The Early Show.” Friedman’s bookers staked out the jail, Slater’s house and his lawyer’s office — but not necessarily with the aim of nailing an exclusive interview. “All I care about is that we have him on our show,” he said. Friedman said he figures an interview can be done anytime during the next 10 days. Will Slater get a manager or agent to explore further opportunities such as book deals, TV shows or even a movie? Major talent agencies are unlikely to sign anyone who doesn’t have a background in a craft such as acting or writing. Companies that book reality TV stars and celebrities of varying degrees as guest speakers might be a more logical fit. Steve Peckham, senior vp at branding agency Olson, said it looks like a case of 15 minutes of fame. “I suspect Mr. Slater’s fame is about to peak as he is sure to hit the late-night TV and radio talk show circuit, but it won’t last long,” Peckham said. “So a pure advertising play might prove challenging.” Yet ad folks say they already have discussed the Slater situation with colleagues or clients. Chris Raih, founder and managing director of Los Angeles-based creative agency Zambezi, said he and his team mentioned him Wednesday morning. “People around the country seem to have followed this classic go-to-hell moment with voyeuristic glee,” he said. “They want to root for him even more in a recessionary environment when many have gobbled up their anger.” But he cautioned that ad campaigns referencing Slater and the incident will be hard to pull off given that it takes weeks to shoot a commercial and more lead time to get a campaign out. “I don’t think any brand will be fast enough to capitalize on this moment,” Raih said. But Raih’s team is working on a 2011 campaign based on the idea that people should “go for it” each day. Other ad folks see some opportunity for a campaign once possible legal implications and other risks become clearer. Beer companies were a popular suggestion for a natural ad home for Slater given that he had a cold one before his exit from the plane. Michael Priem, CEO of USDM.net — an agency that works with U.S. and international airlines, Hilton and others — said he has brought up the Slater story in meetings and expects travel and tourism marketing firms to react to it, whether by referencing the case directly or drawing indirect lessons from it. He can see any service company benefiting from a campaign that uses Slater as a spokesman. “He could show how painful it is to be in the wait line for a cell phone carrier or sit at a service center that frustrates us,” Priem said. Joseph Jaffe, a marketing consultant, had a Hollywood comparison for the flight attendant. “Steve Slater is the modern-day equivalent of Charles Bronson in ‘Death Wish’ — except, of course, there’s no artillery, bloodshed or permanent damage in this particular example of brand vigilantism,” he said. “I’d recommend JetBlue gets behind him. They have the kind of brand personality and authentic self-assuredness to use this as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate purpose and conviction. And if not, then I’d recommend one of their competitors snapped him up.” Angela Farrell, an accountant at marketing firm MSCO, reminded that “American Idol” seems to be in need of a new controversial host/hero, and Scott Cromer, partner and managing director of creative agency Mutt Industries said, “The whole thing feels like a John Hughes film.” Said Jim Joseph, president of Lipper Taylor: “I think he will end up being a spokesperson of some sort. He’s quickly becoming the mascot for the disgruntled employee.” Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook

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LOS ANGELES – Anna Nicole Smith was “obsessed” with pills and was assisted in taking drugs by her lawyer-boyfriend in the weeks before her death, the celebrity model’s bodyguard testified Friday. Maurice Brighthaupt depicted a chaotic situation at the home where Smith was staying in the Bahamas after the birth of her daughter and the death of her son, Daniel, from a drug overdose. Brighthaupt said he saw defendant Howard K. Stern holding Smith’s head and giving her pills when she was too weak to take them on her own. Meanwhile, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, another defendant who was Smith’s psychiatrist, was trying to hide medications from Smith after shipping the drugs to the model from Los Angeles, he said. “She was demanding them like an addict,” Brighthaupt said, but the comment was stricken by the judge because an issue in the case is whether Smith was addicted or merely dependent on drugs to ease pain. In one confrontation with Smith, Eroshevich “started crying and threatening to leave if she mixed alcohol and prescription drugs,” Brighthaupt said. “And what was Mr. Stern saying?” Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose asked. “Oh, he said she can handle it. Anna can handle it,” the bodyguard recalled. Across the courtroom, Stern shook his head and appeared incredulous. Stern and Eroshevich have pleaded not guilty along with Dr. Sandeep Kapoor to conspiring to supply the Playboy model and reality TV star with massive amounts of opiates and sleep medications. They are not charged with causing her 2007 overdose death in a Florida hotel room. Brighthaupt has said in the past that he liked Eroshevich but had a falling out with Stern. The bodyguard said he and Eroshevich tried to convince Stern that Smith should go into rehab. “She was out of control with this,” he said. “She was obsessed.” Asked about Stern’s reaction to the rehab suggestion, Brighthaupt said: “He explained she was in rehab before and that it almost killed her and she vowed not to go into rehab again.” The witness said he and Eroshevich suggested Smith should be put on placebos and Stern agreed, but it was never done. As Smith drifted further into a drug haze, she once fell off a raft in the middle of the swimming pool and sank to the bottom before Brighthaupt dove in and rescued her, he testified. Brighthaupt, who was one of the last people to see Smith alive, testified that both Eroshevich and Stern injected Smith with substances, but he didn’t know if she was given B-12 shots or drugs. He also identified shipping receipts for packages of drugs sent to him by Eroshevich for Smith. Smith would take 20 pills at a time, including Valium, from a dish she kept at her bedside, Brighthaupt testified, and her obsession with the drugs increased after her son’s death. “She was a hurt lady,” Brighthaupt said. Brighthaupt, a Miami firefighter and paramedic, unsuccessfully tried to revive the 39-year-old Smith as she lay lifeless in the Hollywood, Fla., hotel room. Brighthaupt said the model used drugs almost from the day he was hired in 2003. “Anna had a bag of meds she would take with her,” he said. After she took medication, he said, “she was tired a lot. She would sleep a lot. But when she was up, she was a happy, fun-loving young lady who liked the attention and enjoyed her fans.” Brighthaupt tried to discourage her from taking so much medicine. “That was my job — to protect her from herself,” he said. Despite her drug use, Smith remained intelligent and “you couldn’t put nothing over on her,” he added. “She wasn’t just sitting there popping pills.” Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook

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