In the same way 'The Breakfast Club' defined a certain kind of 1980s American filmmaking, and 'Blow Up' defined 1960s hipness, 'Diva' defined a certain kind of 1980s European cinema.
That doesn't mean it's great, just seminal. It marked a turning away from deep psychology, philosophy, politics or even plot, and marked an emphasis on style, energy, colors, etc. The movie is about being a cool movie, with cool sets, cool shots, a cool car chase, etc. The plot is just enough to hold it all together.
All that said, it is great to look at, the chase is fun, and the film is fun too, in an empty calorie, music video sort of way. It's frustrating. If the acting was a little better (the leads range from pretty good to very awkward) and the story had a little more heart and brains, it could have kept it's grand style, and been a great film, not just an entertaining, great looking film.
That doesn't mean it's great, just seminal. It marked a turning away from deep psychology, philosophy, politics or even plot, and marked an emphasis on style, energy, colors, etc. The movie is about being a cool movie, with cool sets, cool shots, a cool car chase, etc. The plot is just enough to hold it all together.
All that said, it is great to look at, the chase is fun, and the film is fun too, in an empty calorie, music video sort of way. It's frustrating. If the acting was a little better (the leads range from pretty good to very awkward) and the story had a little more heart and brains, it could have kept it's grand style, and been a great film, not just an entertaining, great looking film.