Writer Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, Gattaca) integrates his unique alter-world feel into the more mainstream Hollywood genre, if only to laugh in its face, with Simone. Filmmaker Viktor Taransky's (Al Pacino) own annoyance with popular culture in the film allows laughs at the film industry and the Hollywood scene themselves. Pacino commands the screen as a humorous force, reiterating his appeal as a wide-range performer, while revisiting Truman Show themes of "creator" in relation to "persona," by touching on issues of identity. Indeed, he gives the character realistic life while maintaining the Niccol-esque contemplative feel of the film. Awareness of pop culture and idols runs rampant throughout, but the film refrains from becoming heavy and critical in favor of hysterical lightheartedness. Appearances by famous faces like Winona Ryder and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos serve dually as tokens of pop culture -- in the context of the film, and the reality of their appearance in it. Saturated in equal parts humor and intellect, the dialogue is rounded off by visual jokes, creating a comedy successful in both sight and sound. Simone incorporates Niccol's fixation on technology and media into a film of pure entertainment for a wide audience. The cultural commentary is easily accessed by anyone who's ever seen a movie, likewise, the comedy by anyone who's ever laughed at one.