Firstly, this film stars Al Pacino, and that's always good. Actually, it's better than good because in Simone we get Pacino in his full flailing, flustered mode. He plays Taransky, a washed-up Hollywood producer looking for a hit film. He has a movie that's almost complete, but his star has walked out on him, and his studio ? in the form of his ex-wife and boss ? has pulled the plug on the project. It starts to look like all is lost and then he meets a mad inventor (Koteas) who gives him the answer to his problems: Simone, a digitally fabricated actress to play in his movie. Simone becomes an overnight sensation and everyone thinks she's a real person. However, as her fame skyrockets, Taransky cannot bear to admit his fraud to himself or the world.

Simone uses a premise involving fantasy computer technology as a jumping-off point to say some pertinent things about longing and hero worship in the modern age. Like The Truman Show, which was written by this movie's writer-director, Andrew Niccol, it's about what's real and what's fake, what matters and what doesn't. The film tells a good story with a few twists and turns, some sharp comedy and incisive commentary.