The Muse (1999)

A Hollywood screenwriter (Albert Brooks) finds his career hitting a wall. His very successful friend (Jeff Bridges) suggests he use the services of a real life Muse (Sharon Stone) to help inspire his creativity. Co-written (with Monica Johnson) and directed by Albert Brooks, this is a witty satire on Hollywood that didn't fare very well when it originally opened (reviews were mixed and it fared poorly at the box office). I thought it faltered only once toward the end with the doctors' visit but other than that, it's a satisfying comedy with one of Sharon Stone's best performances. I suppose it might have been too much of an "insiders" movie for mainstream audiences because I don't understand the film's fate considering Brooks' prior films were modest commercial successes. The underscore is by Elton John. With Andie MacDowell as Brooks' wife, Cybill Shepherd, Jennifer Tilly, Lorenzo Lamas, Bradley Whitford, Mark Feuerstein, James Cameron, Rob Reiner and Martin Scorsese.