ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Michael Giltz Freelance writer GET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Cannes Film Festival , Sean Penn , Cannes 2011 , Paolo Sorrentino , Sean Penn This Must Be THe Place , Cannes Film Festival 2011 , Paolo Sorrentino Movie , This Must Be The Place , This Must Be The Place Movie , This Must Be The Place Movie Review , Entertainment News 6 23 8 10React Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyCannes 2011: Sean Penn's Weirdly Wonderful New Performance THIS MUST BE THE PLACE *** out of **** The 2011 Cannes Film Festival is winding down.</p><p> Most buyers have left and many journalists have followedthem.</p><p> Sean Penn already had a rather small role inTerrence Malick's The Tree Of Life , one of the best reviewed movies of the fest and certainly the pick of many critics to snag the top prize.</p><p> Now, at the last minute, Penn returns with one of the most eccentric,weirdly wonderful performances of his career.</p><p> The Oscarrace for Best Actor has just begun.</p><p> The movie by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino sounded like a train wreck: This Must Be The Place is the story of an aging rocker who goes on a quest to hunt down the Nazi that tormented his father in Auschwitz.</p><p> Outof this very unpromising description comes a gentle, nutty, offbeat comic drama.</p><p> Penn's character iscalled Cheyenne, and he's a reclusive pop star living in Ireland.</p><p> Cheyenne stopped performing after two fans committed suicide to his mopey music.</p><p> Now he just wanders out of his mansion dragging a shopping cart behind him, hanging out with a teenage girl whose brother has gone missing and generally justgliding through his days.</p><p> MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 New Photos Emerge In Anthony Weiner Twitter Scandal Anthony Weiner Admits Sending Racy Pictures, Refuses To Resign FOLLOW US PHOTOS: Who Won Big At This Year's 'Fashion Oscars'?Michelle Obama Wears Naeem Khan To State Dinner Nancy Pelosi Wears Vintage Thierry Mugler To 7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right NowBIG NEWS: Movies Celebrity Body The Kardashians Katy Perry Smarter Ideas More Log in | Sign Up News Web PHOTOS: Fat Joe's Shocking Weight Loss More In Entertainment: Rooney Mara Goes Nude... 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Like 39 Posted: 05/20/11 09:07 AM ET SHARE THIS STORY Submit this story Get Entertainment Alerts Sign UpPHOTO GALLERIES Like 6K Like 18KCONNECT FRONT PAGEPOLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA TECH COMEDY STYLE WORLD FOOD HEALTHY LIVINGIMPACT MORE LOCAL Like 316K Penn plays Cheyenne like some demented cross between Robert Smith of The Cure and Andy Warhol.</p><p> He has a little boy demeanor, a wary fascination with the world and a giggly little laugh.</p><p> And yet he's alsowounded, smart and simmering with unresolved feelings for the Jewish father Penn hasn't spoken withfor more than 30 years.</p><p> Unlike Johnny Depp's oddball characterizations in movies like the Piratesfranchise and Alice in Wonderland , Penn's work is actually grounded in a character and a movie of genuine if overbaked substance, which makes it all the more satisfying.</p><p> It ranks with his turn in Woody Allen's Sweet And Lowdown and Fast Times At Ridgemont High as a comic highlight of Penn's career and makes you wish he'd tackle comedy more often.</p><p> Here's a lowkey scene where Cheyenne says goodbyeto his wife as he leaves for America to be by his father's bedside.</p><p> It does contain one crude word so it's Not Suitable For Work, but it's the only clip I could find.</p><p> The movie is episodic and indeed quixotic as Cheyenne quietly hunts down the Nazi who -- if he's even still alive -- must be 95-years-old.</p><p> Cheyenne visits relatives of the man, bumps into strangers and unexpectedly proves both savvy and determined at getting what he wants.</p><p> The music is especially good, mixing in pop tunes with a traditional score that is very effective.</p><p> Numerous set pieces work terrificallywell (like a game of ping pong), though there's no question the story overreaches a bit and the finale is atad confusing.</p><p> Still, the supporting cast is very strong, from Frances McDormand as Cheyenne'sunderstanding wife who works as a firewoman (I told you it was wacky) to Harry Dean Stanton as a guyCheyenne befriends in a cafe.</p><p> What inspired Sorrentino (the director behind the excellent Il Divo) to come up with such a tale is beyond me, but he has expanded on the flowering of talent he showed in Il Divo by delivering a movie not just technically admirable but truly entertaining in a Hal Ashby, 1970s sort of way.</p><p> It's flawed, and some will dismiss it.</p><p> But he's provided a memorable role for one of the best actors of our time, a role thatallows Penn to dig deep, but also giggle, and even offer a tip about how to keep lipstick fresh all day long.</p><p> MOVIES AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2011 Movies rated on a four star scale Arirang no stars out of four The Artist *** 1/2 Bonsai ** The Footnote/Hearat Shulayam *** 1/2 Habemus Papam/We Have A Pope *** Hanezu No Tsuki * 1/2Hors Satan/Outside Satan ** Jeane Captive/The Silence Of Joan ** 1/2 The Kid With A Bike/Le Gamin Au Velo *** 1/2 La Fee/The Fairy *** La Fin Du Silence/The End Of Silence ** L'Apollonide/House Of Tolerance * 1/2 Le Havre ** 1/2 Martha Marcy May Marlene *** Michael *** Michel Petrucciani ** 1/2 PHOTOS: Who Won Big At This Year's 'Fashion Oscars'? Engadget: WWDC 2011 liveblog: Steve Jobs talks iOS 5, OS X Lion, iCloud and more! Engadget: Live from Microsoft's E3 2011 keynote! The Center for Public Integrity FACT WATCH: Sarah Palin's Twist on Paul Revere PHOTOS: 10 Best Mafia Lessons For Success In Business Engadget: Live from Nintendo's E3 2011 keynote! Engadget: Engadget, broadcasting live from WWDC! DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Steven Chu A Safe, Secure Nuclear Future Dan Rather Taking on TARP More Celebrity News at People.com Like 417 Like 13K Like 475 Like 1K Like 386 Like 478 Like 3K Gabrielle Union: I Tried to Shoot My Attacker READ MORE Casey Anthony FamilyComputer ShowedSearches for 'Chloroform' READ MORE Sherri Shepherd: I LiedAbout My Wedding DressSize READ MORE Will Justin and Mila'sFauxmance Have Benefits Midnight In Paris ** Polisse ** 1/2 Restless * 1/2 17 Filles/17 Girls ** Skoonheid/Beauty ** Sleeping Beauty * 1/2 The Slut ** Snowtown ** Take Shelter *** This Must Be The Place *** The Tree Of Life **** We Need To Talk About Kevin ** 1/2 Wu Xia aka Dragon aka Swordsmen ** 1/2 *****Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinionmakers as guests.</p><p> It's available free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews .</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Buy a link here Sponsored Links Mom is 48, Looks 32...</p><p> Her clever $5 wrinkle therapy angers Botox Doctors.</p><p> We reveal how. www.IConsumerReports.com Treat Your Frown Lines Learn About A Prescription Option For Frown Lines.</p><p> TreatYourFrownLines.com SHOCKING $9 Car Insurance Auto insurers don't want you to learn this 1 Loop-Hole $9/wk Insurance www.Life-stylechoices.com BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Now Available.</p><p> Introducing The First Professional-grade Tablet.</p><p> BlackBerry.com/PlayBook Related News On Huffington Post: 'The Tree Of Life': Reviews Of Terrence Malick's New Film Starring Brad Pitt It's not often that Hollywood gets to review a Terrence Malick film, so when the opportunity arises, most everyone will be shouting their opinions from... 'This Must Be The Place' Clip: Sean Penn Goth In Sorrentino Film With just a quick glance, you might think you're looking at a poorly aged Robert Smith, emo-goth king and voice of The Cure.</p><p> Instead, heavily...</p><p> TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 10 Laurence Fishburne Leaving CSI Jennifer Connelly GivesWater Birth Kim Kardashian's WeddingSlim Down MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 More Celebrity News at Popeater.comFirst Look: Pink and CaryHart Step Out with Daughter Alec Baldwin 'Wouldn'tRule Out' Run for NYC Mayor Jennifer Love Hewitt: Worst Actress In Hollywood? Alec Baldwin Eyeing Run For Mayor Of New York City: Report Want To See The JJ Abrams, Stephen Spielberg Epic 'Super 8' Early?! Here's How Like 102 Aww! 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