albert brooks saves the day , just in the nick of time . 
with a very poor summer for movies , brooks is just what audiences were looking for to cheer them up , and does so in a positive way . 
while this may not be his finest work , " the muse " still shakes up some delightful humor . 
in albert brook's latest comedy , he tells a story of a troubled screenwriter ( brooks ) who's losing his edge , as his business partners say . 
in desperation , he goes to see his friend jack ( jeff bridges ) , who has been a very successful screenwriter in the past . 
he asks jack for some help , and recieves word of a real life muse , that has helped him and many other directors throughout their career . 
so brooks seeks the muse named sarah ( sharon stone ) , and is suckered into buying her expensive , food etc . as a sort of payment . 
the real punch line however , doesn't come until the end . 
it really makes you wonder , how screenwriters really get their ideas , could it simply be from a friend or a bum in the street ? 
the idea itself is provoking and brooks does it in a hilarious manner . 
speaking of brooks , he was absolutely hysterical as a screenwriter . 
every time he graces the screen , i can't help but start laughing . 
albert has a very unique sense of humor that makes him a very likeable character . 
the real problem with the film lies with sharon stone . 
she wasn't likeable at all . 
brooks had the right idea with her occupation , but she never pulled through . 
in a way , she drained energy from the once funny atmosphere and left it bleak . 
luckily brooks could clean up the mess , and cover for stone's mishap . 
it was a shame that the film went slightly downhill after her appearance , because " the muse " had the potential to a be a very authentic comedy . 
on a brighter note , andie macdowell was also charming as brook's wife . 
she is always a nice addition as a supporting actress , because she has that charisma that seems to complete the atmosphere to any film she's in . 
the funniest moments in " the muse " in my opinion were the cameos by james cameron and martin scorsese . 
i mean imagine , brooks seeing these big named directors in his back yard seeking sharon stone for advice , like it was something out of the ordinary . 
it was just plain hilarious . 
it just adds to the satire joke , of how directors get ideas . 
brilliant move by brooks . 
as i mentioned before , the film is a satire much like it's proceeder bowfinger , which came out a few weeks before . 
unlike bowfinger , this is not a mean spirited film that's desperate for jokes , it's rather a witty and humorous look at hollywood . 
 " bowfinger " had it's moments , but had quite a few problems that were never worked out , but " the muse " still managed to keep the laughs despite a bit of a detour . 
by the end of the film , you're glad to see a good hearty comedy come out of it . 
for once i'm not fully disappointed , because the film didn't slow down , it kept moving , even with some flaws . 
thumbs up to brooks for his brave effort . 
i think he'll still manage to keep his edge around well into the future .