With films like Taste of Cherry, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami has matched primal themes with self-conscious, self-reflective artifice to make some of the greatest movies of recent years. After seeing his first feature in English, I have to wonder whether it's not the Farsi that makes the difference. Precious rather than profound, sententious rather than wise, Certified Copy starts with author James Miller (British opera baritone William Shimell) delivering an eight-minute lecture on the nature of authenticity in art. No wonder an unnamed woman (Juliette Binoche) and her son are fidgeting. But the woman wants to meet with Miller, to have him sign copies of his book, and then some. They take a drive around Tuscany and, inexplicably, slip into the roles of a husband and wife married for 15 years. Although clever, well acted, and full of nicely photographed mirrors, this feels more like an acting exercise than a genuine movie.
