Entropy is the title of at least two distinct films: a 1999 American drama directed by Phil Joanou, and a 2017 metaphysical science fiction film directed by Gabriel Anderson.
Entropy (1999)
Entropy is a 1999 American drama film written and directed by Phil Joanou, starring Stephen Dorff, Judith Godrèche, Kelly Macdonald, and Lauren Holly, with appearances by the Irish rock band U2 (including Bono). The film was produced by Brad Epstein, Phil Joanou, Elie Samaha, Jane Rosenthal, and Robert De Niro, under the production companies Phoenician Entertainment and Tribeca Productions. It was released on April 15, 1999, at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, and later on home video on September 12, 2000, distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment through Touchstone Home Video. The running time is 104 minutes.
Plot: The film is a largely semi-autobiographical story about director Phil Joanou's early film career and personal relationships. The narrative follows Jake Walsh (Stephen Dorff), a successful music video director who is given the opportunity to direct his first studio feature film. As he struggles with the pressures of Hollywood and a budding romance with a French model named Stella (Judith Godrèche), his personal and professional life begins to unravel. The story also involves a tour with U2 to help them make a music video, a quick marriage in Las Vegas, and conversations with his cat.
Release: The film has been re-released under the title Adventures in Tinseltown for streaming and is available on platforms such as Tubi and Amazon Prime Video.
Critical reception: The film received limited theatrical distribution. The New York Times published an article by James Sterngold (April 15, 1999) covering the low-budget realities of making independent films in the context of this production.
Entropy (2017)
Entropy is a 2017 American metaphysical science fiction film written and directed by Gabriel Anderson. The film runs 95 minutes (with a "Reduced Edition" released in 2024) and is in English.
Plot: The film centers on Nicole, a hard-drinking, chain-smoking San Francisco transplant drifting between tedious jobs and prolonged states of isolation. Over the course of a weekend, she notices the disappearance of the Andromeda Galaxy from the night sky and becomes convinced that the "Big Rip"—a theoretical cosmological event in which the universe's expansion accelerates to the point that all matter is torn apart at the molecular level—will occur in approximately two weeks.
Style: The director describes the film as combining techniques of celebrated spiritual filmmakers with a distinctly secular premise.
