I really enjoyed this Cronenberg film. Though my favourite films of his are the incredible ones he did in my teens, during the 80's ('Videodrome', 'The Dead Zone' and 'The Fly' are nothing short of outstanding, and works that no one else could have come up with), he's really been thinking outside of the box for the past decade (even for a consistently interesting creature such as he), and it's only been recently, with both Sarah Polley and Denis Villeneuve emerging as vital directors, that his ranking as the greatest Canadian director ever has even had suitable competition for comparison.
I remembered when this came out, and I believe a critic from 'The Globe and Mail' interviewed Cronenberg at its opening at Cannes, and he was almost apologetic about using Pattinson. It sounded like he didn't want to have to direct him. He made the excuse that he couldn't get funding for his projects from North America anymore, which is a dirty rotten shame, and had to go to Europe and Asia any time he wanted to make a film in order to have it bankrolled, and the Japanese insisted on star power to put moviegoers in the seats, and said there'd only be financial backing if Cronenberg directed Pattinson. This was my first experience watching the actor's work, and he did a fine job, no problem. The supporting cast was strong, with many of my favourite character actors of late, such as Paul Giamatti and Jay Baruchel. The script, co-written by Cronenberg, was a strong statement about just how out of touch the very rich are with the other 99% of us. I docked my mark by 1/10 because I was pissed off that Cronenberg degraded one of the finest actresses of our lifetime, Juliette Binoche here. I can't even talk about it. It was as difficult for me to tolerate as Spike Lee having Christopher Plummer call Jodie Foster something awful in the otherwise excellent 'Inside Man'. Lee's off my Christmas card list for sure this year, but Cronenberg being a fellow Canadian (I bet you thought I was going to say white, hahaha), I'll be less angry. But he better look over his shoulder if he tries something like THAT again. I was THAT close to crossing HIM off my Christmas card list too...
I also remember from the time the film came out, an article and rating on the film (I think it was 'The Globe and Mail' as well, and by the same critic who had earlier interviewed him), saying that when he watched it, he watched a few teenage girls leaving the theatre (most probably because Pattinson was in it), saying it was the worst movie they had ever seen. That's the only evidence you need that this is a fine movie, well worth your time.