Pssst...Yes, "The Artist" is a Silent Movie

Well, this was inevitable.  According to a report in Britain's The Telegraph, several moviegoers in Liverpool have demanded refunds after realizing that critical darling and likely Oscar frontrunner The Artist is, in fact, a silent film.

To be fair, the Telegraph article does note that these requests were made by just a small number of audience members at a single theater (and before anyone tries to poke fun because this happened in the UK, keep in mind that we are still the home of the Drive lawsuit).  But with this film going into wider release in the next few weeks as the Oscar nominations are announced, this probably won't be the last time people cry foul that they were given no warning that this movie is in black and white and almost entirely without sound or dialogue.

Because obviously, the black and white, dialogue-free trailer didn't let that on at all:

By the way, if anyone is still on the fence about whether or not to see this movie at all...just go see it.  Of course it's Oscar bait.  But it's probably the most unpretentious, un-stuffy, and most enjoyable Oscar bait in theaters this year.  And it's got a cute dog.  Who can ask for a refund on that?