So my wife turned on the latest Woody Allen movie "Anything Else"

[Pale Blue Dot]

I used to be a huge Woody Allen fan. My favorite film of his remains "Husbands and Wives". Unfortunatly, its all downhill from there.

So far, this one is absolutely terrible. Allen is writing the same type of dialogue for Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci in the present day that he wrote 30 years ago. Only the jokes aren't as funny, and it all sounds terribly phoney. Worse yet, Ricci's character is completely unlikable. It's not Ricci's fault - the part was written that way.

The whole thing seems to be an excuse to show Ricci in her underwear. Not that I'm complaining.

Allen needs to take some time off and recharge his batteries.

[jonnyblitz]

1. I thought Deconstructing Harry was kind of amusing.

oh well. :shrug:

[mobuto]

2. Its Jason Biggs playing Woody Allen's

idea of himself as an intellectual.

And Jason Biggs isn't, uh, convincing in that capacity.

He makes Katherine Hepburn look good by comparison when she played a Chinese peasant girl.

[joeybee12]

7. Hey, Katharine Hepburn was good as a Chinese peasant girl!

She can do no wrong!

[ChiefHappyButt]

3. I, well, you know

kinda liked it when I saw it, but I totally understand what you're trying to say here. It's not like seeing Ricci in her underwear is worth the price of admission or anything! And, you know, I sometimes have to think about what it is that I'm thinking about, because, I know, even if you don't, you know, think about it, that Diane Keaton was the closest I ever had to true bonding. Bonding. Are we now so shallow that we have to go to the corner store and get some glue to keep ourselves together? You know, I remember when a banana and an orgasmatron was all that was needed to bring peace and harmony to this part of the world.

My review.

[VOX]

4. Allen's time is over, and he is irrelevant now.

I say this as a strong admirer of some of his earlier work. His self-possessed, neurotic characters were funny and resonant in the 1970s, but they no longer fit into the present world.

Also, Allen has isolated himself from incoming experiences -- he is landlocked in NY, he married within his "family," etc. to the point where he long ago ceased to grow as an artist.

As Allen no longer takes risks with his art, he thus recycles his limited resources -- consequently, his work is so watered down and lacking in relevant substance that it is now painful to watch.

[underpants]

5. And apparently broke

That is probably the best assessment I have seen/read on Woody and where he is today, and why.

The early one's were unbelieveable. "Love and Death" is my favorite. He actually poked fun of himself when he started making the same movie over and over in "Stardust Memories"- an adoring older couple are amongst a crowd trying to see his star character and the woman says, "We really love your movies...especially the early funny ones".

[joeybee12]

8. Love and Death is wonderful--Diane Keaton looks out the window at

the end and sees him dead, and she calls, "Boris, what happened?"

The reply; "I got screwed!"

What a great alternative and hilarious way of saying "I died."

[Dookus]

6. I disagree

very few directors are as prolific as Allen, and therefore, not every film will be gold (though I find something to enjoy in all his films.)

In the last ten years, he's done some of my favorite work: Bullets over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Sweet and Lowdown....

He also did the musical "Everyone Says I Love You", which I'd call something of a risk.

[joeybee12]

9. Liked the first two you mentioned, but Sweet and Lowdown is just

blah. Then there was the atrocious Curse of the Jade Scorpion--that was unbearable, but that probably has a lot to do with Helen Hutn thinking she can act.

[Dookus]

10. Hrmm....

I adored Sweet and Lowdown... thought the story was great and Penn was amazing. To each his own.

[joeybee12]

11. Yeah, if everyone liked the same movies, Hollywood would make them

all the same. I thought I'd like it because I like Sean Penn. But it just didn't seem all that original to me.

[Kamika]

12. I agree some

He really overplays the "half neurotic jewish guy" thing.. I liked it at first but when every movie is based on it, it gets tedious.


My fav movie is bananas (the one where he travels in time) and that's a very early movie.

Maybe he should try a different kind of movie.

Comedy is cool but not the same kind

[ALago1]

13. His quality has definitely gone downhill

Annie Hall is perhaps my favorite movie of all time.

Yet, at the same time that movie seems to have been his peak.

Regardless, I still think his latter-day works are light years ahead of most mainstream crap that is released today.

Also, to put out a movie every year since the 70's, with semi-decent quality is quite a feat.