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The Films of Woody Allen

Take the Money and Run

Bananas

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex

Sleeper

Love and Death

Annie Hall (May 5/15)

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Annie Hall details the ups and downs of a tumultuous relationship between Allen's Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton's title character - with the movie boasting a number of oddball cutaways and absurd moments of comedy. (There is, for example, an entire sequence that transpires in animated form.) Allen's imaginative, often avant-garde approach to the material goes a long way towards compensating for a decidedly uneven atmosphere, to be sure, as the filmmaker infuses the proceedings with several justifiably-iconic images and moments (including Marshall McLuhan's almost inexplicable cameo as himself). It's just as clear, unfortunately, that Allen's emphasis on uniformly (and lamentably) unfunny jokes and gags wreaks havoc on Annie Hall's already-tenuous momentum, with the total lack of laughs ultimately ensuring that the film simply doesn't work as a comedy. There is, however, little doubt that the movie's love-story narrative generally compensates for Allen's questionable sense of humor, and it's impossible to deny that the tremendous chemistry between Allen and Keaton plays a significant role in confirming Annie Hall's mild success. The end result is an effort that continually falls short in terms of its comedy elements, and yet the superb performances and genuinely moving romance generally keep Annie Hall afloat from start to finish.

out of

Interiors

Manhattan (June 27/15)

Manhattan details the comings and goings of several New York City-based friends, with the emphasis placed on the romantic exploits of Woody Allen's Isaac (especially his affairs with Mariel Hemingway's Tracy and Diane Keaton's Mary). In typical Allen form, Manhattan is a thoroughly verbose piece of work that boasts stunning visuals and some seriously strong acting - with, in terms of the latter, Keaton's turn as the intellectual but insecure Mary certainly ranking among her very best performances. The plotless atmosphere does, however, ensure that the movie is only engaging in fits and starts (ie certain sequences fare much, much better than others), and it's ultimately clear that the film is at its best when focused on Isaac's relationships with Hemingway and Keaton's respective characters. Manhattan's arms-length atmosphere is perpetuated by the deliberateness with which everything unfolds, with the movie's 96 minute running time suffering from a padded-out feel and often feeling a whole lot longer than it actually is. The wish-fulfillment finale doesn't ring true in any way, shape, or form, which does, in the end, cement Manhattan's place as a film that one admires more than anything else.

out of

Stardust Memories

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy

Zelig (July 16/01)

Zelig takes a one-note premise and succeeds in turning it into a fairly entertaining little movie. (For a little while, anyway.) Woody Allen stars as Leonard Zelig, a man with the unusual ability to literally usurp the characteristics of anyone that happens to be nearby (if he's in the presence of a shrink, he'll soon believe he's a psychiatrist; if a black man stands next to him, he'll quickly sport black skin and an afro; etc). Allen, of course, writes and directs Zelig, and he's chosen to present the material through old news footage and newspaper clippings - with the idea being that we're watching a documentary assembled from various real-world media. At 82 minutes, however, Zelig is short but not short enough. While this gimmick initially seems fresh and interesting (and it is undeniably very well done; it's nearly impossible to tell new footage from old footage that has been altered to fit Allen into the frame), the movie naturally becomes a little tiresome after a while. A running time of no more than an hour would have been far more appropriate (and far more palatable). But nevertheless, Zelig is still mostly quite entertaining and often very funny (eg it's difficult not to get a kick out of the pronouncement that the Jewish Zelig, as a cross between an Indian and a black man, would pose a triple threat to the Ku Klux Klan).

out of

Broadway Danny Rose

The Purple Rose of Cairo

Hannah and Her Sisters

Radio Days

September

Another Woman

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Alice

Shadows and Fog (June 30/02)

Here's a hint as to how forgettable Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog is: I just watched it last night and it's already mostly slipped from my memory. Set sometime in the 1940s, Shadows and Fog transpires over one very long night as Allen's character stumbles from one part of town to the next. A killer's on the loose and everyone's on edge, but that doesn't stop the nebbish Allen from falling in love with a circus performer (Mia Farrow). There are a lot of cameo appearances - everyone from Madonna to Jodie Foster shows up - but very few make an impact. John Cusack, as an intellectual, is certainly the standout, while John Malkovich, in one of his rare non-psycho roles, is just as effective. But the whole thing never really amounts to much, though it does look great (the black and white photography, constantly shrouded in fog, screams out for a good quality transfer).

out of

Husbands and Wives

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Bullets Over Broadway

Don't Drink the Water

Mighty Aphrodite

Everyone Says I Love You

Deconstructing Harry

Celebrity

Sweet and Lowdown

Small Time Crooks

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

Hollywood Ending (May 2/02)

Woody Allen once said that the ideal length for a comedy is around 90 minutes. Given that his latest movie, Hollywood Ending, purports to be a comedy and in fact runs close to 110 minutes, it's easy enough to wonder why he's begun to disobey his own rule. The film - which stars Allen as Val, a filmmaker who is stricken with a case of psychosomatic blindness on the eve of a pivotal shoot - is undoubtedly an improvement over last's year's mediocre The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, yet one ultimately can't help but wonder if the strain of making a movie a year has finally gotten to the reclusive director. That's not to say Hollywood Ending is awful - it's still far better than a lot of other movies that have been released thus far this year - and there are undoubtedly a few things worth recommending about the film (eg Treat Williams' stellar turn as a studio head). The inclusion of several head-scratchingly needless elements - a subplot revolving around Val's strained relationship with his rebellious son, for example - effectively compounds the film's various problems, and it seems obvious that an unsentimental editor probably should have been hired to judiciously take out unnecessary sequences and trim down the rest. In the final analysis, Hollywood Ending doesn't really offer any good reason for plunking down over $10 when you could just as easily rent something like Manhattan or Annie Hall (and it's cheaper, too).

out of

Anything Else

Melinda and Melinda (March 15/05)

Unlike the majority of Woody Allen's recent efforts, the failure of Melinda and Melinda can't be attributed to an outwardly obvious source. The film is well made and well acted, and Allen seems content to just let his characters talk - something he's been reluctant to do as of late. Yet the movie never quite becomes anything more than a mildly engaging comedy/drama, primarily because none of this is terribly interesting (which is the bottom line, really). The movie, which follows a dual storyline involving one shared character (Radha Mitchell's Melinda), is nowhere near the worst that Allen has to offer - that'd probably be Curse of the Jade Scorpion - it's still a far cry from the sort of flicks the filmmaker used to crank out on a regular basis. Allen's last movie, Anything Else, seemed to indicate that he was eschewing the plot-heavy vibe that's dominated his work as of late, but Melinda and Melinda veers off too heavily in the other direction. Completely devoid of anything resembling a concrete, cohesive storyline, Melinda and Melinda runs out of steam almost immediately - a situation exacerbated by the lack of compelling characters. This is despite a surfeit of extremely capable actors in the film's various roles, with star Mitchell delivering an affable turn and effectively turning the two Melindas into unique, distinct characters. Mitchell is so good, in fact, that it's fairly disappointing that Allen doesn't allow either of her characters to become more than a typically verbose Allen heroine (ie she's just not given anything to do). The eclectic supporting cast keeps things interesting for a little while - Will Ferrell is in a Woody Allen movie, for crying out loud - but the novelty soon wears off, and we're left with nothing more than an unusually dull Allen flick.

out of


Match Point (April 6/16)

The first Woody Allen film set entirely in the United Kingdom, Match Point follows former tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as he ingratiates himself among the members of a wealthy British family - with Chris' eventual marriage to Emily Mortimer's Chloe threatened by his clandestine relationship with sexy out-of-work actress Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson). Match Point, which runs just a hair over two hours, progresses at a leisurely pace that's initially offset by Allen's superb dialogue and a raft of compelling performances, with the engrossing atmosphere heightened by a steady undercurrent of ominous foreboding (ie it's clear this is all heading somewhere nasty). It's fairly disappointing to note, then, that Allen's overly patient modus operandi paves the way for a midsection riddled with lulls, and it's ultimately rather clear that the movie, which suffers from a rough-cut feel, could and should have been cut down to the filmmaker's customary 90 minutes. There's little doubt, however, that Match Point grows increasingly engrossing once it arrives at its third act, as Allen slowly-but-surely infuses the narrative with thriller-like elements that result in an often unbearable tense final half hour - which ensures that the movie, in the final analysis, ranks as one of the venerable writer/director's more accomplished efforts in this new century.

out of


Scoop (January 19/16)

An affable (if forgettable) Woody Allen comedy, Scoop follows journalism student Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson) as she attends a magic show one fateful night and is immediately visited by the ghost of a recently-department reporter (Ian McShane's Joe Strombel) who passes along a tip regarding the identity of a notorious serial killer. Sondra is pointed in the direction of the charming son (Hugh Jackman's Peter Lyman) of a British lord, with the narrative subsequently detailing Sondra's continuing attempts to learn the truth about Jackson's charming character. (Also along for the ride is Woody Allen's neurotic magician Sid Waterman.) It's a lighthearted premise that's employed to brisk, entertaining effect by writer/director Allen, with the movie boasting several thoroughly agreeable performances and a narrative that takes a few more twists than one might've anticipated - although, in typical Allen fashion, Scoop suffers from a decidedly meandering feel that does, for the most part, prevent it from wholeheartedly achieving liftoff. This is despite the continued inclusion of admittedly engrossing sequences, with, especially, the movie's final third containing a number of interludes that pack an impressively suspenseful vibe. The end result is a decent Allen effort that generally coasts along on the pleasantness of its various attributes - everything here, from the performances to the visuals to the dialogue, is just so congenial - and it's clear that Scoop ultimately feels right at home within Allen's brief early-aughts renaissance.

out of

Cassandra's Dream

Click here for review.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (August 14/08)

There's little doubt that Vicky Cristina Barcelona marks another step on the road back to relevance for filmmaker Woody Allen, as the movie - though no great shakes in terms of plot or character development - boasts several engaging performances and dialogue that's as effortlessly authentic as one might've anticipated. The thin and admittedly far-from-fresh storyline - which follows American friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) as they embark on a Spanish vacation and subsequently fall for a charismatic painter (Javier Bardem's Juan Antonio) - essentially serves as a springboard for a series of low-key, conversation-driven sequences, with the film's comfortable rhythm only heightened by the cast's uniformly strong work (Bardem's expectedly compelling turn is undoubtedly matched by relative newcomer Hall). The movie's momentum does take a hit following Penelope Cruz's arrival at around the one-hour mark, however, as the actress - playing Juan Antonio's volatile ex-wife - offers up a fiery performance that sort of feels at odds with the exceedingly laid-back atmosphere. Still, this is surely a minor complaint for a breezy effort that generally feels like classic Allen - with the predictably melancholy conclusion certainly cementing this vibe.

out of


Whatever Works (June 24/09)

Woody Allen's long-awaited return to New York, Whatever Works boasts a plotless atmosphere that's initially easy enough to overlook thanks primarily to star Larry David's thoroughly engrossing work as the central character - yet it's just as clear that the movie does begin to run out of steam somewhere around its midsection (with the inclusion of several downright pointless third-act interludes only exacerbating this feeling). The movie follows grouchy curmudgeon Boris Yellnikoff (David) as he meets (and eventually marries) a sweet Southern girl (Evan Rachel Wood's Melodie), with the bulk of the proceedings generally detailing the specifics of their oddball union and its effect on their friends and family. There's little doubt that Whatever Works, at the outset, comes off as one of the more promising Allen comedies in recent memory, as the film features an exceedingly amiable vibe that's perpetuated by the efforts of the various actors - with David's surprisingly strong performance at the forefront of a uniformly stellar cast (which includes Michael McKean, Patricia Clarkson, and Ed Begley, Jr). Though essentially playing a mean-spirited riff on his Curb Your Enthusiasm persona, David effectively transforms Boris into a figure worthy of the viewer's sympathy - which is, given his relentlessly misanthropic actions and behavior, is certainly no small feat. It's consequently not surprising to note that the movie demonstrably suffers whenever Boris is off screen, with the increased emphasis on supporting characters in the film's second half ensuring that one's interest slowly but surely dwindles. The inclusion of several head-scratchingly needless interludes - ie Begley, Jr's tedious encounter with a gay man at a bar - within its home stretch cements Whatever Works' place as a sporadically watchable yet hopelessly uneven piece of work, and - given the strength of such recent endeavors as Cassandra's Dream and Vicky Cristina Barcelona - it would appear that Allen is better off working overseas.

out of


You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (October 22/10)

A consistently underwhelming effort, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger follows several characters - including Naomi Watts' Sally, Antonio Banderas' Greg, and Anthony Hopkins' Alfie - as they attempt to navigate the thorny landscape of relationships. Filmmaker Woody Allen has infused You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger with an almost aggressively low-key sensibility that ultimately prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting with the characters, as the movie's subdued atmosphere often ensures that the whole thing comes off as the cinematic equivalent of elevator music. And while the less-than-enthralling vibe is often alleviated by the uniformly likeable performances, there's little doubt that the lack of stand-out sequences results in a loss of momentum that grows increasingly problematic as time progresses. (Having said that, there's one interlude, a single-take scene in which a trio of characters engage in an argument, that's as brilliantly conceived and thoroughly enthralling as anything within Allen's rocky body of work.) It's subsequently not surprising to note that the movie peters out in a rather demonstrable way as it nears its anticlimactic finish, which effectively cements You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger's place as just another in a long line of underwhelming misfires from Allen.

out of


Midnight in Paris (June 15/11)

Woody Allen's most entertaining comedy in years, Midnight in Paris follows an American screenwriter (Owen Wilson's Gil) as he's magically transported back to the roaring '20s - with the film subsequently detailing Gil's attempts at balancing his time in both the present and the past. There's little doubt that Midnight in Paris, in its early stages, comes off as a fairly typical Allen effort, as the movie initially details the back-and-forth dynamic between Gil and his seemingly incompatible girlfriend (Rachel McAdams' Inez) - with an ongoing (and anticipated) emphasis on Gil's neurotic exploits (eg Gil worries about Inez's friendship with a pompous professor, Gil contemplates moving to Paris permanently, etc, etc). Wilson's charming performance and the picturesque atmosphere ensure that the movie fares well enough in its early stages, although, as inevitably becomes clear, Midnight in Paris improves considerably once Gil takes his first trip through time - as the inherently compelling nature of the character's fish-out-of-water exploits are heightened by the irresistible presence of several familiar historical figures (eg F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, etc). The pervasively pleasant atmosphere effectively compensates for the few lulls within the narrative - eg Gil's encounter with an almost unreasonably quirky Salvador Dalí (Adrien Brody) - which ultimately cements Midnight in Paris' place as a crowd-pleasing, consistently engrossing effort from a far-from-reliable filmmaker.

out of


To Rome with Love (August 13/12)

To Rome with Love marks Woody Allen's first film since staging a comeback (of sorts) with the vastly entertaining Midnight in Paris, and it is, as such, disappointing to note that the movie, which admittedly does start out with some promise, ultimately becomes just as aimless and tedious as such recent Allen failures as Whatever Works and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Set, of course, entirely in Rome, To Rome with Love details the exploits of several disparate characters as they confront a variety of issues in and around Italy's famed capital city - with, for example, the movie following Roberto Benigni's Leopoldo as he becomes an overnight celebrity for no discernable reason and Jesse Eisenberg's Jack as he's forced to choose between his girlfriend (Greta Gerwig's Sally) and his girlfriend's best pal (Ellen Page's Monica). There's no arguing that Allen does a terrific job of instantly drawing the viewer into the lighthearted proceedings, as the filmmaker offers up a fast-paced and jaunty feel that's reflected in, among other things, the uniformly charismatic performances and irresistibly animated score. The easygoing vibe persists right up until around the halfway mark, after which point it does become more and more difficult to comfortably swallow the increasingly surreal nature of some of these subplots - with, especially, the entire Benigni tale wearing out its welcome to an almost astonishing degree (ie it's just silly). It doesn't help, either, that the movie suffers from a midsection that is, for the most part, meandering to the point of distraction, with the spinning-its-wheels atmosphere paving the way for a final third that is, to put it mildly, somewhat anticlimactic (ie it's impossible to work up the slightest interest in the exploits of a man who can only sing well in the shower). The end result is as uneven and erratic an effort as Allen as ever released, which is a shame, certainly, given the strength of its opening half hour.

out of


Blue Jasmine (August 1/13)

An uneven yet engaging effort from Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine follows Cate Blanchett's Jasmine as she attempts to start her life over after the sudden dissolution of her marriage to Alec Baldwin's wealthy financier. Writer/director Allen has infused Blue Jasmine with a typically low-key feel that does, at the outset, prevent the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the narrative, with the subdued atmosphere compounded by a narrative that almost seems too simple and underdeveloped. It eventually does become clear, however, that Allen has more in mind than just a typical fall-from-grace story, with the impressively unpredictable arc of Blanchett's layered character lifting the film out of its doldrums on a continuous basis - as the character, anchored by Blanchett's frequently stunning performance, becomes a far more engrossing and complex figure than one might've initially suspected. It's just a shame, then, that the narrative is, for the most part, unable to lift itself up to Blanchett's level, although Allen admittedly does a nice job of offering up a few compelling stretches within the lackadaisical midsection (eg Jasmine meets Peter Sarsgaard's charming, affluent Dwight). The end result is a better-than-average contemporary Allen effort that benefits substantially from Blanchett's tour-de-force turn as the title character, as the movie is otherwise exactly the sort of aimless and underwhelming endeavor that one has come to expect from the aging filmmaker.

out of

Magic in the Moonlight

Irrational Man (August 21/15)

Irrational Man casts Joaquin Phoenix as Abe Lucas, a depressive college professor who discovers a newfound zest for life after deciding to commit a murderous act - with the movie detailing the impact of Abe's decision on a lovestruck student named Jill (Emma Stone). Filmmaker Woody Allen's screenplay is chock-a-block with relatively interesting ideas revolving primarily around philosophical concepts and theories, and yet, by that same token, the relentless emphasis on academic conversations grows more and more exhausting as time slowly progresses - with Allen's reluctance to offer up more than a few kernels of character development exacerbating the movie's hands-off atmosphere. Phoenix and Stone's top-notch work helps lift one's dwindling interest on a sporadic basis, while the aforementioned murderous act ensures that, at the very least, there's a little momentum contained within the movie's second half. Given the subject matter, however, Irrational Man suffers from an almost total lack of tension that is, to say the least, surprising (and disappointing) - although it's worth noting that the movie does improve slightly in its crime-focused final stretch (and that resolution is quite shocking, to be sure). It's ultimately clear that Irrational Man comes off as the latest misguided endeavor from Allen, which is too bad, of course, given the strength of Phoenix's typically commanding turn as the conflicted central character.

out of


Café Society (July 27/16)

Set in the 1930s, Café Society follows Bronx native Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) as he arrives in Hollywood and almost immediately begins working for his powerful movie-agent uncle (Steve Carrell's Phil) - with the narrative primarily revolving around the tentative romantic relationship that forms between Bobby and Kristen Stewart's Vonnie. It's ultimately clear that Café Society fares best in its lighthearted and almost compulsively watchable first half, as writer/director Woody Allen does a marvelous job of establishing the movie's opulent atmosphere and the various characters residing within. In terms of the latter, Café Society boasts an impressive roster of performers that includes, among others, Corey Stoll, Parker Posey, and Blake Lively - although it remains clear that the film's success is due in no small part to the efforts of its three stars. (Eisenberg is especially strong here, as the actor generally drops the twitchy and fast-talking persona with which he's associated.) And while the whole thing is very charming and completely affable, Café Society eventually does reach a point at which it slowly-but-surely loses its grip on the viewer - with the narrative's third-act shift in locale from Los Angeles to New York wreaking havoc on the movie's momentum and paving the way for a palpably erratic final half hour. The somewhat repetitive bent of that climactic stretch only compounds the decidedly uneven feel, and it is, in the end, obvious that Café Society falls right in line with much of Allen's good-but-not-great output as of late.

out of


Wonder Wheel (December 31/17)

A sporadically agreeable misfire, Wonder Wheel follows circa 1950s carnival employees (and married couple) Humpty (Jim Belushi) and Ginny (Kate Winslet) as they reluctantly agree to take in a floundering relative (Juno Temple's Carolina) - with complications ensuing as Ginny embarks on a torrid affair with a local lifeguard named Mickey (Justin Timberlake). Filmmaker Woody Allen has infused Wonder Wheel with the pronounced feel of a filmed play, as much of the narrative transpires within Humpty and Ginny's cramped (yet colorful) apartment - with the novelty of the movie's locale playing an instrumental role in initially staving off the expectedly stagy vibe. Winslet's lived-in performance certainly goes a long way towards keeping things interesting, while Allen effectively elicits strong work from eclectic supporting players like Belushi and Timberlake (the latter is undoubtedly far better here than one might've anticipated). The meandering bent of Allen's script, coupled with the overt familiarity of the storyline, ensures that Wonder Wheel suffers from a somewhat lackluster midsection, with the one-note atmosphere paving the way for a second half that slowly-but-surely fizzles out to a fairly distressing degree - which confirms the picture's place as just another subpar entry within Allen's increasingly erratic filmography.

out of

© David Nusair