Summary:
Jerry Falk is an aspiring writer in New York, who falls in love at first sight
with a free-spirited young woman named Amanda. Jerry has heard the phrase that
life is like anything else, but he soon finds that life with the unpredictable
Amanda isn’t like anything else at all.
Review:
Woody Allen attempts to return to his glory days of filmmaking with this
awkward story of young love in the 21st century. For the most part
this is the best Woody Allen movie since Bullets Over Broadway
(1984). The film has all the classic elements of a Woody Allen movie such as
his all too familiar musical score, witty screenwriting, and male-female
bickering.
The movie features some new elements for a Woody Allen film that might
just surprise movie-goers more than anything else. For instance, there is a
great deal of transference between Woody Allen and Jason Biggs throughout
the film. In most Woody Allen movies of late, he has been the lead
protagonist delivering most of the jokes (usually ineffectively). But, in
this particular piece of cinema he plays an eccentric sidekick transferring
the protagonist lead to Jason Biggs (rather effectively). Although I am a
fan of Woody Allen films, it has become unfortunately clear that Allen at
his current age can no longer deliver lines in a manner that does his
scripts any justice. Jason Biggs on the other hand does a very good job at
delivering lines and utilizing situational expressions.
Although the degree of transference between Woody Allen and Jason Biggs
is compelling and exciting to watch, there is a subtle condescending tone in
the movie which is prevalent in many Woody Allen films. In a decade where
women have won many senate and gubernatorial races nationwide, it is unclear
why Allen continues to utilize his imperfect female motifs. For most of the
movie you are forced to watch the sins of Christina Ricci's (Amanda)
character and that of her mother. People do make mistakes, but when you make
film after film about women and their flaws it begins to become a little
redundant. Frankly Woody Allen is too good of a screenwriter to be stuck in
this type of mindset and its really unfortunate. Older fans of Woody
Allen films might be surprised by his sidekick role in this movie, but
younger audiences will be delighted by Allen's witty screenwriting and great
performances by young Hollywood talent.
See this movie if you're a fan of:
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Woody Allen (Director/Screenwriter, Celebrity, Deconstructing Harry,
Purple Rose of Cairo)
Jason Biggs (Actor, American Pie, American Wedding, Boys and Girls)
Christina Ricci (Actress, Sleepy Hollow, 200 Cigarettes, The Addams
Family)
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