I just watched it On Demand. Emma Stone was fantastic, and so was the ending, one of the most moral conclusions to Allen's films exploring the moral and immoral choices we are presented and the consequences of the choices we actually make. I felt much more fulfilled than the endings of his films where the immoral choices leave one feeling hopeless.
Talk about an academic exercise: set in sunny Rhode Island academia where everyone has white people problems, a burnt out, pudgy philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix) who sees life as meaningless (sound familiar?) decides to murder a man he believes deserves it, which frees him up. A student (Emma Stone) & teacher (Parker Posey) are inexplicably in love with this slouch. Interesting ideas to be sure, and at least Allen is the rare filmmaker who’s still raising them, but every line feels scripted by a college writer who was just starting to think about ideas Allen satirized long ago in “Love And Death” yet now seems to be taking them seriously. Phoenix says, “If you learn anything from me, it’s that much of philosophy is verbal masturbation,” just like much of this movie. Endless repetition of Ramsey Lewis Trio’s “The In Crowd.”
7
I wonder why a recurring theme in Woody Allen movies involves a lecherous old fart in a position of authority having a beautiful very young woman throw herself at him? Someone should write a book about that.
13
The movie was slow occasionally (give your actors dialogue, Woody!), but lovely to watch: crisp, clean colors telling you you're in a sort of fantasy world. And if you don't think a young student would be attracted to a tormented middle-aged philosophy professor looking like Joaquin: where HAVE you been? Shall I count the ways--and times--I've seen it?
Woody got the philosophy right--I'm thankful for that. Too often the philosophy remarks in movies are just plain wrong. And I loved the positive remark about Continental philosophy--in a country where most major depts. are controlled by Analytic. I thought all the acting was fine--liked seeing Emma go from super sweet, smart coed to nearly feral, when she finds out what Abe's been up to. -- Hey, there are ideas in this movie. It's not perfect (one conceptual issue bothered me with the voiceovers), but it's worthwhile.
Woody got the philosophy right--I'm thankful for that. Too often the philosophy remarks in movies are just plain wrong. And I loved the positive remark about Continental philosophy--in a country where most major depts. are controlled by Analytic. I thought all the acting was fine--liked seeing Emma go from super sweet, smart coed to nearly feral, when she finds out what Abe's been up to. -- Hey, there are ideas in this movie. It's not perfect (one conceptual issue bothered me with the voiceovers), but it's worthwhile.
1
The high references to Borges, Brecht, (missed Dostoyevsky?), etc. do not redeem the mess of this and other late Woody Allen's output. I'd say formulaic like soap operas or run of the mill TV series (rather than "metafictive") or stiff and disengaged rather than aim for intentional Brechtian estrangement. Common, Ms. Darghis. Let's remove the aura from what is really plain underperformance of what used to be a great filmmaker. It is sad, not to be able to leave the stage when you cannot sing, dance or perform any longer. Who is financing this hobby of Woody Allen's?
5
I used to really enjoy A.O. Scott's reviews of Woody's films. He was sometimes harsh (I remember a random line saying that "Whatever Works" really didn't). But it was always clear that he was writing as an admirer and someone who acknowledged the probably unparalleled contribution of Allen to American cinema (and to our lives).
This latest review is mediocre, at times bordering maliciousness. 'Irrational Man' is a good movie! If you disagree, please reply listing other movies released in 2015 that deal with the meaning of life and morality, and where female characters actually WANT something and act to make it happen.
This latest review is mediocre, at times bordering maliciousness. 'Irrational Man' is a good movie! If you disagree, please reply listing other movies released in 2015 that deal with the meaning of life and morality, and where female characters actually WANT something and act to make it happen.
6
This is a terrible film with a sophomoric "exploration" of irrelevant- notions and where-oh-where has Allen's humor gone?
Nothing holds this thing together except our faint curiosity to know whether the guy gets away with murder - or is it two murders? Nice views of the beach, though.
Nothing holds this thing together except our faint curiosity to know whether the guy gets away with murder - or is it two murders? Nice views of the beach, though.
Many moviegoers are dismissing Woody Allen’s latest production as a trifle of a film, a rehashing of his previous works. Yes, “Irrational Man” lacks the creation of fully textured characterizations and harkens back to familiar existential themes, but viewers should resist throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The film contributes to our understanding of the human psyche, and it concludes with a satisfying demonstration of the uncanny. It commences with a depiction of a man who is depressed, lacks the drive to lead a vital sexual, work and social life and who feels his life is devoid of meaning. Abe’s aggression and rage have been turned inward rendering him impotent and self-destructive. However, his planning and participation in a forbidden act, which provides him with the opportunity to externalize his aggressive impulses, albeit destructively, allows Abe to become re-engaged in life. Denial and rationalization following the murder allow Abe to maintain his moral equilibrium and to thrive, that is, until his self preservation is threatened. Abe's attempt at a second murder and its outcome allow Allen to illuminate his perspective on chance. Does randomness rule the cosmos or has Allen left the door ajar to consider that the universe is not always inequitable and without moral reason? Allen’s genius manages to package psychological theories and philosophical musings into one entertaining film and failure to consider the value of such expression is simply irrational.
7
This is basically the story of "Crime and Punishment" with Joaquin Phoenix as a believable Raskolnikov. It had the usual Woody Allen tropes of a young girl having an inappropriate relationship with an older man, in this case her professor, ethics, and whether or not one should act upon morally ambiguous drives. I do hate what they did to Parker Posey, making her look old and desperate.
Not as good as Blue Jasmine, and a little draggy toward the end, but enjoyable.
Not as good as Blue Jasmine, and a little draggy toward the end, but enjoyable.
4
You're joking about Parker Posey, right? This man thinks she looks great.
5
In almost any movie written and produced by Woody Allen in the last ten years or more, no matter who is speaking the words, they all sound like him, with his distinctive speech patterns. It is jarring to continually hear characters other than him speak this way. Allen’s knowledge of philosophy is still pretty rooted in the 60’s, too, probably when he studied it, notwithstanding the few modern references. Even so, there is a good way to approach this film. It is valuable if you consider it from point of view of a starry eyed student who has this really brilliant professor, and she finally grows up and learns she has to make up her own mind, she has to consult her own moral compass and not just accept whatever her teachers, no matter how charismatic are putting out there. Plus the defense of continental philosophy was okay.
3
I was greatly disappointed in this film. The plot was nifty--but the dialogue was so stilted--all of that philosophical dialogue seemed almost corny to me. Do philosophers actually speak like treatises in everyday life--? The whole cast sounded as if someone was holding a gun to their heads. And Woody Allen seemed completely of of touch with young people. The characters were right out of stock photos.....and not one of them holding a phone! Amazing.
3
Woody Allen, the Bernie Madoff of American 'cinema'. Keep taking patrons' money, promising the big payoff when, in fact, there's nothing there.
5
I felt Allen was drawing on Streetcar in Blue Jasmine and in Irrational Man it's a bit of Hitchcock.
1
I liked this movie. It's refreshing to to watch adults talking, (not repeatedly swearing), sitting, walking, eating, et cetera, without weird special effects. Joaquin Phoenix was wonderful, and somehow reminded me of Morrissey. I wanted him to run off to Spain with Parker Posey. I hope Woody Allen will use them both again.
It was strange that the students' characters' parents all seemed to teach at the university. And the classroom where Phoenix's character lectured was magnificent--is that typical for east coast universities?
Anyone on the fence should really consider going to see it.
It was strange that the students' characters' parents all seemed to teach at the university. And the classroom where Phoenix's character lectured was magnificent--is that typical for east coast universities?
Anyone on the fence should really consider going to see it.
4
I once read an anecdote about the Buddha in which a disciple had become disenchanted with the master because the disciple wanted to know where the world had come from and what was man's purpose on earth. Finally the disciple brought his questions to the master, but the Buddha dismissed them and said, "I am here to teach you how to be released from suffering. The answers to your answers are irrelevant." And the disciple left in search of another master who would answer his questions.
But the best presentation on the randomness of life...and how to get over it...comes from comedian Tim Minchin, with nine "life lessons" given during an 11-minute-long commencement speech, not just the best commencement speech I have ever heard, but the only commencement speech I have ever heard that was and still is worth hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RBG1PadWI
But the best presentation on the randomness of life...and how to get over it...comes from comedian Tim Minchin, with nine "life lessons" given during an 11-minute-long commencement speech, not just the best commencement speech I have ever heard, but the only commencement speech I have ever heard that was and still is worth hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RBG1PadWI
The American mentality regarding films and the other arts is hilarious to read about in the COMMENTS section of the NY Times.
Americans are so hung up on the search for a genius who can be a genius over and over again, and so disappointed when the genius really isn't a genius, or when the genius creates work that is not the work of a genius.
I am glad I can simply accept or reject the director's work based on the whether the story is compelling and well-told, not on whether or not the conclusions are satisfying or comforting. I guess that's why I hardly ever even consider even seeing an American film unless Michael Keaton or Bill Murray or Cate Blanchett is in it. Last year I saw just four, "Birdman", "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "St. Vincent" and John Turturro's "Fading Gigolo" in which Woody Allen acts under Turturro's direction. None was a great film, but Keaton, Murray and Turturro are almost always fun to watch.
Americans are so hung up on the search for a genius who can be a genius over and over again, and so disappointed when the genius really isn't a genius, or when the genius creates work that is not the work of a genius.
I am glad I can simply accept or reject the director's work based on the whether the story is compelling and well-told, not on whether or not the conclusions are satisfying or comforting. I guess that's why I hardly ever even consider even seeing an American film unless Michael Keaton or Bill Murray or Cate Blanchett is in it. Last year I saw just four, "Birdman", "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "St. Vincent" and John Turturro's "Fading Gigolo" in which Woody Allen acts under Turturro's direction. None was a great film, but Keaton, Murray and Turturro are almost always fun to watch.
Second post to this review of Irrational Man. That Woody Allen's "reading list" from his (surely!) course with William Barrett at NYU has influenced his work and his art becomes more and more evident to me. I'm re-reading Barrett and realizing that Raskolnikov's dilemma - continues to resound, terrify, horrify and edify our own times. Allen's reputation, as he thought it might, does, indeed, stand up along side of Ingmar Bergman.
4
Woody Allen surely took a course with NYU philosophy professor and "existentialist" William Barrett and read WB's work - certainly WB's "Irrational Man" - and was knowledgeable about WB's relationship with young women - as did every shrink in town, in the days when not only writers and artists but all of the shrinks knew one another. O those were the days!
3
The chilly reception for this film made me hesitate to go out and see it. I went because not seeing a WA film in first run after all these years seems unthankful. That's not how I want to be. The film is much better crafted, attention holding and well put together than I was expecting. The feather lightness of the Emma Stone character for most of the film sets up her unexpected substance at the end. I do see the influence of Hitchcock. The ironic surprise ending is reminiscent of Mr. Hitchcock's old television shows, now easy to find on cable. The characters go on about randomness. But the hand of providence shows through the ending unmistakably, and with an almost audible laugh.
6
"The chilly reception for this film made me hesitate to go out and see it."
Really? You only got to see what is popular, or what the critics rave about?
"Blue Jasmine" is not only one of the best films of the last 10 years; it is one of the only American films made in the last 10 years that is worth seeing.
So I will be seeing "Irrational Man" even if it's not as good.
Really? You only got to see what is popular, or what the critics rave about?
"Blue Jasmine" is not only one of the best films of the last 10 years; it is one of the only American films made in the last 10 years that is worth seeing.
So I will be seeing "Irrational Man" even if it's not as good.
2
The storyline is thin, the characters are vacuous and the conclusion unsatisfying.
What a waste of a beautiful afternoon in August. As a previous reviewer suggested that Woody Allen continues to make variations of earlier films that seemed fresh with characters that were enticing. I'm sorry to say that my hopes for another Annie Hall and some of his earlier gems do not resurface here. We all were cute, a little sexy and funny 30+ years ago, the sheen has diminished somewhat, sorry to say.
What a waste of a beautiful afternoon in August. As a previous reviewer suggested that Woody Allen continues to make variations of earlier films that seemed fresh with characters that were enticing. I'm sorry to say that my hopes for another Annie Hall and some of his earlier gems do not resurface here. We all were cute, a little sexy and funny 30+ years ago, the sheen has diminished somewhat, sorry to say.
5
I agree totally If anyone else put out a film like that they would never work again
4
"The story line is thin, the characters are vacuous and the conclusion unsatisfying."
Not every film by a great film maker is great, just as not every song Bob Dylan ever wrote was a great song, or even a good song. But if the conclusion must be satisfying to make the film worthwhile, America is the country for you.
"What a waste of a beautiful afternoon in August."
Sometimes going to the movie is a waste of time.
Not every film by a great film maker is great, just as not every song Bob Dylan ever wrote was a great song, or even a good song. But if the conclusion must be satisfying to make the film worthwhile, America is the country for you.
"What a waste of a beautiful afternoon in August."
Sometimes going to the movie is a waste of time.
1
Don't go to Woody Allen films! Not your cup of tea for sure. Some of us find them imaginative, thought provoking and often quite wonderful. It's okay if you don't. Sorry.
1
Woody Allen's greatest contribution is that he showed that nerds are as libidinous as anyone else. Until he came along, short, cerebral men were portrayed as asexual. Allen destroyed the stereotype.
His films made heroes of guys who'd qualify as wimps. He featured skinny neurotics who had an inner life, were capable of a wide range of feelings, and enjoyed mutual attraction with desirable women. No one had done this before. Rather, such men were feeble and clownish, not to be taken seriously.
Thanks to Woody Allen, audiences have become more sophisticated and these dopey characters have largely disappeared.
His films made heroes of guys who'd qualify as wimps. He featured skinny neurotics who had an inner life, were capable of a wide range of feelings, and enjoyed mutual attraction with desirable women. No one had done this before. Rather, such men were feeble and clownish, not to be taken seriously.
Thanks to Woody Allen, audiences have become more sophisticated and these dopey characters have largely disappeared.
4
Dear HRL,
Permit me to disagree. Your statement would have been valid if it were not for the means by which Woody Allen's nerd achieved his goal.
Woody Allen is definitely not the mouse that roared. His is the badger that acts mouse-ly and that sneaks around stealing somebody else's cheese. His is not the dashing,conquering lover. Rather, the begging, pleading and lonely brainiac who argues himself into this woman's bed or that woman's heart. In other words he is a hustler who talks a woman into loving him and into a relationship ship that is equal parts love, the kind reserved for a cute pet, pity and exasperation. The love that stems from, "Ok, ok, I will love you, can you please stop bothering me?"
In that regard, it is maybe a realistic expression of the patterns of mating of the bespectacled nerd who happens to be skinny and neurotic but also shrewd enough to recognize and prey on the insecurities and fears of his female characters as they experience an existential crisis.
Characters like those played by Tony Roberts end being the handsome, good looking, confident and accomplished man whose main fault is being very trusting or perhaps foolish enough to think that a nerdy, clownish insecure creature like the Allen character is safe enough to leave alone and unsupervised around his womenfolk. Perhaps such characters like those played by Tony Roberts end being punished for subscribing to the myth that short, cerebral men are asexual. And thats when Mr. Allen strikes.
Permit me to disagree. Your statement would have been valid if it were not for the means by which Woody Allen's nerd achieved his goal.
Woody Allen is definitely not the mouse that roared. His is the badger that acts mouse-ly and that sneaks around stealing somebody else's cheese. His is not the dashing,conquering lover. Rather, the begging, pleading and lonely brainiac who argues himself into this woman's bed or that woman's heart. In other words he is a hustler who talks a woman into loving him and into a relationship ship that is equal parts love, the kind reserved for a cute pet, pity and exasperation. The love that stems from, "Ok, ok, I will love you, can you please stop bothering me?"
In that regard, it is maybe a realistic expression of the patterns of mating of the bespectacled nerd who happens to be skinny and neurotic but also shrewd enough to recognize and prey on the insecurities and fears of his female characters as they experience an existential crisis.
Characters like those played by Tony Roberts end being the handsome, good looking, confident and accomplished man whose main fault is being very trusting or perhaps foolish enough to think that a nerdy, clownish insecure creature like the Allen character is safe enough to leave alone and unsupervised around his womenfolk. Perhaps such characters like those played by Tony Roberts end being punished for subscribing to the myth that short, cerebral men are asexual. And thats when Mr. Allen strikes.
1
Woody Allen is making the same film over and over again but this one is remarkably dated. At this point it's self parody and die-hard Woody Allen fans can guess each coming line, as well as plot developments, with ease.
5
Most writers and directors do send to do the same thing over and over again from various perspectives. It's not like painting was before Picasso, when one could literally and radically invent oneself over and over and over again. Woody Allen, like any director, has a made films of varying qualities, from the very good to not very good or banal. My favorite Woody Allen film is "Crimes and Misdemeanors" because Martin Landau's character is so different from the typical Woody Allen-esque character, and Jerry Orbach, a Broadway song and dance man at the time, gives a riveting performance as Landau's gangster brother, that launched Orbach into his role on "Law and Order."
Took a while to get to the punchline. Might Mr. Allen be saying "In the face of meaninglessness, all that is left is laughter, which also fades"?
I didn't go into the theater with any high expectations. Didn't leave with any either. Just wanted to escape the heat and my family for the afternoon. Spent $8 on a tix and snuck in a bag of popcorn. although, the film did not have the same entertainment value of Allen's recent hits "blue jasmine" and "midnight in Paris" nor the same audience attendance, the film held my attention for the most part in a dark, sinister way. I almost wanted Stone to fall down the elevator shaft secretly wishing Phoenix's escape to Europe. In hindsight, I would have preferred more Parker and less Stone. Stone is cute and looks nice in dresses but lacks something Allen's female leads need. Phoenix fit the part but lacked chemistry with Stone. Appreciated the beautiful New England scenery. All in all beat seeing NYtimes darling Schumer's "trainwreck" or that dreadful "vacation". At 80, I hope I can get out of bed let alone make a film.
7
ok, a lttle slow and careless (more laughs in the academy than mr allen imagines) but the spengler gag was perhap his best ever.
2
If the Coen brothers had made this film, and done so ever so slightly differently, it could have been great. But in reality, the plot and the dialog were so cliche'd and wooden that the cast couldn't save the film.
It's becoming more and more obvious that Woody Allen really means it when he says that he believes life is meaningless. I don't believe that life is meaningless, but this movie sure is.
It's becoming more and more obvious that Woody Allen really means it when he says that he believes life is meaningless. I don't believe that life is meaningless, but this movie sure is.
1
Phoenix is meaningless. I share Woody's despair view but when he writes Midnight in Paris; the truth is Woodsie does believe in love.
4
The problem with this review is one would have to be a lot like the reviewer to take any meaning from it and I'm betting that's a pretty small crowd.
Sorry the bar, which Mr. Allen set himself was not even approached. This film lacks the dialogue we have loved, the energy we felt, the laughter other films caused. Dull and who-cares. The audience, even in NYC, I was eavesdropping in the lobby, was in the "What has happened to Woody" mode. Yes its wonderful that at 80 he is still writing and directing film. zay gezunt, now I will go home and watch a few older films to get my WoodyAllen on....
2
Great cast but apparently no innovation, again, from Woody Allen. Howevr, I am really looking forward to Allen's Amazon Series that is scheduled for the end of 2016. Will the new format force him to a new narrative style?
Life's meaning is not determined by the deniers. Woody Allen doesn't even exist really. He's played by a very well trained Chinese crested dog.
3
Good review. Much as I like Joaquin Phoenix, I think I'll pass on this one.
1
I was a huge Woody Allen fan in my youth. Sleeper, Love & Death, Play it Again, Sam, are some of my favorite movies and Without Feathers was one of the funniest books I've ever read. I loved most of his early films from What's Up, Tiger Lily? through Annie Hall (not Bananas and wherever it fit in, I hated Interiors), and liked Manhattan well enough. After that - eh. Purple Rose of Cairo - eh. Broadway Danny Rose - eh. Zelig - clever, but eh. Hannah and her Sisters - eh. Radio Days and Crimes and Misdemeanors - eh. Stardust Memories - eh. That's a lot of eh. Only Mighty Aphrodite reminded me of the old days. At some point, I just stopped. And, it's fair to say I no longer give him a chance lately. I probably should watch some of his newer movies from start to finish but from what I've seen of them - a few minutes here or there, maybe not. On the other hand, even with many of my favorite authors, after a while I start to think its the same story over and over again, and I get sick of them. He's had a long career.
4
I wondered who was the target audience for this lifeless film... Then I looked around me and saw all these seniors absorbed by the talk of Kant and Sartre but finally dropping off to sleep. They missed nothing.
5
For the past few years I've waited for Mr. Allen's movies with great anticipation. I've also always liked his portrayals of college professor as arrogant and uninformed as in the one in 2011 "Midnight in Paris." Based on what I've seen in the trailer, I don't think I will even watch this one. It looked as is the ivory tower represented is a supportive environment. It's not. It's actually a battleground for the mediocre, and that includes the students harassing faculty for grades they have not earned, not looking for romance.
4
Perhaps Allen is again addressing his nihilistic fears: nothing matters, it all disappears, what's the point, etc. He creates another film, shunting yet another year of work, money, talent down the perpetually flushing toilet that is existence. But. . .but the very fact that he creates a film a year belies that belief: if nothing mattered, if it all disappeared, why bother? Woody Allen has created an entity in his life's work of films that lives on. In the comments thus far, people allude to his previous films, to his connections to other artists, to the aspects of his work that thrill them (and elicit the opposite).
"Every genuine work of art has as much reason for being as the earth and the sun." (An Emerson quote that is perhaps more perplexing than illuminating.) Allen creates Art, with the capital "A," and it makes all of us think. That alone is rare and valuable. I'll see this film when it gets to me: I know it will make me think.
"Every genuine work of art has as much reason for being as the earth and the sun." (An Emerson quote that is perhaps more perplexing than illuminating.) Allen creates Art, with the capital "A," and it makes all of us think. That alone is rare and valuable. I'll see this film when it gets to me: I know it will make me think.
11
ha! I look forward to seeing a meaningful film....Allen has become our Bergman when we could not wait for his next film or like Fellini before him !!!!!
9
There is something so very cranky and prim about complaints that there are too many attractive women in a WA movie. Huh? Did somebody not get the memo that looks get you a long way in showbiz if you can also act? Would Sophia Loren be as accomplished and respected if she looked like Phyllis Diller? Get a grip PC critics! Physical Beauty is a tool and a burden, not a mark of Cain....
10
Woody Allen gets away with so much and on so many levels, with a predictably small bell-curve segment declaring him a genius. Thank you NYT for this honest review.
6
So? Being a genius at "getting away with so much" makes him no less a genius.
5
AP, today:
Searching for ET: Hawking to Look for Extraterrestrial Life
"The search for extraterrestrial life received a major boost Monday with the launch of an ambitious $100 million program, backed by famed physicist Stephen Hawking and tech billionaire Yuri Milner."
***********
That's a welcome antidote to Woody Allen's characteristic existential angst about life's meaning, and eschatology.
Searching for ET: Hawking to Look for Extraterrestrial Life
"The search for extraterrestrial life received a major boost Monday with the launch of an ambitious $100 million program, backed by famed physicist Stephen Hawking and tech billionaire Yuri Milner."
***********
That's a welcome antidote to Woody Allen's characteristic existential angst about life's meaning, and eschatology.
2
I saw this movie today and it was just a breath of fresh air. In this era of political correctness and the consequent surge of tragicomedies that seem to be made to drive home the point that everything in life must be serious, Woody, in his infinite wisdom, has prescribed us a style of comedy often hated, misunderstood, and forgotten: the murder comedy a la Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux. I haven't laughed this hard at someone trying to kill another person since Preston Sturges's 1948 film Unfaithfully Yours. As such, it doesn't surprise me that Irrational Man has been hated by most critics, especially since, like this reviewer seems to have done (mentioning moments of poignancy like Joaquin's red eyes), they are likely to fall into the trap of expecting that this movie will be one of the aforementioned tragicomedies, and thus simply fails to deliver. Instead, here Woody seems to find comedy in everything from Kant to sexism to suicide to faculty gossip, and, as a consequence, the movie ends up as loose as his "early funny movies," unfortunately adding just another layer that might confuse audiences further. Essentially, if you don't find the satire quick you just won't understand what you're watching. Regardless, this will certainly be on a list of Woody's most underrated movies in ten years time...
One bone to pick with this review: Joaquin doesn't kill the guy with a gun... did the reviewer see the movie? Or was that some lame attempt to avoid spoilers?
One bone to pick with this review: Joaquin doesn't kill the guy with a gun... did the reviewer see the movie? Or was that some lame attempt to avoid spoilers?
21
Great comments!
It was because of your fine review that I went to see the movie today. I agree with the reviewer that it was a breath of fresh air. My wife does not like Woody Allen movies but went with some resistance but was glad she went to see it after all.
Woody is a genius, his greatest works will live forever in the parthenon of art and cinema.
Among his recent work, Vicky Christina Barcelona and Blue Jasmine are extraordinary cinema.
As to his theme of younger beautiful women being attracted to older men, I think we can it can attested to as a very real phenomenon in our society. And not just because of the wealth the woman would hope to gain.
Among his recent work, Vicky Christina Barcelona and Blue Jasmine are extraordinary cinema.
As to his theme of younger beautiful women being attracted to older men, I think we can it can attested to as a very real phenomenon in our society. And not just because of the wealth the woman would hope to gain.
5
Blue Jasmine was good, and Vicky Christina was great. This thing was mediocre. As I just mentioned, the Coen brothers would have done a far better job with this story.
Did the reviewer see the film? Yes a gun is produced early on but the cardinal rule of theater was broken; it was not used to do the deed.
I thought this was one of Woody Allen's better recent films. Yes Joaquim Phoenix was flat, but that's how he was written.
I thought this was one of Woody Allen's better recent films. Yes Joaquim Phoenix was flat, but that's how he was written.
10
NICE TO SEE THE WOODMAN IS RETURNING TO HIS BERGMAN ROOTS . . .
...and I don't care if he uses portions of his original 'life has no meaning' themes borrowed from his greatest films.
...and I don't care if he uses portions of his original 'life has no meaning' themes borrowed from his greatest films.
2
"Emma Stone, who plays Jill, an eager A student who’s attracted to Abe because that’s how she was written." THANK YOU.
26
Dargas's assessment "...some bad writing and Mr. Allen’s narrative laxity and lack of interest in how real people live" pretty much sums up all of Allen's output since he filmed "Another Woman" in the '80s. The stilted dialogue, juvenile voice over narrations, and laser focus on empty, hero-worshiping ingenues put me off long ago. A sad departure from his sharply funny, irreverent early work.
19
Just so you know, it's more likely that Woody knew he was writing her that way than that he did it by accident and you just happened to have the wonderful insight to point it out. Especially seeing as this film is vigorously self-reflective.
4
Ditto two of last movies I have seen her in: "Aloha" and "BirdMan". She is killing her talent IMO with these awful roles that are so superficial.
2
Support staff? You mean the staggeringly talented, extensively trained artists who compose and light the shots, edit the film, design the costumes. compose the music and so on? If an art, music or book reviewer knew as little about or had as much contempt for those crafts as Ms. Dargis has for cinema they'd be fired immediately.
32
This is a fantastically written review. The "lack of interest in how real people live" is an accurate and damning description.
I would prefer not to see this film.
I would prefer not to see this film.
15
If you haven't seen the movie, how can you say given quotes are an accurate description?
9
The lack of interest in real people. Period.
For a New York film maker who in over fifty years of filmmaking to not show a single (or married) black or Latin character is the eighth wonder of the world.
The early films were great, funny, deep and light at the same time and that takes great talent to pull off.
Mr. Allen is not a New Yorker, he belongs in the Astro-Hungarian Empire where he could have been schmoozing archdukes and baronesses and doing his thing, the insecure little man who must steal the wife or girlfriend of his best friend or must pull a Polanski and attract very young girls in order to feel significant and relevant. That's too much insecurity and too much ego. But then again Mr. Allen says that in a school play, he played God.
And when it became totally "gross" to watch him in his advanced years kissing all those young actresses, he found stand ins for him though without much success, and especially in the case of Mr. Larry David. Jason Biggs was almost a good substitute but not quite. But at least we were spared having to go through the kissing scenes with which ever hot actress was hot at the moment.
I will continue to watch all new Woody Allen films but what was a joy and a thrill once upon a time became a chore and more like homework done out of obligation or habit than actual excitement.
For a New York film maker who in over fifty years of filmmaking to not show a single (or married) black or Latin character is the eighth wonder of the world.
The early films were great, funny, deep and light at the same time and that takes great talent to pull off.
Mr. Allen is not a New Yorker, he belongs in the Astro-Hungarian Empire where he could have been schmoozing archdukes and baronesses and doing his thing, the insecure little man who must steal the wife or girlfriend of his best friend or must pull a Polanski and attract very young girls in order to feel significant and relevant. That's too much insecurity and too much ego. But then again Mr. Allen says that in a school play, he played God.
And when it became totally "gross" to watch him in his advanced years kissing all those young actresses, he found stand ins for him though without much success, and especially in the case of Mr. Larry David. Jason Biggs was almost a good substitute but not quite. But at least we were spared having to go through the kissing scenes with which ever hot actress was hot at the moment.
I will continue to watch all new Woody Allen films but what was a joy and a thrill once upon a time became a chore and more like homework done out of obligation or habit than actual excitement.
11
The "lack of interest in how real people live" has been a feature of his work (and a frequently leveled criticism of it) since at least the late '80s.
3
If Woody Allen had made a great many mediocre movies and THEN did Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors we'd be able to see a qualitative progression culminating in an acknowledgment of creative genius. Unhappily it hasn't worked out that way and at this point it's almost impossible to hope for (let alone expect) a return to form on the filmmaker's part. Matchpoint and Vickie Cristina Barcelona are about as good as it's going to get, and that would be enough if it weren't for all the dross we're made to endure in-between.
16
Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris, and Magic in the Moonlight not creative and thought provoking enough for you? And you are certain that Woody Allen's form will not return? Good luck with that.
14
I feel like his older, better movies were better because his costars felt more like collaborators in an interesting idea - they were all working "with" Allen to bring his viewpoints to life.
These days, his actors all seem to idolize him, and cherish the idea of working "for" Allen - I think that lack of active engagement, that concept of waiting to be shown Allen's way when Allen is waiting for them to just join in - this is what makes his recent movies less notable.
That, and the fact that he no longer understands the "modern woman". He did 30, 40 years ago, but today's young ladies are a mystery to him. Hence the preposterous things he has his female characters say and do, and their perplexing mooning over much-older men when they could be off on their own adventures. Wishful thinking, but certainly not engaging viewing.
These days, his actors all seem to idolize him, and cherish the idea of working "for" Allen - I think that lack of active engagement, that concept of waiting to be shown Allen's way when Allen is waiting for them to just join in - this is what makes his recent movies less notable.
That, and the fact that he no longer understands the "modern woman". He did 30, 40 years ago, but today's young ladies are a mystery to him. Hence the preposterous things he has his female characters say and do, and their perplexing mooning over much-older men when they could be off on their own adventures. Wishful thinking, but certainly not engaging viewing.
22
As you may recall of your fellow Brooklynite Norman Mailer, stu, artistic genius is often one prolonged agon of creative destruction marked by brief interludes of brilliance, as in "The Naked and the Dead" and "The Executioner's Song."
1
I've seen probably 95 percent of Woody's films, and despite the inevitable unevenness that's inherent in this many efforts (by any writer-director), his overarching themes remain as valid now as they have over the last half-century. For all the changes during that time, these themes remain viable because the actuality of human existence remains unchanged.
His fascination with attractive, intelligent females is hardly a liability from my perspective, and his consistent attention to the meaning of life (as in none) has the ring of truth for those of us who see how applicable this theme is. Ultimately, my connection to Woody is his ceaseless pragmatism about existence and life.
As art, his work is uneven. As truth, his big themes remain spot on.
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
His fascination with attractive, intelligent females is hardly a liability from my perspective, and his consistent attention to the meaning of life (as in none) has the ring of truth for those of us who see how applicable this theme is. Ultimately, my connection to Woody is his ceaseless pragmatism about existence and life.
As art, his work is uneven. As truth, his big themes remain spot on.
Eclectic Pragmatist — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
29
Wow, Eduardo--so very well said. I, too am a huge fan of Mr. Allen for the very reasons you set out above. His output and consistent reaching make him an unparalleled talent in the industry, and I will still go to 95% of his films.
Hoorahhh!
Hoorahhh!
8
"His fascination with attractive, intelligent females is hardly a liability from my perspective, "
Except that they are all far too young for the male leads, and confirm my belief that Woody is indeed a pedophile.
Except that they are all far too young for the male leads, and confirm my belief that Woody is indeed a pedophile.
17
Let's get our facts straight, PrairieFlax. For more than 20 years, Woody Allen's leading ladies and romantic interests in his movies were portrayed by Diane Keaton (9 years younger than Mr. Allen) and Mia Farrow (10 years his junior). To then jump to your belief "that Woody is a pedophile" is not only unfounded but downright idiotic. I had the distinct pleasure of working with Mr. Allen on all of his movies from 1975 thru 1980. I'm not going to resort to name-dropping and claim that Woody was a close friend. But we had a very cordial relationship, and when I was hit by a speeding car in 1998, Woody was one of the first people to contact me (via handwritten letter) explaining his concern and hope that I would make a quick, complete recovery. So contrary to public opinion swayed by the vicious (and still-ongoing) attacks by Ms. Farrow to destroy him and his career, and from many more of my encounters with Woody Allen over the years, I well-knew from the very beginning that Mr. Allen IS NOT A PEDOPHILE!!! He is, however, and remains one of the world's foremost filmmakers. And is also one of the nicest people you'd ever want to encounter.
23
Woody Allen is not perfect, as a director or a person. But that is no reason to dismiss his work.
He's the rare American film maker who (i) tackles the big questions, if mainly with humor, mostly the non-raunchy kind - the meaning of life, morality, the sexes - and (ii) gets a relatively wide release in the cineplex. His late career films are Shakespearean in subject and structure.
How often does a movie critic for a mainstream paper get to refer to Heidegger or Nietzsche in a review? Not very.
But for Allen and a handful of others, today's critic is confined mostly to reviewing superhero or Judd Aptow/Amy Schumer films.
At least Mr. Allen engages the grey matter once in a while.
He's the rare American film maker who (i) tackles the big questions, if mainly with humor, mostly the non-raunchy kind - the meaning of life, morality, the sexes - and (ii) gets a relatively wide release in the cineplex. His late career films are Shakespearean in subject and structure.
How often does a movie critic for a mainstream paper get to refer to Heidegger or Nietzsche in a review? Not very.
But for Allen and a handful of others, today's critic is confined mostly to reviewing superhero or Judd Aptow/Amy Schumer films.
At least Mr. Allen engages the grey matter once in a while.
60
If we really wanted to hear about Heidegger and Nietzsche, we would have signed up for the same philosophy class that Mr. Allen took at NYU, and it might have been more fun to be his classmates than his unsuspecting audience.
Still the fact that he is still creatively active at his age is to his credit regardless of the quality of the movies that he makes. And in all fairness, the last 10-20 films of his are excellent films, it is just that they are not Woody Allen films.
Still the fact that he is still creatively active at his age is to his credit regardless of the quality of the movies that he makes. And in all fairness, the last 10-20 films of his are excellent films, it is just that they are not Woody Allen films.
1
Does life have any meaning?
If it has meaning for you it does. If it has no meaning for you it doesn't.
Problem solved!
If it has meaning for you it does. If it has no meaning for you it doesn't.
Problem solved!
7
That was what he concluded in "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Hannah and Her Sisters," both made some thirty years ago. That you have to give life meaning, and in these two cases the meaning was "Family." He's become more cynical since then.
2
" Problem solved! "
What if it has no, no meaning?
What if it has no, no meaning?
1
The ending to Magic in the Moonlight says otherwise.
2
Allen must have flunked Philosophy 101.
But he's made a fortune with Philosophy jokes and parodies--his revenge.
But he's made a fortune with Philosophy jokes and parodies--his revenge.
3
He addressed that question in his stand-up act many years ago. He was flunked for cheating: he looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to him.
22
I read the book from which Mr Allen got the title for the film in college...in fact, I read it a number of times (hi-lighted, underlined, written in)...whatever happened to that dogeared copy?...anyway, an understandable overview of the subject (as I recall)...
5
My favorite line in this review has the Emma Stone character, a student, attracted to the Joaquin Phoenix character, a professor, "because that's how she was written." Exactly! It may be inexplicable in the context of the film, but no matter. Mr. Allen repeatedly has his young female characters lusting after older men—preferably played by him—while I sit in the audience thinking, "No freakin' way."
79
I agree but I have seen it happen in real life
8
I hear that! My own favorite line is "lack of interest in how real people live." And I would add, his utter fascination with attractive women whose speech patterns echo his own.
"No freakin way," I agree-- but I won't be sitting in the audience. Too bad: I liked Woody Allen a lot when he and I were both young
"No freakin way," I agree-- but I won't be sitting in the audience. Too bad: I liked Woody Allen a lot when he and I were both young
20
You and I both, alas.
4
Woody Allen's celebration of the pleasures and humor inherent in neuroses has been a great comfort to a great many for nearly half a century now. But if he continues to instruct us that life is meaningless, he is pretty much asking us to see his films that way as well, and his fabulous one-liners as just mini big bangs offered up to an indifferent universe. But he needs to remember that his films are on airwaves coursing through the cosmos, and that somewhere, billions of years from now, there will be belly laughs and chuckles, and cries of "Oh, that Woody!"
14
Will "Woody" Allen ever grow-up? Or at 80 years is that too much to ask?
But what we have here (ignoring the "mixed" NYTimes review) is another unfocused and unresolved movie -- BUT THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR ONE OR TWO VERY ATTRACTIVE AND YOUNG FEMALES TO ALLAY THE BOREDOM!
In my opinion, Mr. Allen never had much talent as a director -- often leaning on popular music (Gershwin for example) -- to help with some emotional oomph.
And don't forget that long string of very attractive, very young girls/women to off set his nerdy and balding looks. Too bad that life is to short for a short multi-millionaire to enjoy. Just give me a shot at that dough and I would certainly know what to do with it -- and it would not be making tedious movie after tedious move.
But what we have here (ignoring the "mixed" NYTimes review) is another unfocused and unresolved movie -- BUT THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR ONE OR TWO VERY ATTRACTIVE AND YOUNG FEMALES TO ALLAY THE BOREDOM!
In my opinion, Mr. Allen never had much talent as a director -- often leaning on popular music (Gershwin for example) -- to help with some emotional oomph.
And don't forget that long string of very attractive, very young girls/women to off set his nerdy and balding looks. Too bad that life is to short for a short multi-millionaire to enjoy. Just give me a shot at that dough and I would certainly know what to do with it -- and it would not be making tedious movie after tedious move.
8
Why is it that people keep referring to Allen still starring in his films with younger women when since 2005, Allen has written/directed 11 films and has only appeared in two of them?
Everyone has their own taste, but if Allen had only given us Annie Hall, he'd be a great filmmaker. But he also gave us Sleeper, Manhattan, Zelig, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days and Midnight in Paris and those were all great as were many other of his films. But I will concede that between 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite" and 2005's "Match Point", there wasn't much there.
Everyone has their own taste, but if Allen had only given us Annie Hall, he'd be a great filmmaker. But he also gave us Sleeper, Manhattan, Zelig, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days and Midnight in Paris and those were all great as were many other of his films. But I will concede that between 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite" and 2005's "Match Point", there wasn't much there.
6
It's been clear for a long time that Mr. Allen's sensibility and politics are pretty much stuck in 1955, when one could pass as a sophisticated New York liberal (white male heterosexual variety) by getting all one's opinions (and most of one's titillation) from Playboy magazine, still new-ish and considered cutting edge at the time. His attitudes toward women and minorities (the latter pretty much absent from his films, if one ignores the abhorrently racist depictions of "Chinee wise man" (Keye Luke) in "Alice" (1990) and of the two Latino "Cheech and Cheech" autograph hounds in "Annie Hall" (1977)) are condescendingly '50s "liberal." He throws in a mishmosh of bowderlized existentialism, references to Bergman and the French New Wave cinéastes, and other hackneyed intellectual pretensions in order to bowl over (generally successfully) the ever-credulous New York-based film critics.
12
How many movies have you made? Zero is my guess. If you had ever made anything, you would respond differently.
3
Why would someone who doesn't like WA's films be selected to review this one? It may not, probably is not, his best, but the tone of ennui in this review condemns the film from the start.
38
So you think movies should only be reviewed by those favorably predisposed to their directors. Hunh. Sounds like we're evolving into a Facebook universe here (as in Like me on...).
7
Just because Dargis didn't like this film doesn't mean she doesn't like Allen's films. She loved "Vicky Cristina" and "Match Point", among others.
1
Odd, I just rewatched Blue Jasmine yesterday and was struck how in the moment Allen is as a writer. Do not underestimate what he is doing. Desensitization, what it takes to 'feel' is a modern day 'Pawn Broker' aspect Allen seems to be tapping into these last 10 years or so.
17
Contrasting Dargis' reviews of "Irrational Man" and "Trainwreck"; reflecting modern tastes for two styles of comedy that are as alike as they aren't. Allen mixes vaudeville with a European style that seems heavy handed and cerebral these days. Apatow denounces Allen - literally in his latest film - in favor of the adolescent sex politics rooted in "Friends" and "Sex In The City." Both can be tiresome in their emotional button-pushing. Then there is the Black Rom-Com, still awkwardly looking for its own niche somewhere inbetween. I'm Old School and prefer Allen's wistful style that is the foundation of all film comedy to this day. But I'm not sure if anyone is truly telling the story of modern relationships today.
29
Is this story line/theme similar to Crime and Punishment?
1
Oh Good; Manhattan meets Bananas.
I can hardly wait for my assisted-living bus to take me there.
I can hardly wait for my assisted-living bus to take me there.
28
I'll meet you in the back - or front - of the bus. You'll know it's me as I will be chanting my favorite words from this review, "....It makes him tumescent...."
Don't forget your I.D. for a senior discount to the movie, not enough to make the movie better than it is, but a discount nonetheless.
Don't forget your I.D. for a senior discount to the movie, not enough to make the movie better than it is, but a discount nonetheless.
9
"Manhattan Meets Bananas" is a movie that I would WANT to see.
11
I just saw this at a pre-release screening and while I don't on many occasions, I have to very much agree with Ms. Dargis on this, especially with regards to how Mr. Phoenix comes off in the role. As I walked down the street with my friend afterward, I was saying and struggling with the fact that while I find him an amazing actor many times out, he just didn't seem to be "all in." I found him a bit flat, especially in the first part, before his epiphany. I do understand that his character was depressed, but somehow Mr. Phoenix didn't seem invested in that and even after his mood switched, he still seemed a bit flat, or even underplaying perhaps. Maybe he was, for some reason, purposefully underplaying, but it didn't work so much for me. I enjoyed the second half more than the first, but over all I found this one from Mr. Allen a bit flat, even with the bubbly Miss Stone.
3
I believe Joaquin Phoenix's most important and influential acting teacher was Timothy Carey.
1