MELINDA AND MELINDAWoody Allen (USA 2004)
6.0
an unsettingly unfunny dissection of comedy and tragedy. the story is split into two parts - one tragedy, one comedy. but both tell the same tale. honestly, i didn't get the tragic side of the story. it didn't feel a whole lot different than the comedy, i'll tell you that. and having actors play the Woody Allen Role, complete with tics and manneurisms was annoying. but after a while (a long annoying while) you get that this is a film version of his films. but that doesn't take away the blandness and awkward scenes between actors. the wink is not as present as it could have been. so i don't know if Woody Allen's purpose was to analize his movies by creating a distance between his art and his audience, or if it was just plainly lazy and derivative, but the end result is surely disappointing. again, maybe i didn't get it, but i usually enjoy Woody's films. not this one. my entertainment was reduced to holding onto moments of magic, as when Chiwetel Ejiofor enters the scene. even Radha Mitchell seems to sparkle when she interacts with him (of course that's part of the point but what's the point of annoying your audience with a bad film for the first 40 minutes?). but Ejifor was a true revelation for me. man, he's good. he spews the Woody dialogue like no other character has ever done and just breaks through the screen with graceful charm. anyway, i'm glad i watched it but i'm not gonna see this film ever again. see it if you're a Woody Allen fan and are curious as to how Will Ferrell, Radha Mitchell, and Amanda Peet do in a Woody Allen film (SNL skit/good Woody impression after a while, very good/Mia Farrow role, very good).
Posted by Anonymous | 11:17 AM
