A nice, lightweight little picture, more of a bauble or a trifle really, but one that I dont think ultimately works. Its certainly not on level with Allens recent work (especially Blue Jasmine and To Rome With Love). Im surprised though that it took him so long to make this particular movie, one that deals so directly with the issue that so obviously presses upon him--that of the tension between the rational and irrational (because that is, finally, how he strictly codifies it). Woodys philosophy never goes that deep, so this wistful romantic comedy form would seem to be the perfect way to embody or express it. But its not really and the reason why is that his themes are far too heavily, even oppressively laid out. They sink the fragile boat of the form. Theres a way in which I think he wants this form to somehow make his pet issues a non-issue but again that doesnt work because their presence is simply too emphasized to be brushed aside or ignored. He cant allow for the Stone character to be allowed to retain any ambiguity of course so eventually everything she represents is made into a well meaning but fatuous placebo. Woody never seems to get that the kind of spiritualism she represents in the first place is just, or would be just, an extension of the Firth characters favored materialism (hence the remarks about ectoplasm with which no one takes issue), even if it were proven to his satisfaction. So its a shallow argument to start, one destined to be reduced to facile opposites. And yet the portentous weight of all that still manages to imply hangs over everything. Finally I just didnt buy the romantic turnabout at the end, for many of the reasons noted above. Firth is good but cant pull that off no matter what bag of actors magic he uses. It plays almost more to me as Allens own wistful longing and a portrait of same than anything remotely convincing emotionally. I dont know what it would take to convince me but not this.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 23:06:03 +0000
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