Two Shades of Woody

For some New Yorkers (this one included), a new Woody Allen film serves a therapeutic purpose. In most cases, it's a bit of escapism -- an idealized version of the city we struggle to live in. For roughly ninety minutes, we get to see the island of Manhattan basked in warm hues of golden brown, with two-thirds of the population (and all of the grime) missing. It's a city where the habitués all own cars (parked right in front of their brownstones) and can get anywhere without delay. A city where everybody, be it out of work actor or art gallery employee, lives in giant multi-room apartments (or lofts) furnished with fine contemporary Scandinavian or classic art-deco furniture. So lasting is this dream image, that you don't even mind the exhaust fumes from the M104 bus blowing in your face as you exit the theater. While Melinda and Melinda isn't one of the Woodman's best, it is a far cry better than the four films he made with DreamWorks, and a return to form for the NY master. (The DreamWorks films felt more like situation comedies.) It has a classic Woody opening -- the camera pans around a trendy downtown bistro and makes its way inside. There we come across a table of artist-intellectuals, deep in the middle of a discussion led by NYC staple Wallace Shawn -- "The essence of life isn't tragic, it's comic." Two playwrights (and spouses) waxing philosophical about which dramatic form holds the greater truth. A third friend tells them a story, and naturally each playwright sees it from their own Aristotelian specialty. What follows is two variations on this tale of a woman called Melinda who has just recently returned to New York City. As both incarnations of Melinda, Radha Mitchell skillfully joins the ranks of great Woody Allen leading ladies. Though her Aussie accent creeps in from time to time, her two Melindas are so different that you almost forget it's the same actress. Unfortunately, not everybody in the supporting cast is as good. Jonny Lee Miller seems out of place and uncomfortable, and his resulting performance is pretty awful. Chloë Sevigny isn't bad as the piano-playing Park Avenue shiksa, but though part of the pathos tale, she doesn't have to flex her dramatic muscles all that much. The real surprise is Will Ferrell, who is excellent as Hobie -- Woody Allen in absentia. He brilliantly captures Woody's mannerisms and verbal stylings, yet the performance is far more than a simple impression, and is actually quite subdued for the often over-the-top Ferrell. Thematically, a fair amount of Melinda and Melinda is reminiscent of some Allen's best films -- particularly in the relationship dynamics. There are cheating spouses, friends who lust after their friend's partners, and plenty of male insecurity -- one of Woody's trademarks. Not since Husbands and Wives has one of his films been so involved in the intricate details of the various couplings of his characters. Melinda and Melinda reveals a bit of the dual nature in Woody Allen, who always grappled with how to be funny in a world full of suffering. Though far less heavy than his genuine dramatic outings (nor as funny as his better comedies), both the pathos and the comedic variations, when blended together as they are, result in the most satisfying Allen film in years.

Comments

[la_depressionada]

i loathe radha mitchell -- she's such a whiney hipster. if ally sheedy stuck with her royal junkie hotness patricia clarkson she would have stayed alive forever and ever as junkies do. that movie has one of the best lines in cinema (and it must be good if i'm using the word cinema): Fassbinder is dead!

[Michael K.]

Great review - it's nice to read something at least marginally upbeat (with premises to back up that upbeat tone) about the film amidst all the negatives out there. Kinda eerie how you and Mike D'Angelo (check his Nerve.com review) both mention the impossibility of the parking, apartments, and cleanliness in NY. Just goes to show where you's city guys minds is at.

[Hannah E.]

I have to agree - nice review. I saw this film at a small cinema in Montmartre. There's nothing like seeing a Woody Allen film at a sold out screening in Paris. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but after reading all the negative reviews back in the USA was beginning to wonder if the fun I had was purely experiential. It's nice to know that other people enjoyed it, too. And despite growing up watching Radha Mitchell on various Aussie soap operas, I think she's great here.

[Shakespeare's Head]

"Fassbinder is dead" -- that alone makes me want to see it! But it's not enough to make me want to catch up on those films Allen made with Dreamworks (he's not THAT much of a genius).