Almost priceless

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2010)

Some comedies take up to half an hour before any real laughter is provoked. Woody Allen's Love and Death, had me in stitches in the first three minutes, and it only gets better. There is a fine line between goofy and funny, and most films that try do not even come close to wedding them. Monty Python usually gets it right, but there are very few comedies which do it so brilliantly as this one.
Love and Death is Allen's satirical portrayal of 19th century Russia, the age of Tolstoy and the war with Napoleon. Even when you hear Woody Allen's first lines, you may find yourself in titters already, simply by the fact that he retains his New York accent.
If the youngest in your family is over twelve years of age, I would say Love and Death would make a great family feature, assuming you've worked your way through all the Mel Brooks films or all the Disney/Pixar films. The This one is mostly goofy comedy, but there is a fair amount of mature humour as well.
One of the keys in making the transition from silly to funny is in both context and delivery. There is a moment in the film where Allen says to a girl "you look more beautiful standing here than you do in person" Could there be a more stupid line in film? probably not. Coming from Woody Allen however, (delivering the line as if it is a completely mundane thing to say) it is a scream.
I'd like to conclude with one last piece of advice. If you watch Love and Death, don't make it a dinner movie, because whatever you are eating you will choke on it from laughter.