A total disappointment from someone who has done much better

Rating: 3/10 (1 December 2005)

What a dreadfully trite little film. Its view of the rich high life in London reeks of a Cinderella story with no substance and its characters and situations hold no interest for this film-goer. For me they are unbelievable and one-dimensional and the performances by the actors are in complete harmony, the whole creating a soporific experience. Scarlett Johansson has done herself no favors by this appearance for I feel the lackluster writing has dragged down her performance. The other actors blandly blend into the background and I was left wondering if the male lead was chosen for the resemblance of his mouth to that of Scarlett! Even Brian Cox, who can be wonderfully acerbic or a thoroughly nasty piece of work given the opportunity, is asked to portray a character without spine or interest. The direction is pedestrian, the film only getting some pace towards the last quarter. It must be assumed that Allen aimed for the pedestrian pace but it did not work for me. I am a fan of Woody Allen but I feel that this latest effort is not up to his normal standard, although I have not seen his later works. The premise is interesting but its exploration is not substantial enough for this film and Allen does not do it justice in any event.