little point

Rating: 2/10 (10 January 2006)

Unwillingly, I join the swelling ranks of disappointed Woody Allen fans. There are big problems with the screenplay (a kind of watered-down version of Crimes and Misdemeanours) and the burden imposed on a leading man who, charming and talented though he may be, simply isn't up to doing what is asked of him - i.e. imbuing a two-D character with flesh and blood. The leading lady, on the other hand, with a little more to chew on, is as impressive as ever, as are a gallery of excellent English character actors - as long as Penelope Wilton and Margaret Tyzack are on screen, the outlook can never be entirely bleak. I saw this the night before I saw Brokeback Mountain, which blew me away, and in retrospect has me thinking that maybe Woody Allen should retire before he embarrasses himself further.