Par for Mr. Allen

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2012)

It still holds true for me that I cannot go wrong with a Woody Allen movie. TRWL is no exception.Woody Allen has a very distinct style and the viewer must be willing to accept unorthodox points of view from his characters and narrators, as well as leaps of faith for the sake of storytelling. Such is not for everyone. But Woody, rather than attempt to show you how clever he is or feed you some "in" jokes, seems to sincerely want you to see humor and seems to know that what he finds humorous has a universal appeal; as opposed to cultural, age specific, genre, etc.. I've never agreed that Woody offers only high-brow or East Coast, Brooklyneze humor. Rather, Allen seems to know that humor is often situational or revolves around language. I'm guessing that Woody is truly Old School and believes in an actual obligation to his fans. Doesn't matter, I doubt I'll ever miss one of his movies. That said, TRWL is rather long for a Woody Allen film and suffers a little as a result. The movie has four distinct tales and eliminating one would leave a moviegoer fully satisfied. I'd elect to drop the "Everyman Becomes Celebrity", not because it is inferior but because it doesn't "fit" in as well. Aside from a casting choice or two, I cannot complain any further.