Woody Allen tired of talking about men and women?

Rating: 5/10 (4 April 2009)

With a good and even not so much hidden dose of witty shrewdness, Woody Allen chooses a cast of talented, besides charming, actors and actresses to patch up a quite low-range movie. Unfortunately, an attractive cast, together with a seductive city like Barcelona, are not able, by themselves, to provide a sense, in the end, which is not banal or annoying. Of course, talking about love in an original way, capable of conveying a new perspective, or simply stimulating thought or emotion, is hard work: when the history of man is too old, when everything and the opposite of everything seem to have been told, re-told, analyzed, even the genius of Allen seems a little resigned to this matter of fact and tired of talking of men and women which seem to be unable to communicate something authentic. What he offers to us is the old and trite commonplace of the dichotomy between passionate, adventurous love, on one hand, and stable and safe affection, on the other... I think too little for a highly gifted and experienced director like Allen. As I said before, the whole cast does its best to raise the film from the general impression of banality, some situations are amusing, intriguing, the solar and hot environment help to create a pleasant and enjoyable atmosphere. However, the final result doesn't hit the mark: boring and déjà vu, too harmless.