Another Existential Prayer

Rating: 3/10 (23 August 2008)

This movie follows 2 women who fall for the same man. In the course of these dalliances, these three and nearly a half dozen more players find themselves in conventional, illicit, and unconventional liaisons. All of the characters are self-absorbed. Not a selfless soul in the bunch. So what a surprise it is for them to find that all of these relationships are unsatisfactory.
We get it, Mr. Allen. Life is meaningless. There is no God. Which means there are no rules. The only reasonable response is to seek gratification in the present. You've said it again and again. If I wanted a Philosophy 101 course on Sartre and Camus, I could do that with an extension course. I read The Stranger too. And moved on.
This movie is not unwatchable. It captures the attention - mostly. It is not an altogether unpleasant movie to watch. It is, however, forgettable and forced. One of the characters, for example, utters a line that she cannot take another "turgid categorical imperative argument." That's the way people talk?
I cannot escape the obvious - Woody Allen is throwing away the talent he has to make yet another homage to Bergman. Interiors. Crimes & Misdemeanors. Match Point. Now this. Please warn me if that train comes down the track again.
I'll take Scoop, Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Endings any day over this sophomoric misery. It is unfortunate that Mr. Allen is troubled by the meaningless of existence, but I go to the movies to be entertained. And he is one of the best when he concentrates on his comic voice - one he admittedly borrowed in large part from Bob Hope - someone who never strayed from his comic roots.
Make some more comedies. That's what makes you special, Mr. Allen. All else is vanity.