Not bad (for a Woody Allen film)

Rating: 6/10 (13 May 2020)

This is probably my favourite Woody Allen film so far, or at least the only one I haven't been absolutely repulsed by. It still feels typically self-indulgent, with the impossibly beautiful cast and the rather manicured depiction of Catalonian life. And while it's much less pronounced than in his other works, the pretentious contrived dialogue creeps in a little too often. But despite this, the film is generally quite enjoyable. The cast, Penelope Cruz especially, are predictably mesmerising and I actually quite like the narration- even if it did feel a bit like a rip-off of Amelie. I very nearly switched it off during the opening credits when I saw Allen's name, but it turned out to be a pleasant enough experience.