Inoffensive; Mildly Diverting

Rating: 6/10 (4 September 2008)

A 73-year old director apparently encouraging upper middle class poseurs to "seize the day" - a la Woody, perhaps? There are a couple of subdued chuckles to be had in this movie, but mostly it seems to be directed toward a special type of regretful woman approaching or just past menopause. There's not a sign of the sharp wit Woody was noted for; instead, it's just a rather bored sigh. This movie is about as inspiring as a New Yorker cartoon, and seemingly meant for the same audience: affluent, pretentious, unhappy.
What was Woody trying to do in this film, make Scarlett Johansson seem dense and dull? That's unforgivable. All the actors were absolutely fine, especially Penelope Cruz, but the writing was just not there. I think this was an especially poor effort from the former maestro.