before you read my review , you got ta know that i love woody allen .
this is a very important note because allen 's films are generally an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone .
i know folks who believe him to be a complete genius , while others see him as a dirty ol' schnook who keeps making the same movie over and over again .
i love most of his films , but will admit to having been quite disappointed by his recent crop during the 90s .
in fact , why he felt the need to make 10 movies in those 10 years is beyond me ! if you look at the quality of those films , you 'll hear what i 'm saying .
the only two films of his that i really liked during that time were bullets over broadway and husbands and wives .
in fact , i secretly hoped that he would take some " time off " at the turn of the millennium , just to re - energize or something , but it does n't appear as though he has any intention of doing that .
so here i am again , reviewing yet another woody allen movie and hoping that it brings back the woody from the days of old .
plot :
the year is 1940 and woody allen
is a top - notch insurance investigator .
his methods are very old - fashioned and apparently out of date .
a new employee ( hunt ) has just been hired to streamline the operations for greater efficiency .
the two do not like each other .
one night , they are both put under a hypnotic trance by a magician , and unbeknownst to them , placed under his control .
soon thereafter , jewels are stolen , words of love are exchanged and everyone is looking for an answer .
critique : a wonderful recreation of the 1940s style movies , with the fast - talking witty banter between
co - workers , a catchy jazz score moving things along , film noirish elements such as the veronica lake - type sexpot , one - liners galore and a fluffy , if inconsequential plotline .
on the downside , the film actually starts off pretty slowly , with the first hour tossing only a few guffaws out there , but never really generating any kind of steady flow or energy .
the sets , on the other hand , were amazing , the production design and costumes were perfect , and the casting ideal , so i kept hoping that the film would pick up and not turn into yet another mediocre outing for the man .
but it was n't not long before i was fully engaged by the characters , entertained by the many zingers delivered back - and - forth between allen and hunt , and actually interested in the resolution of the flick .
i also appreciated how allen played the fine line between homage to the films of old , parody and actual reinvention ( note theron 's entire female persona that is drenched in film noir- very cool ) .
of course , films like this ( with little or no real tension in the plot ) need solid actors to keep you interested in the quick - fire dialogue , and once again
, allen does a great job in playing his character , who for once , is n't his typical new york jewish neurotic cheating insecure husband dude .
he actually plays a " macho " guy here and handles it pretty well , especially the scenes in which he 's hypnotized .
but the bigger surprise for me in this film was helen hunt , an actress who i was openly " sick of seeing " in movies late last year ( sorry babe , you were just in too many at the same time ! ) .
anyway
, she 's really great in this film
as the headstrong woman looking to a new era of equality amongst men , and does n't miss a beat of allen 's fast - paced dialogue .
i did n't care much for her running joke about him " dying " whenever he left a room , but overall she was really good
and i especially liked the way that her sweaters clung to her breasts as they did .
..
yum , yum !
harumph , but i digress .
so let 's recap .
a great looking picture with a nice jazzy score , some funny one - liners , especially in the second half , a decent plotline , although you should n't expect a real mystery or anything , and some solid acting all around .
i ca n't say that this is even remotely close to any of allen 's best work , but i certainly believe it to be a step in the right direction , especially after the dinky decade of films that he just went through .
it 's probably better geared towards allen fans more than anyone else ,
but i would still recommend this film to anyone looking for a cute , " old - school " kind of vibe , with chemistry between the leads , zippy dialogue and a satisfying conclusion .
little known facts about this film and its stars :
annie hall ( 10/10 )
- celebrity ( 5/10 )
- everyone says i love you ( 5/10 ) - husbands and wives ( 9/10 ) - mighty aphrodite ( 5/10 ) - small time crooks ( 7/10 ) - when harry met sally ( 10/10 )
- you 've got mail ( 4/10 )
Output: P