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Moving Pictures
Aug 13, 2008, 05:23AM

In Defense of the Nebbish

A string of mediocre features and some, ahem, questionable personal decisions have caused younger people to overlook Woody Allen. It's their loss.

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From Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).

Who hates Woody Allen?

I forgive you if you screamed, "I do! I do!" After all, he married his stepdaughter. He casts beautiful young women as his lovers in films, despite having never been attractive—not in 1970, not now. He's pessimistic. He hasn't bought a new pair of eyeglasses in at least 40 years. His portrayal of women is highly suspect. It took him decades to write his first decent black character, Chiwetel Ejiofor's in Melinda and Melinda (let's not count the hooker in Deconstructing Harry). He revels in stereotypes: of New Yorkers, Jews, intellectuals, older men. I think he even revels in people's disgust of him. I can't name one Woody fan among my group of twentysomething friends.

Finally, no one I know is as excited as I am to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona—coming out this week with the best reviews Allen has received in years and the fourth film in a world tour that started in London with Match Point.

I'm here to publicly declare my crazy love of Woody Allen’s’ films. No, I'm not 72 years old, or Jewish, nor a white man attracted to young Asian women. The exact opposite actually. I'm simply a film lover who appreciates a writer-director flexible enough to cross genres but self-assured enough to have a recognizable style. Allen has done thrillers, slapstick comedies, Chekhovian tragedies, and mixtures of all three. Most of all I love his consistently mature outlook on life. For years he has had the heart of old man: miserable, fickle and cynical. "To live is to suffer," the latest Newsweek has him saying.

Most people my age haven't even dipped into the vast ocean that is Woody Allen. They likely know the recent not-so-great Woodies—Scoop, Match Point, Melinda and Melinda. More will know Annie Hall and Manhattan, his two bona fide, canonized classics. If they are a little more sophisticated, they may know Hannah and Her Sisters, Deconstructing Harry, and a sprinkling of others.

All can be forgiven for wondering what the big deal is. To most, there isn't a big deal. Allen’s movies don't make much money: few gross more than $20 million, which is about how much The Dark Knight made in its first two and half hours.

Okay, so you've seen Annie Hall. But have you seen September and Interiors, two of Allen’s darkest dramas and tiny masterpieces in their own right? In September an emotionally weak Mia Farrow—was she ever anything else in his movies?—pursues a man unattracted to her while her mother torments her with horrors from her past. Located entirely in a summerhouse in Vermont, the film delves deep into the torment of living, even as the incomparable Elaine Stritch gives a hilarious performance as a vicious diva. Interiors explores similar themes of misery and loneliness but employs much more artful camerawork and lighting. Both films do what I like the most: carry the plot crisply and calmly to a logical and cathartic end. It's what Kafka, Chekhov and Strindberg did best.

Wait a minute, you say, Woody Allen is supposed to make us laugh! Yes, he is funny—kind of, sort of. I don't think he's the funniest director of the century. Maybe not even Top 10; many more are funnier. But Allen is at his best when his outlook on life—relentless, agnostic—is so extreme that all one can do is laugh. The best example is a scene in Deconstructing Harry with Kirstie Alley. Alley, playing Allen's ex and a therapist, is so enraged at him she cannot sit still in a session with a patient. She keeps getting up and yelling at him in the next room. We hear her screams from the patient's perspective, as he lies patiently in another room. Each time Alley returns to continue the session she is increasingly upset and inconsolable. It's absolutely hilarious. She's a therapist who can't keep it together. Fun!

Let's not forget the obvious. Allen is perhaps the single most dedicated documenter of New York in film history. He's captured many of the city's flavors: its romance and lyricism in Manhattan, its gentrified cleanliness in Anything Else and Melinda and Melinda, the industrial emptiness of Soho in Hannah and Her Sisters, and the charm of the boroughs in Radio Days. One reason I probably love Allen so much is I often long for New York. I grew up right outside the city but went to school in the Midwest and now reside in Philadelphia. Watching Woody is like coming home.

Now in Vicky he ventures to Barcelona, in what should be another shot into left field: a steamy, amber-hued romp with three of the hottest actors working today. Where has the old man's heart gone? Has he finally found joie de vivre? Unlikely, I think, and I'm eager to see how film's great cynic manages to squeeze realism from the lips of Penelope Cruz.

So for anyone who has yet to jump headfirst into Allen's whirlpool of delightful misfortune (40-plus films and growing at a rate of about one film per year): jump! For those who are old at heart, or who want to know what it feels like to be 72, there is no better way to enjoy the pleasures of misery and meaninglessness.

Discussion
  • I've loved the direction his last few films have gone. However, I think we will be returning to "Nebbish Country" with his next one, which stars Larry David.

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  • No matter how creepy the step-daughter/spouse thing is, I still love Manhattan and Annie Hall. And hey, even Hollywood Ending had its charm.

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  • I gave up after Melinda and Melinda. That was a piece of crap if I ever saw one. I think that's probably the biggest problem: his best years are behind him, and he hasn't made a great movie since the early eighties (or early nineties if you're really trying hard). Today's young film fans have no impetus to seek out Annie Hall because the guy's contemporary work is complete trash. I do think the Lolita stepdaughter thing has something to do with it, but the lion's share of the blame should be given to the man's uneven filmography.

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  • I think his filmography is so uneven because he's made so many darn movies, don't you think? Although I guess there really is no excuse for the last few (M & M was enjoyable for me tho).....Re: eureka: I don't know, I couldn't do Hollywood Ending. I've seen it twice and I forget it soon after......Re: I'm excited about the Larry David one! His most recent leads have not been good at channeling him (Jason Biggs? Will Ferrell? Scarlett Johansson? They were all wrong). Larry David and Woody Allen are cut from the same cloth. It should be interesting!

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  • He puts out a movie every year, and they usually suck, but I have a soft spot for woody, and thus I go see his new movies, every year. Manhattan is one of my all time favorites, but Annie Hall comes in a close second.

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  • Woody's personal life, so elegantly detailed in the media, is of no concern to me, but his films did seem to nosedive after all that occurred. Aside from "Manhattan," I think that "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Everyone Says I Love You" and "Manhattan Murder Mystery" were all pretty great.

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  • "Manhattan" is indeed a classic; it's a near perfect synthesis of all things Woody and things NYC and all things intellectual-malaise and all things etc. "Match Point," for me, completely failed. The crux was the shot of the lead character reading a companion reader to Dostoevsky. Woody's sarcastic existentialism is at its best when it's kept, well, as honest as possible. In Match Point he tries to get all tongue-in-the-other-cheek with it and it comes up way short.

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  • I agree about Match Point. I just re-watched Crimes and Misdemeanors last night and was reminded at how good the ending was and how solid the pacing. Match Point is like Crimes-lite, not nearly as dark and intellectual, not too much fun, but with better real estate and hotter people.....I almost prefer Hannah and Her Sisters to Manhattan as a portrait of relationships in the city. Manhattan looks amazing, but Hannah feels more lived-in, a truer New York. I guess it's personal preference......What I want to see Woody Allen do is something completely oddball like Sleeper again, but maybe he feels he's too old for that.

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  • I thought "Match Point" was pretty brilliant, and my memory of "Scoop" is marred by the vicious hangover I had. Aside from "Annie Hall," "The Purple Rose of Cairo" is very charming, and "Shadows and Fog" is a lot of fun. By far my favorite is "Stardust Memories" - the scene when Charlotte Rampling speaks directly to the camera through brilliantly jittery cuts is devastating.

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  • Along with the other classics mentioned, don't forget "A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy," which I thought was nearly as great as "Stardust Memories." And "Small Time Crooks," while maybe bronze age Woody, wasn't half bad either.

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  • Annie Hall is easily not only my favorite Woody Allen film, but my favorite movie of all time. Lately I've been binging on the four Allen movies that I've seen, but have been hesitant to test out new ones due to horrible reviews I've read. Thanks for the direction.

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  • In my four years of college I saw just about every film Woody Allen has made. I think "Stardust Memories" is completely brilliant and by far his best work -- along with "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan," etc. And "Shadows and Fog" I really love for whatever reason. It's not that any of his films are really bad (except for maybe, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" -- Ugh. I don't think I even finished it), I still find most of them really entertaining. They're just not movies I would watch more than once. Also, The Front has to be mentioned, even though it wasn't really his film. He's wonderful in it.

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  • Ditto on Allen's performance in "The Front," as well as Michael Murphy's. "Annie Hall" seems a little dated to me, although I imagine at the time of its release, it must've been something. For some reason Diane Keaton really bugs me in that film, unlike her best role in "Shoot the Moon."

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  • I haven't watched a Woody Allen movie in years, but you make a great point about what a diverse director and filmaker he is. The last one I saw was, "Small Time Crooks" and while no masterpiece, it was enjoyable. I'm going to check out his new one after reading this. Looks like Woody owes you a royalty fee!

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  • I saw that Vicki Christina movie at a screening and thought it was cheesy. I've never seen any other Woody Allen movies, but I had been expecting a lot after so many rave reviews. I'll have to see "Annie Hall" to get some perspective. I am surprised that the "Vicki Christina" movie got good reviews; Penelope Cruz was the only good thing about it, otherwise it was a romantic movie about Europe and how super Europey and Romantic it is.

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  • I love these comments because I get good movie suggestions -- I hadn't thought to see The Front!.....I'm surprised two people on here really liked Shadows and Fog, which I thought was Woody-on-cruise-control but with cool cinematography -- perhaps it's a movie I needed to see on a larger screen....By the way, did anyone see Cassandra's Dream? I'm ashamed to say I avoided it; in part because I'd just seen Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and it looked similar but not as good, and in part because I hate Colin Farrell.

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  • "Shadows and Fog" was snoozy and though I've just seen it on DVD I doubt it's better in a theater. "Scoop" was awful and so was "Match Point." But man, give the guy credit for still working and not clipping coupons. I'm kind of amazed he still can draw really beautiful actresses; it's not like there's a lot of money or prestige involved in an Allen film anymore. Maybe it's like if Deertick had the opportunity to hang out with Dylan for three months.

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  • I hated Match Point personally, I thought it was too self-indulgent and frankly speaking, Woody's tireless existential angst is just too much to bear most of the time. However, all the reviews of Vicky Cristina has made me think that Woody might be redeemable after all. I love especially the last line in the review "For those who are old at heart, or who want to know what it feels like to be 72, there is no better way to enjoy the pleasures of misery and meaninglessness..." Ah the pleasures of cynicism....

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  • I think I probably liked "Shadows and Fog" so much because I saw it in between some really mediocre Woody Allen films, like "Hollywood Ending," etc. I just think "Shadows and Fog" is hilarious unlike, say, "Scoop," which I don't think made me laugh even once. Also, another good one: "Bullets Over Broadway." Dianne Wiest is amazing.

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  • Dianne Wiest is almost always amazing, not only in the underrated "Bullets Over Broadway," among Allen films, but I think she's the key to "Hannah and Her Sisters."

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  • Yes! Wiest was phenomenal in Bullets, which was very underrated indeed. She is a vision in Hannah.

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  • W. Allen has had a very long career, and I have to wonder given some of the points you raise, if he is past his prime? What is motivating him to continue to make films?

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