Okay, but not great, 4 Oct 2005

The point of the film is masked by Branagh's near perfect imitation of Woody Allen, which is at first surprising, then interesting, but after a while, irritating.

While attempting to give a view of lust and marriage (as ever) from the experience of Branagh's character, who gives up his flavourless and tedious marriage to find the woman of his dreams, this falls short of the mark.

Allen may have been too old to play the role himself, but Branagh is scarcely a good substitute and whether it was the former or the latter's decision to emulate Woody so precisely, it was slightly misjudged. The impersonation becomes at times the focus for the viewer, leaving one to wonder why he didn't shave his pate and wear geek-specs to finish the effect.

Plenty of celeb's popping up throughout, though none of them add any depth or insight into the thin plot. In addition, the film suffers from the style in which many of Allen's later films have been made, that of having numerous people talking around a table at the same time, for long periods. He seems to have developed too strong a taste for trying to portray realistic conversation, particularly among 'arty' types.

Shallow plot, shallow characters and a tad self-indulgent. The attention wavers about 20 mins before the end and the lack of engagement with the main character gives one a feeling of having been to a party full of strangers and not having been spoken to all evening.

DVD quality is good - but no extras, of course, from Mr Allen.

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Celebrity in black and white, 22 Jun 2003

The movie is a reflexion about fame, about famous people and their behaviours to the public and in private. Woody Allen has done better, like "Radio Days" (1987) but the excelent cinematography and Woody's touch are always good arguments.

Unfortunately, Woody Allen doesn't appreciate special features...

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