Anything Else (2003)

I've been going on occasionally about the critical disrespect targeted at Woody Allen over the past decade or so and how so many of his more recent movies not only do not get a UK cinema release but don't even get a DVD release -- what I refer to as "falling between the cracks".  Now most of his fans are pretty forgiving and I have in fact enjoyed his latter-day movies when I eventually catch up with them, but frankly, this one was terrible.  In his guide, Leonard Maltin describes it as Woody's worst ever; however I would reserve that nadir for his "Hollywood Ending" (2002) which I saw on an airplane and which has never surfaced here.

So what is the problem here?  As in several of his more recent movies, he uses a Woody Allen clone since as people never tire of pointing out, he is far too old to play the young lover.  His choice here is Jason Biggs, best known for the "American Pie" series and hardly a charismatic choice, especially with old Woody in a supporting role.  In fact, all of the casting is dislikeable.  Whereas Woody normally opts for a starry cast (and actors line up to appear in his films), the only other "names" here are Christina Ricci, Danny DeVito, and Stockard Channing, and I can't decide which of them presents the most annoying character -- they're all pretty horrible.  It's purportedly the doomed love story between gag-writer Biggs and Ricci, with her playing a neurotic would-be actress who withholds her sexual favours from Biggs, but who spreads them about elsewhere.  DeVito is Biggs' useless manager who the Woody character pleads with him to drop and Stockard is Ricci's scatty mum who moves in with the couple.

Can I say anything positive?  Well, Woody himself although playing a neurotic mess did come up with the occasional zinger and as always his choice of music was superb.  That apart, it wasn't even a noble failure.

Where's the link??? 

Tags: Anything Else, Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, missing link