Movie
Review | Anything Else
Reviewed by: Brian
Orndorf
As a struggling comedy writer living in New York City, Jerry (Jason
Biggs, “American Pie”) is trying to sort out his love life. His
relationship with his girlfriend Amanda (Christina Ricci, in way over
her capabilities) is falling apart, mostly due to her almost
pathological infidelity, but also because of Jerry’s own neuroses.
Listening to daily advice from a fellow comedy writer (Woody Allen),
Jerry struggles to figure out his love life, while also having to deal
with his lousy manager (Danny DeVito), whom Jerry needs to fire in
order to achieve success.
Though it may appear that way at first, “Anything Else” isn’t
a chance for Woody Allen to reinvent himself with a cast of
youngsters. Allen’s new picture is a vessel for nostalgia, using his
hip cast (which also includes Jimmy Fallon, Erica Leerhsen, and an
appearance by Diana Krall) to replicate themes and mis en scene that
he’s been repeating for nearly 40 years. Under Allen‘s guidance:
the comedy, obnoxious New York intellectualism, and glorious
photography can go either right or wrong. “Anything Else” falls
into the latter category. While it isn’t anything destructive to the
master filmmaker’s career, it does feature some curious casting and
screenwriting choices that might have fans scratching their heads.
I’ve come to think of “Anything Else” as a “Bugsy Malone”
take on “Annie Hall.” It has all the Allen ingredients that are
expected, but he’s placed the drama in the hands of two very young
actors, Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci. Biggs and Ricci are acquired
tastes as talents, and have yet to be challenged too greatly in their
careers thus far. “Else” purports that these two characters deal
with analysis, careers, and domesticity on a daily basis, but it
hardly rings true. Allen is writing for his voice, and coming out of
Biggs, the meaning is blurred. John Cusack was a much better match, in
terms of an Allen substitute in “Bullets Over Broadway.” Biggs
just doesn’t have the weight as an actor yet to convincingly spit
out the philosophical references and endless stammering it requires
for Jerry to be consistent. The poor imitation is made worse when
Biggs shares screen time with Allen, with whom the words clearly match
up with. I’m thrilled that Biggs is getting away from the
“American Pie” series and trying to mix up the acting choices a
little bit, but this experiment failed.
Because the audience is stuck with actors that don’t have the
mastery needed for Allen’s prose, the screenplay’s cyclical nature
of questioning relationships and romantic entanglements becomes
exceptionally tiring. Allen can’t score any jokes or heart out of
Jerry and Amanda, so the dramatic and comedic value of the script
greatly decreases as the film plays out. To be blunt, the film gets
pretty annoying. There is hardly a moment in the film where a breath
of air occurs, making for the most vocally claustrophobic film Allen
has made in a long time.
Outside of some breathtaking New York cinematography by Darius
Khondji (“Panic Room”), “Anything Else” has very little to
recommend about it. After last year’s disappointing “Hollywood
Ending,” Woody Allen appears to be back in a creative slump and the
attempt to bring some youth into his mix doesn’t pan out for
director as hoped. He should leave his idiosyncratic world view and
impeccable comedic tastes to an actor best suited for the job:
himself.
Grade: 3/10
|
