DVD Review: Husbands and Wives
Written by: Katherine B.

Film Rating: B
DVD Special Features: N/A  (not enough to fairly evaluate)

         While not all of Woody Allen’s films are brilliant, it’s impossible to blame him for lack of vision. Originally Released in 1992 to a lot of public noise due to the turmoil surrounding the private lives of certain actors involved, Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" is a documentary styled sequence that reflects on the confused lives of the characters that inhibit it. The film does not lack vision even for a slight second as this perceptive drama looks at two seemingly happy couples.

The film takes off when one such seemingly happy couple (Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis) announces their divorce in a calm, relaxed and amicable manner. All this, while, delivering a devastating blow to the very shocked Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. This leads Allen and Farrow to question their own marriage, while Pollack and Davis take advantage of the freedom that they always thought they wanted by seeking out new companions. Pollack takes up with an aerobics instructor (Lysette Anthony), Davis gets fixed up with Farrow’s co-worker (Liam Neeson) whom Farrow seems to be falling for herself and Allen becomes very "intrigued" by a bright 20 year old student (Juliette Lewis) in his creative writing class at Columbia University.

Allen, Farrow and Pollack give good solid performances but the real scene-stealer is Judy Davis who really shines. She is judicious, ironic, funny, vicious, wounded and extremely sensitive, all at the same time. While her stand out performance is a breath of fresh air, the film is not. As all the analyzing goes on, it becomes increasingly tedious, which in turn gets to a point of being very boring. It seems that every point is analyzed about 50 times, so that the characters (or rather the audience) REALLY gets it.

Nevertheless, the film is sophisticated, in part humorous, poignant and insightful. The acting style leads you to believe that the film’s dialogue was improvised rather than scripted. This is especially so when the characters speak directly to the faux documentary makers. The camera work, which is the other wonderful thing, adds to this sensation. It is of the jerky sort. It harries after the characters in confusion as their own enigmatic lives unfold. This creates a very intimate atmosphere.

The DVD gives you the option of choosing between Widescreen and Full Screen. Although I chose to view it in Full Screen, it’s nice having a choice. The picture quality and sound is crisp and the manus are interactive. Scene Selection is in place, which may prove to be a very useful tool in regards to following the film’s structure. However, with the exception of two trailers (which sum up the entire film), there aren’t any other bonuses.

In the end, the film is about making you think. It effectively conveys that in the end, love isn't all about romance, but rather actually having someone to grow old with (a companion). I would recommend watching "Husbands and Wives" on a rainy day. Yes, it has got to rain. You can't have a Woody Allen film any other way.

DVD Release Date: Apr 16, 2002
Company: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Rating: R (MPAA) for language and adult situations
Date of publication: 03/23/2002 spoilers, music, we, review, staff, pop,ks, cosmetics, culture, and, much, more.