Melinda and Melinda (2004)

Solid

Woody Allen was a big star. Radha Mitchell will be a big star. The two- nebbishy New York intellectual and gorgeous blond Australian actress- are the two essential ingredients in Allen's latest film, Melinda And Melinda, which just opened in Texas last week. While not at the level of the greatest Allen films from his Golden Age of 1977-1992 it is a significant step above his last few meager outings, and hearkens back to some of those earlier classics. Like Broadway Danny Rose it is a film that is told to the audience via raconteurs at a restaurant, like Annie Hall it is a romantic comedy, and like Interiors it is a European type parlor drama.
The film opens with four people discussing philosophy- more cogently the merits of tragedy versus comedy, after one of them proffers a tale, and asks two older playwrights (the two sides of Allen himself) to opine on whether the tale would work better as a comedy or tragedy. The tragedian Max (Larry Pine), who thinks life funny, expounds the tragic aspects of it while the comic writer Sy (Wallace Shawn), who thinks life is sad, does the comedic aspects, and thus the viewer is taken into the two tales of Melinda, whose `real' tale has been elided at the beginning.... In a sense, a film that this is reminiscent of is the late 1990s Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors, which follows the lives of the same character if and if she did not make a choice to do something. In this film, Melinda is two different conceptions, not the same character in two differently conceived settings, although Radha Mitchell excels as both versions- an augury of her major talent. Neither film, as constituted, would work separately, and I doubt either could, even if rounded out. But, because of its bifurcated nature, and the lack of traditional structuring in each half there is a sense of wanting more left on the viewer's palate- not a bad thing, but knowing we see more on the plate, yet cannot touch it is frustrating; the definition of a Woody Allen film in his post-Golden Age.
September 14, 2008

An Enjoyable Woody Allen Flick

Woody Allen is clearly held to higher standard than most film directors. Is this because he has benchmarked the film industry with classics such as Annie Hall and Manhattan? Perhaps it is due to his longevity in an unforgiving industry despite failures, both personal and professional? Is it because of his brilliance-- creating film in genres as diverse as Bananas and Match Point?

The expectation is that a woody Allen film should be better than most, and this one is. Its not his top dog, and it isn't brilliant, and that will no doubt bother many critics.

Woody Allen has been deconstructed many, many times (See, for example, Deconstructing Harry) so it is refreshing to see this film where Allen steps outside himself by setting up a story line and allowing it to follow two paths. For some, it becomes tragedy, and others, comedy.

It is not Allen's deepest film, but it worth watching and enjoying. September 14, 2008

Much better than what most say...

The film Melinda and Melinda is much better than it is credited on Amazon. It is an innovative film that features a great idea, to have two stories revolving around the same character discussed at a dinner table. One of the stories will be tragedy, one will be comedy. The acting is great, particularly Ferrell in one of his best roles, and the balance between the two stories is done well by Woody Allen. After watching Hollywood Ending, Scoop, Anything Else and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Melinda and Melinda stands as one of Woody Allen's better movies in the last decade. August 20, 2008

Melinda and Melinda - A Surprising Woody Allen Movie Without Woody Allen

Melinda and Melinda has elicited the full range of reactions from fans. On the one side, you have the Woody Allen purists that seem to believe that everything he creates is equally important and well made. On the other hand, you have the critics that will state that it's a *nice idea* but could have been done better. And yet the truth is somewhere in the middle. Because while this idea is not unique to Woody Allen, the way he blends the movie's themes with his own unique writing and film-making style make this movie unique and worthwhile. Like many Woody Allen movies, and perhaps like the man himself, it is not perfect and it does not try to be. But it is a very good movie that has a lot to offer on many different levels.

The Story and the Script

For starters, the basic premise of the movie has been overstated many times, yet I may have understood it in a different way. It's true, this movie is about two separate versions of one woman's life. Yet each version is the creation of a writer, and as such not a true representation of reality. One writer sees life as a tragedy and the other sees life as a comic farce. And yet in fusing the elements of each one sided view with normal story-telling elements, both writers prove that their version has plenty of the other side to it.

The film alternates between the writers discussing their points of views and the two different stories without warning. In some cases it's obvious that there has been a transition and in others it takes a few seconds to catch on. Radha Mitchell plays Melinda in both stories. As the stories diverge we can see how more absurd plot elements are introduced by the writers to meet their own objectives.

Most of the funny elements of this movie can probably be described as a mix of dark humor along with the double entendres that Woody Allen is famous for.

The Cast

Will Ferrell surprises me most of all in his role as Hobie, an unemployed actor. He shows once again that he can play both the buffoon and the straight man to perfection. Radha Mitchell is also good in both roles, though the tragic role has her deliver some forced dialogue. Chiwetel Ejiofor puts in a strong performance as the intellectual composer, and Chloe Sevigny delivers a standard high level performance as one of Melinda's best friends. There are also many smaller roles filled by extremely good actors. The list goes on and all in all the casting for this movie was superb.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a movie worth watching for writers, aspiring writers, actors and lovers of independent film. If you are a huge fan of Woody Allen, it might not be what you are expecting. But as long as you don't mind subtle story and plot development, you will enjoy the many layers this movie has to offer.

Enjoy!
July 23, 2008

Good Movie

In an overall sense, this is similar to "Sliding Doors" whereby the viewer watches the same person lead two different lives. It's a clever concept, and I like both movies. The quality of the DVD is very good, and the acting is great. It is amusing to watch Will Ferrell display Woody Allen characteristics throughout the movie. I laughed out loud several times. Well worth the time. May 25, 2008

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