Anything Else

Ok, the man is an establishment. That's what keeps this movie from being vague, shallow and void. Woody Allen can claim for himself his kind of movies, and nobody else does them like he does. So, when you see a Woody Allen movie, you know precisely what you are going to get, the difference being sometimes more surprised, and sometimes less. Well, here there's no surprise, except the way that Allen seeks new talent and awards them with the typical alter ego role. It's up to them to prove that they can handle it. Kenneth Branagh did it, John Cusack did it, and now Jason Biggs is the nervous new yorker who goes to psycho analysis. Well, it works, but the truth is that Biggs' character behaves like a 35-year-old trapped in a 21-year-old body. And the fact that some of the movie doesn't make much sense, you can never forget that this is the realm of Woody Allen, and even if it doesn't make sense, it's always funny and you'll always laugh. Everybody remembers the plotless "Everybody Says I Love You" but no one cared for the plot. It was entertaining. Same here. Sometimes I'd wish that Woody Allen tried a little harder to make movies with a thicker plot - remember "Bullets Over Broadway". But anyway, this movie is a permanent joy to watch, thanks to the great actors, great comedy (even with a non-existent story) and a great photography from Darius Khondji.

Yes, I admit to being a Woody Allen fan. Yes, I agree that his movies are uneven and have not all been up to the great standards of Annie Hall or Hannah. So I saw this on video, since it slipped out of the theaters quickly. And having read the IMDB reviews, I was prepared for the worse. The good news is that Mr Allen has recovered from whatever it was that was interfering with his muse. The picture is a classic Woody Allen film: fine acting, wonderful lines and gags, an ongoing psychoanalytical situation, dysfunctional relationships, funny situations, and Woody himself in a suitable role as a crazy guy, but the only "sane" one in the film. I would also add that the scenes of New York, including Manhattan and Brooklyn, were breathtakingly beautiful.

Critics now seem to enjoy dissing Woody, whatever his output. Maybe that's the price of a long, fruitful career. Ignore them and enjoy his films. Long may he present his gifts to us.

This film is one of Woody's best. Basically is it criticised by people who don't like Woody Allen for being like all the others, or by people that do like him because it's not quite his usual story line. The only weakness is that Jason Biggs is not quite up to the task, and looks a little lacking in confidence in places. Christina Ricci is excellent as ever, and Woody does a great job playing the eccentric old man, a role that is much more appropriate to his age than many he has attempted to play since he became middle aged (20+ years ago!).

This is packed with interesting views on life, great jokes (not Woody's usual repetition of the same jokes like the "polymorphously perverse" line) and touching reflections on relationships.

Highly recommended.

This movie really is an underrated gem. Somehow most critics have become totally unable to accept Woody Allen's work for what it is and compare it only to other movies from the same years.

Woody Allen has said many times that he has no interest in looking back to his old work and, in my opinion, it really shows. From someone who has often raved about the 'Radio Days' of his youth and adores prewar Jazz, he has steadily developed into a director who has no trouble catching the modern every day lives of the people around him. Recreating the atmosphere from his older movies would only show the inability to move on, along with the rest of the world.

Anything Else is proof of that. It's a modern movie with a typical Woody Allen style dialogue that works on several levels. Between the jokes and witty remarks and often great replies, lie the worries of any young guy or girl that has to learn to deal with life's fears and frustrations. Anything Else also has a really nice atmosphere and a great pace - the movie at almost 2 hours never feels like it's stalling or going nowhere. The story moves forward constantly. Biggs really is the star here and is a perfect Young Woody Allen. Ricci is only a supporting character, but both she and the rest of the cast really make this into a believable, relaxed and enjoyable experience.

For those who are willing to learn a little: this movie does make a simple, but very true point about learning to deal with life.

Photography, directing, editing and writing is really first class work - nothing less than what you get in other top Woody Allen movies. Beautiful locations, great camera work and typical Woody style jazz really make this into a perfect 10/10.

The lack of awards and negative reviews are just like Dobel (Woody Allen) says in this movie: You know....it's just like anything else.

Go see it for yourselves!

This expertly done film has the marketed trappings of a romantic comedy, but as usual the advertising is misleading. "Anything Else" is not a light romp or a gentle farce like some may expect. This is a dark and funny look at today's selfish, chaotic and often violent world. It's about the uncertainty of intention; it's about trusting one's instincts over the words and appearances of others, and it's about learning to survive on one's own. Woody Allen pulls no punches and follows things through to their inevitable end, even allowing his own supporting character to rage blindly and possibly wrongly against the all-encompassing hatred he sees everywhere he goes. Soaked in fecund greens, New York City stands in for the unknown, wild and indifferent jungle (with Central Park as its heart). So it is no coincidence that Woody drives a bright red Porsche that roars like an animal; and it is particularly apt that the car he demolishes out of rage and a sense of justice is green.

Yet the filmmaker allows this kind of paranoia to be suspect. He challenges the fruition of distrusting everyone--even though in many cases throughout the film, the bitterness, rejection and anger are warranted.

Many critics dismiss "Anything Else" as old jokes rehashed or even "unwatchable." I'm not sure what film they saw. I wanted to go back in the moment it ended. Yes, Woody revisits the themes of his previous films. He is an artist. Love and death, infidelity and sex are his motifs. Nobody throws out Hitchcock's later films because they were once again about the wrong man or some guy with a crazy mother. This is a cerebral, subversive movie. It has its one-liners and its rhythm of performance, complete with incredulous stuttering by Jason Biggs and a whiny Christina Ricci as an inscrutable actress. But the film is fresh and strong and--as typical of original art--completely underrated.