CameronMB

Any director as prolific as Woody Allen is bound to have some successes and some failures. In this case, "Celebrity" is mostly a failure; it's not a terrible film, but when compared to most other Woody Allen movies it reveals itself to be a truly mediocre effort. While I don't have a problem with the grittiness that Allen has chosen to portray, and I don't think it's bad that the movie is in black & white, the movie itself just isn't very satisfying - there aren't very many funny or dramatic sequences. It sort of feels like Allen is going through the motions. For Woody fans only.

This is a drama, but there are also plenty of moments of comedy. The dramatic subject (which I won't get into because I don't want to spoil the story) is so wrenching and desperate that the contrast it has with the comedic aspects of the film can be quite jarring. But the picture comes together anyway, and this is among Woody Allen's best films at uniting moments of comedy with a darker, overall drama. All the acting is spectacular; especially enjoyable are two men who would later star in "Law and Order" - Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston. Both do an excellent job.

This fits right in the middle on a list ranking Woody Allen's movies... it's not that good, but not that bad, either. Of course, Woody Allen fans such as myself will contend that an average or 'mediocre' Allen movie is better than an average or 'mediocre' film that isn't by him; personally, I love his directing style, acting, and scripting... so I have to say that this is worth seeing, even though it doesn't come close to being one of his best movies.