Juntando os Pedaços

This is not mass pop entertainment, but a massive Bunuelian romp by a major director, with lots of name-brand, off-kilter stars. It has its highs and lows, but all-in-all it's an intriguing concoction. Just the feat of getting Woody Allen out of NY and into the desert to play a character named "Tex" is worth seeing. Throw in some great Woody Allen gags ("We Jews didn't intentionally kill Jesus, it was just a party that got out of hand"), a mad trio of investigators from the Vatican (Elliot Gould, Fran Drescher, Andy Dick), and a mayor played by Cheech Marin, and you've a pinata of surprises and fun. It's definitely worth capturing on your TiVo.

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in but after a failed first attempt at viewing this film (lasted about 10 minutes) I just finished seeing the "hole" thing and thought "what a great WA film ala the pre-serious Woody phase that he didn't write! This film was obviously not done with the BIG audience in mind, but out of love for the absurd to a sublime degree. Over the top puns abound in a truly profound way. Like for instance, "You can save your ass, or you can save your soul. But you can't save both. You choose, ass....soul...etc.,etc. I can't believe the many stars in this cast (albeit off-ctr types) did this for the money, so they must have had a blast making it. And c'mon folks, tell me you didn't love to see Kieffer hung up and beaten like a pinata with fireworks going off on his body. I hven't seen cast interviews, so I'm not as informed as some of the commenteers here are, but the overall message (last words of Woody)of this movie is not to be ignored: "f__k em if they can't take a joke". Yeah, the production was cheezy, but it fit so well. The patchwork editing just may have been intentional.... I can easily see how people panned this film. But, no offense intended, maybe you take yourself a bit too seriously.

PS: the quip about Jesus' party getting out of hand _was_ Lenny Bruce's comment as stated by Woody in the film.

Ahhhhhh

I am a big Woody Allen fan and greatly admire his early films, up to and including Annie Hall. The only two post A.H. films I have enjoyed are "Curse of the Jade Scorpion", and this one, "Picking Up the Pieces". There are moments of the old Woody here that have been missing in many of his more recent efforts. He should venture out of his "New York City comfort zone" more often. The movie is not perfect, and could / will offend some. I really liked the neon lighting, which in no small way reminds me of "Vamp". Do not let the one star ratings steer you away from "Picking Up the Pieces", because it is well worth a peek, and especially for those W.A. fans who yearn for the 1970s Woody. - MERK

"Picking Up the Pieces" is one of those nonsense stories that gets morphed into something really neat. In this case, Sheriff Tex Cowley (Woody Allen) tries to bury the body of his wife, but accidentally leaves her hand above the ground. I should identify that her hand has the middle finger sticking out. When a blind woman stumbles upon the hand, she regains her vision, and then the hand starts performing all sorts of miracles.

Yes, it's a totally outlandish idea, but they do some really funny stuff with it. I especially liked the scene with "Ortiz". One might say that this movie looks at the interconnectedness of everything. Maybe. But overall, I'd say that it's an excuse to have fun. And it sure is something to see Woody Allen in a small Texas town. Also starring Sharon Stone, Cheech Marin, David Schwimmer, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, and Kiefer Sutherland.

I thought it was very funny, but in the morbid sense. The premise and many of the gags were indeed funny to one's dark humorous side. Just as Stephen King "experimented" with several short stories and novels using the pseudonym Richard Bachman, I think many miss the point that this is really Woody's writing/directing, using "Bill Wilson" et al, to try his blacker comedic side. Sharon Stone was great--primarily because as I watched her, I didnt know it was her....until the end of the movie. True Woody Allen affecionados should appreciate this effort!