By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Adam Brooks | Ed Begley Jr. | Evan Rachel Wood | Larry David | Lyle Kanouse | Michael McKean | Patricia Clarkson
Country: france, united_states
Year: 2009
Running time: 92
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178663/
Thom says: “After being a minor Woody Allen fan for years I turned very sour on him for a span. After returning to his films with the witty MELINDA AND MELINDA (due to the presence of must-see Chloë Sevigny) all of his output has been top-of-the-line. This wacky entry is hilarious from start to finish and the entire cast of characters seems to have a screw loose. Boris (Larry David) a late-middle-aged malcontent takes in a homeless young woman (the ever-talented Wood) & ends up marrying her. The woman’s mother (Clarkson) moves to New York to check up on her daughter and goes into a tailspin of bohemia. Her father also arrives in New York and decides he’s always been gay. The goings-on are so charming & delightful and the script is one of Allen’s best. One element I savored was Allen’s introduction of a gay character, something I don’t think he’s ever dealt with before. John (Begley, Jr.) is just as goofy and likable as the rest of the cast and fits in perfectly. You’d be hard pressed to find a director who’s made so many brilliant films-in-row as Allen has done lately: MELINDA AND MELINDA, MATCH POINT, SCOOP, CASSANDRA’S DREAM, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, & now this. 5 cats”