Melinda and Melinda (2005)
If you really love Woody Allen,
then you will probably like this film. This may be
the closest that the master of neurotic, New York,
modern comedy will come to achieving the success of
his earlier work now that he nears the end of his
life and career. If we are lucky, he may have one
more masterpiece in him before he slips away and becomes
little more than a stardust memory, his life reduced
to mere flickering through a 35mm projector.
Allen, who he is turning 70 this
year, still continues to be quite prolific but his
films have become less and less interesting and certainly
less and less vital viewing over the past few years.
To be honest, I haven't seen one of his films since
2000's "Small
Time Crooks." Since then his work just hasn't
had the ability to drawn me in and make me insist
on seeing it. The trailers for "Curse of the Jade
Scorpion," "Hollywood Ending" and "Anything Else,"
all looked interesting, especially if your a fan of
the filmmaker, but few people, including myself took
the time to see his films.
The last time Allen seemed to really
have the hooks was in the early 90's with the trifecta
of "Husbands and Wives," "Manhattan Murder Mystery"
and "Bullets over Broadway." It is obvious watching
this new film that it is indeed made by the same hands
as those prior successes. But ultimately it only pleases
because it is a faint reminder of Allen's earlier,
better work. "Melinda and Melinda" draws both from
"Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors"
most obviously. In this way it is in the vein of his
mid-80's films.
Allen has a great idea for a film
but he just misses the mark a bit. His "Melinda and
Melinda" is a diptych, supposedly merging and juxtaposing
tragedy and comedy. But the effect becomes a little
muddled and obtuse in Allen's hands. His tragedy here
has none of the bite of "Interiors" and "Septembers"
or even the ironic satire of "Crimes and Misdemeanors."
We want Woody to go Bergman here, providing a true
depressing story in the film's supposedly overwrought
sections and he just doesn't quite hit the right keys.
He seems fearful of moving the film into a truly deep
crevasse of angst and heart- wrench.
Likewise, his take on comedy here
is mildly amusing but only on the surface. Most of
this is thanks to the enormous comedic talents of
Will Ferrell, who proves himself to be the true successor
to Allen's nebbish throne. Ferrell emulates the best
of Allen's neurotic losers here without attempting
to copy Woody. He also doesn't go for a spoof, a satire,
or a mugging, winking, camp version of the infamous
man. Ferrell instead plays it as he would if any other
writer had written it and brings just enough of his
own nebbish neurosis to the character. It works perfectly.
Sadly, Ferrell is stuck in a lifeless
romantic comedy that is little more than a watered
down version of Allen's best work in the genre, like
"Husbands and Wives," "Annie Hall" and the most obvious
influence, "Hannah and Her Sisters." It doesn't help
matters much that Ferrell is also stuck with the drab
and only fairly talented Amanda Peet as his co-star.
She's really awful here. Allen tries to salvage this
mess by casting Ferrell's friend and "Anchorman" co-star
Steve Carrell in the "comedic" piece but even that
doesn't help matters much.
It also doesn't help that the star
of the film, the titular Melinda, as she appears in
both the comedic and tragic portions of the film,
is played by the drab and listless Radha Mitchell,
Is there a more boring and inert actress on the planet?
Judging from her work here, one would have to say
no.
In fact the only actress in the
piece with any bite is Chloe Sevigny. She truly provides
the only moments of interest and intensity in the
film. When Sevigny is on screen, the film crackles
and seems capable of drifting into some twinklings
of captivating drama. (To see her play off Ferrell
would be awesome but that doesn't happen here). In
fact, ultimately, there is far too little of her here
to salvage the film for most viewers, especially the
uninitiated.
Allen may have had two scripts based
on the same story sitting around and decided to combine
them. He's such a prolific guy that I can see this
happening. He takes the same story and tells it in
two supposedly different modes, one comic, one tragic
but is satisfied with neither. Maybe that's why they
bond a bit too seamlessly here. In actuality, it is
often hard to tell them apart in "Melinda and Melinda."
And while this is a clever concept, Allen seems incapable
of setting it up and selling it correctly.
The first problem is the initial
scene, where Wallace Shaun, Larry Pine, and some others
sit at a table and discuss the nature of both genres
over dinner, each using a base story to riff off into
a plot of either comic or tragic resolve. But after
the initial set-up, it is nearly 40 minutes before
these characters return to the screen. Allen could
have used this set-up to really organize the story
and create a valid conversation about the nature of
storytelling in modern society, modern culture, and
modern film. He avoids this idea like the plague and
the film suffers greatly for it. This inability to
focus the film leaves us feeling like we've witnessed
little more than a muddled mess when it is finally
over. This device could have been the glue that truly
held the film together but Allen uses it more like
a Post-It Note.
So, in the end, what mainly works
best about "Melinda and Melinda" is its instant nostalgia.
Woody Allen films are a genre unto themselves. And
this latest film nestles easily into the man's resume.
With its New York street scenes, its distinct dialogue,
and its jazz and classical musical score, the film
feels like coming home for a moment, a stardust moment
that reminds us of what used to be... but may never
be again.
Notes:
Also with Josh Brolin.
Apparently Robert Downey Jr. was
cast at one point but had to drop out.
The film played in some European
countries in late 2004 but didn't get released in
the U.S. until March 2005.
Released by Fox Searchlight. Allen
had a deal with Dreamworks for the past few years
but it has ended.
The 36th film Allen has made for
theatrical release in the USA as director. Next year
marks the 40th anniversary of his first, "What's Up,
Tiger Lily?"
Viewed in Austin in April 2005.
