18 August 2007

Melinda and Melinda

Greg: What do you do for exercise?
Hobie: Tiddly winks. And an occasional anxiety attack.

If you’re a die-hard fan Woody Allen fan, Melinda and Melinda probably rates somewhere in the middle of his filmography in term of captivating storyline and interesting characters. While I typically prefer Allen’s films which feature his acting, Will Ferrell does a pretty funny impersonation of the master of neuroticism and he’s a bit more believable as a romantic partner to Amanda Peet’s character. Radha Mitchell does nice work playing the two Melindas – dysfunctionally depressed and positively perky. The Melinda tragedy brings to mind Purple Rose of Cairo in its sharp pain and betrayal and the Melinda comedy is reminiscent of Allen’s other films featuring husband and wives in various stages of decline and rebuilding. A glance at IMDB shows that Woody is now 72, hopefully he’ll continue working his silver screen genius for several years to come. La-di-da, la-di-da, la la.

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