This film is a bit out of the ordinary for Woody Allen in that of the two intertwining storylines, one of them is deathly serious. Serious subjects have been brought up before in Woody's films ("Interiors," "September") but never as successfully as in this film. The mixture of comedy and drama work so effectively that this has to be one of Woody's best films, on par with "Annie Hall" and "Hannah and her Sisters."
Woody plays Clifford Stern, an independent filmmaker whose marriage is crumbling. In order to make more money and gain recognition, he is offered to make a documentary about his filthy rich, lowbrow, narcissistic TV producer brother-in-law (wonderfully played by Alan Alda). Cliff goes into the project half-heartedly, and his only solace is a doomed relationship with one of the show's producers (played by Mia Farrow).
Meanwhile, Martin Landau plays Judah Ronsenthal, an eye doctor whose mistress (played by Anjelica Huston) is threatening to expose the relationship. Judah considers having her "rubbed out" using the sordid connections of his brother (Jerry Orbach). Wracked by guilt over even thinking such a thing, Judah enlists the spiritual aid of one of his patients, a rabbi whose vision is slowly deteriorating (played by Sam Waterston). The rabbi character, incidentally, is the brother of the Alan Alda character. That's where the stories connect, even though they will continue to cross paths later in the film.
All the performances are brilliantly executed, particularly those of Alda, Waterston, Allen and Landau (who was nominated for an Academy Award). The film is a perfect combination of seriousness and hilarity. Among the funniest scenes are when Woody screens a less-than-flattering rough cut of his documentary to a flabbergasted Alda, and the scene where Woody's sister (played by Caroline Aaron) tells Woody about her disastrous blind date.
If you're a Woody Allen fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't familiar with his films, this would be a good place to start.
Woody plays Clifford Stern, an independent filmmaker whose marriage is crumbling. In order to make more money and gain recognition, he is offered to make a documentary about his filthy rich, lowbrow, narcissistic TV producer brother-in-law (wonderfully played by Alan Alda). Cliff goes into the project half-heartedly, and his only solace is a doomed relationship with one of the show's producers (played by Mia Farrow).
Meanwhile, Martin Landau plays Judah Ronsenthal, an eye doctor whose mistress (played by Anjelica Huston) is threatening to expose the relationship. Judah considers having her "rubbed out" using the sordid connections of his brother (Jerry Orbach). Wracked by guilt over even thinking such a thing, Judah enlists the spiritual aid of one of his patients, a rabbi whose vision is slowly deteriorating (played by Sam Waterston). The rabbi character, incidentally, is the brother of the Alan Alda character. That's where the stories connect, even though they will continue to cross paths later in the film.
All the performances are brilliantly executed, particularly those of Alda, Waterston, Allen and Landau (who was nominated for an Academy Award). The film is a perfect combination of seriousness and hilarity. Among the funniest scenes are when Woody screens a less-than-flattering rough cut of his documentary to a flabbergasted Alda, and the scene where Woody's sister (played by Caroline Aaron) tells Woody about her disastrous blind date.
If you're a Woody Allen fan, you won't be disappointed. If you aren't familiar with his films, this would be a good place to start.
