bowmanblue
I hate romantic comedies. However, despite 'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger' looking and sounding like a romantic comedy, there isn't that much romance in there. Or at least what little romance there is comes a noticeable second place to the comedy element.I haven't seen as many Woody Allen films as I probably should have, so I can't really compare how this one rates against the bulk of his others. But I can tell you that it's about a family in London and their various relationships, all of which are due to run into some major turbulence of one type or another. I can also mention that the script is pretty sharp. There is a lot of narration which I'm not sure how necessary it is. The film does tend to tell you a lot of what's going to happen before it happens. This could be considered 'lazy film-making' as it 'tells' rather than 'shows.' However, it does speed a lot of things on. The film isn't overly-long and it does seem to be pretty well-trimmed, keeping all the best bits in, instead of dragging the run-time out with a load of unnecessary scenes.The 'ensemble' cast all play their parts well. Of course you could say that one drawback from having a lot of great characters in a short film means that none of them are really 'fleshed-out' enough. But, they all turn in one excellent performance after the next.I'm not sure whether this is a 'spoiler' or just common sense, but, if you're expecting everything to turn out 'happy ever after' for absolutely everyone on screen, then you may be deluding yourself. Because there's so many characters, it would be madness to assume that everyone will be totally happy with the way things have turned out by the time the credits roll. However, there is a nice feeling of resolution to how things are left, meaning that most people should be satisfied.So, enjoy the comedy, don't expect too much romance, as the film centres on human nature rather than constantly showing us instances where couples fall in love, only to break up straight away, simply because the plot dictates that they must.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
Amy Adler
In London, poor Helena (Gemma Jones) has been jilted by her husband of 40 years, Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). What's it all about Alfie, Helena wants to know! Turth is, Alf had a bit of a late mid-life crisis, complete with a fast new car, body building and visits to a tanning salon. In tears, Helena goes to see a local seer, who predicts a better future for her. At the same time, Alf goes after a looker of a hooker, Charmaine (Lucy Punch), paying her to be his exclusive galpal. Moving on, Alfie's and Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is hitting some rough spots in her marriage to writer Roy (Josh Brolin). Although Roy has a medical degree, he insists on a career as an author but, since his first book took off, he's had nothing but failures hence forth. This obligates Sally to go to work, even though she longs for a child. With a background in art, Sal finds work at a gallery run by the suave, handsome Greg (Antonio Banderas). Since she proves to be an invaluable assistant, Greg is quite pleased AND does happen to mention on occasion that his marriage is unfulfilling. Huh. Roy, too, has curveballs thrown in his direction, when a lovely guitar player, Dia (Frieda Pinto) is visible in an apartment the writer can see from his own abode. On top of that, Roy reads the manuscript of a fellow poker player and realizes the book is a winner, far better than his own current project. Thus, when the pokerpal is in a car wreck and goes into a coma, with little hope of recovery, can Roy do the unthinkable and filch the book? Dear Woody, as I have often stated, one of your biggest admirers lives in Toledo, Ohio, of all places. As such, this movie, though not your loftiest film, is bursting with small pleasures and smiles. First, the cast is terrific, each and every one of them. Punch, especially, is very funny, buying fur coats while Hopkins' bank account gets greatly reduced. As can be expected, the London setting is lovely while the costume designer should get a bouquet of roses, everyone looks fantastic! As stated, little things mean a lot in Allen's world, so a moment where Roy, in Dia's apartment, looks back and is captivated by Sally in the apartment NOW across the way is very special. Ditto to the marvelous guitar pieces played throughout the movie, too. Unique, too, is the script and direction, quite fine, that Allen offers here, after making film after film after film. Therefore, if you are a fan, you must get your hands on this one, too. Likewise, if its your first Allen film, you will just be opening the jewel box of his cinematic efforts and you should seek out the rest.
