LOOK, I’M WOODY. HOWDY, HOWDY, HOWDY.
Starring Woody Allen
M
A clip-show of stylistic tics, Billy Crystal and overbearing star-fucking that somehow manages to hold it all together with a splatter of old-fashioned wit and good-humour. It has to be said at this point, in the dawn of his artistic drudgery, how reassuring a presence Allen still is in his own films. His acting is perfectly in tune with his writing, his delivery lifting even his most tired observations into a smirk or a smile and his floundering elevating the performances of the professionals around him. Deconstructing Harry suffers in the same way that Celebrity does; the star turns, the Robin Williamsssss and Demi Moores only drag the film down with stunt casting and a lack of attachment to Allen and the story itself, making the narrative as blurry and indistinct as Williams’ predicament in his segment. (He plays an actor who starts to blur around the edges, like on film, but in real life. It’s diverting for a bit, and sort of clever. LIKE THE FILM.) Allen works better with character actors; people who ‘get’ his style and approach. You can basically divide everyone he’s worked with into those that understand his films and those that don’t, and the changes in tone are incredible to witness. Generally the more understated you are the better, which gives power to his character studies and psychological evaluations but slurps the fun out of his broader comedy. Deconstructing Harry ultimately fucks up by being too many things, and even a cursory glance at the DVD blurbs to come suggests he used to be much better at writing about himself. We’ve got to go back, Marty. BACK TO THE PAST. Where we’re going we’ll need some sort of mass transit system.
Wait, isn't that the music from The Mask in the trailer? The Mask is great! Go watch The Mask instead. It's The Mask!
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