Brian Ekberg

Despite being lifted by the wonderful comedic performances by Tracie Ullman and Elaine May, this is mostly a chore of a movie. Its first half hour promises a madcap comedy, and it is frequently quite good, only to change midstream into class satire and another midlife examination of marriage that never really lifts off the ground. I kept wondering why Woody changed streams so drastically when he had such a fun premise, ultimately ending up with a forgettable effort.

Sid Waterman: I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. You know I just… it has to be done properly. You know, we gotta put our heads together. Sondra Pransky: If we put our heads together, you’ll hear a hollow noise. A lighthearted romp that reaches for a madcap quality and sometimes gets close. Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson are delightful and Woody Allen as the illusionist Sid Waterman is funny throughout. It’s clear Johansson was going for a different vibe than her character in the previous year’s Match Point, which amped up her raw sexuality and let her indulge in a darkly unhinged performance that fit that movie’s tone. Here, she’s no less stunning and her performance is almost a throwback, bringing to mind an old school Hollywood comedic performance with fast line delivery that suits the role and showcases her range. Not the best from Woody but certainly an enjoyable movie.

If this movie had a stronger two first acts, it would undoubtedly be my favorite in the Zatoichi series. Its final 30 minutes are thrilling and riveting, full of action, fury, and sadness. The film’s final shot, of Ichi dancing away from the village, continuing his pretend minstrel show for passersby, as they are unaware of the slaughter he had just perpetuated in the name of justice, self-preservation, and revenge, is tragic and wonderful all at once.  It takes a while to get to its glorious climax and the plot seems to bend itself in knots along the way. Still, stick with it, if only to comprehend the full scope of tragedy and balletic fury that this series so expertly balances.

When every scene is better than the previous, when every line is a wonderful culmination of what came before it, when every character is your “favorite”… you know you’ve got something truly special. That’s how I felt throughout my latest viewing of this, one of Woody’s mid-period best. Every actor turns in a star-making performance, with rich chemistry and truly juicy roles that move well beyond the typical Woody Allen characterizations and motivations (you know, sex and inadequacy). But of course this movie is about inadequacy (and a little bit of sex too); namely the kind of inadequacy that arrives in those who slave away at a craft for years only to find themselves wholly unsuited at the very thing that they love most, while someone else’s natural gifts make that same pursuit comes easy as breathing. The whole nature versus nurture thing, set to a Jazz Age soundtrack, and with bullets well, flying over Broadway. At this point Woody knew how to seize a great idea and really squeeze every drop out of it, and he does so here, not just to manic comedic effect but also through some exceptional character moments; the scene between Chaz Palminteri’s Cheech and David Shayne (played with wonderful calm by John Cusack) was affecting and quiet and really made me appreciate both performances and both characters even more. So many of Allen’s film revolve around art and artists and the theme is tackled here too, with the twist being a meditation on who truly deserves to be an artist when so many disparate hands are in the pie. An even better device: the main character refutes the mantle of artist altogether in order to live a normal life, while the true artist fulfills their destiny by doing the most noble act possible: dying for their art.  A top five Woody Allen film.