You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

This is like a Zen version of an Eric Rohmer film. After seeing YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, it's obvious why Woody Allen is much more highly regarded--and respected-in France than the U.S. The French appreciate films about relationships--especially Rohmer's films about relationships, such as MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S, CLAIRE'S KNEE, SUMMER, PAULINE AT THE BEACH, BOYFRIENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS, AN AUTUMN TALE, etc. Like Woody's recent films--especially MATCH POINT and VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA--YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER follows in the same footsteps. The common denominator amongst those films is FATE or PREDESTINATION. Woody seems to be saying that no matter what we do, things will work out in their own way. He is getting much more Zen-like in his golden years. Although YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER wasn't as funny like MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, ANNIE HALL or PLAY IT AGAIN SAM nor was it as deep like CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, or MANHATTAN--it is still a worthwhile film to see. Especially for Woody Allen fans. And the French.

An odd film for Allen, neither an overt comedy or one of his dark serious films (e.g. `Crimes and Misdemeanors'). This is a `light' drama, something he hasn't done much. While not Allen's best work, I felt far more warmly towards it than most of the press, especially on 2nd viewing. Some of the criticisms are valid; the voice over narration is out of tone with the piece and at times tells us too literally what we already know. Yet, in the current American cinema, how many film-makers are getting to even and try and address the complex subtle questions of grown-up relationships, aging and the fear of death, and the lies we tell ourselves to get through it all? Or deal with the paradox that humans seem to need something to believe in, and yet that same belief can also lead us astray? Or give great older actors like Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones really meaty roles? As long as Allen keeps asking questions, he'll remain a voice worth listening to.

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The new comedy from Woody Allen. Story about a family who is falling apart...Husband (Hopkins) leaves his wife of 40 years...and that's just the beginning. The subject matter doesn't seem funny, but it works as a comedy, Woody Allen has a way of doing that. Husband leaves his wife, who is seeing a psychic, for a woman half his age, daughter has crush on her boss, her husband has crush on the neighbor. I've never been a Woody Allen fan, I have only really liked a few of his movies. This one was not that bad. It was very entertaining and enjoyable, but not one of my favorites. If you like Woody Allen I'm sure you will really enjoy this. If you are like me and are not a huge fan, this is still very watchable and a pretty good time. The cast is excellent and it's worth watching for that. I give it a B.

Would I watch again? Most likely not.

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I found some of the comments that "Tall Dark Stranger" was about 'absolutely nothing' ironic, because the voiceover at the beginning of the film, quoting "Macbeth," informs viewers exactly of what they are going to see: a story "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!"

As usual, Allen has assembled an outstanding cast, including Gemma Jones, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, and Antonio Banderas. Jones is especially endearing as Hopkins' neurotic ex-wife and the mother of the equally neurotic Watts. Josh Brolin plays Watts's rather obnoxious husband, who is attracted to Freida Pinto, charming as the lady in red, who inhabits the window of his dreams in the flat across the courtyard. Lucy Punch is convincingly downmarket as Hopkins' enticing squeeze, and Banderas plays Watts's plausible (if dodgy) boss with panache. Allen emphasises the hopes and aspirations of his characters effectively with his lush but intimate musical score, which includes pop, jazz, opera, chamber (Mozart) and classical guitar (Boccherini). The scrumptious London settings provide a perfect background for his characters, and make the film a very enjoyable place for the viewer to while away a couple of hours.

One of the things I love about Woody Allen's films is their unpredictability. Even though they hold recurrent themes, no two are exactly alike. They always contain surprises that delight, if one accepts them on their own terms. "Tall Dark Stranger" is a celebration of life in all its randomness and unpredictability. It is about the grass always seeming greener elsewhere; about possibility; about hope, that last spirit remaining in Pandora's box. In other words, it is about each one of us living our separate lives, which sometimes touch one another, and then, unexpectedly, move off in random directions.

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Short Attention Span Summary:

1. There are several characters that intersect in various ways and make choices. Some good, some bad.

2. One character is an older man who divorces his wife (of many years) and takes up with a tart (who later gets pregnant with someone else's child-after taking this old fool's money).

3. Another character is a struggling writer whose work is rejected. He steals the manuscript of a friend that he thought was dead, only to find out that the friend wasn't really dead.

4. Still another character becomes beholden to a psychic for advice on every single one of life's moves.

5. One character wants to open up a business (but can't succeed) and wants to lean on her mother for financing.

A lot of people missed the point of this movie, and it is this (and as much is said in the film): Not all decisions in life will go for the best. And in that way, this is not like typical movies. But it is very much like real life. There's not a lot of profanity/ copulation, but there is a humorously-made point.

This movie is worth an evening ticket price.

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