From The Trenches: On Woody Allen

After seeing Celebrity not too long ago, I started to wonder why I even bother with Woody Allen movies. To put it simply, I just don't like them. I've tried, really I have. I've seen Celebrity and Anything Else, which I hated. Match Point got glowing reviews, so I watched that and hated it. Scoop looked fun. Hated it. Vicky Cristina Barcelona? Hated it. (For the record, I have also seen Annie Hall, and I loved it. But at that point, I was beginning to feel like I might have been wrong about that, too.) 

I grew up during the worst period of his career, when his movies weren't the critical darlings they used to be and his reputation was in tatters, so maybe it was inevitable that I would be hypercritical. I think one reason I dislike his movies - and obviously this only applies to the more recent films as those are the ones I've seen - is how he portrays himself. 

If I can make this comparison without outing myself as a YA connoisseur, it reminds me a little of Twilight and other fan fiction. It seems obvious to me that Twilight's Bella Swan is a Mary Sue character - she's clumsy and shy and she considers herself to be average-looking, yet every boy (and werewolf and vampire) in town falls in love with her instantly. I feel like Allen writes his own characters the same way: the average-looking, neurotic mess who always, inexplicably, gets the (often much younger) girl. I guess it's understandable; if you're going to create your own fantasy world, why not make yourself the king?

Another reason I don't care for his recent movies is Scarlett Johansson. I understand that she is a talented and popular actress, but for some reason, I just can't warm to her as a performer. And though this probably goes without saying, she is no Diane Keaton.

For about a week after I saw Celebrity, it really bugged me that I just wasn't getting whatever made him popular, so I asked my friends and family to suggest their favorite Woody Allen movies. If I had to, I would watch every single one of them until I could find one I enjoyed or write them all off as "not my kind of thing."

I got a lot of good suggestions, so I started out with Love and Death and Manhattan Murder Mystery. And wouldn't you know it, I liked them both. Even though both of them had Allen playing basically the same character as always, it didn't bug me. Particularly in Love and Death, it seemed like he just wasn't taking himself as seriously. And it was funny, really funny. There was a silly energy and wordplay that reminded me of the Marx Brothers, which would explain why my Dad, who loves the Marx Brothers, suggested it to me. Manhattan Murder Mystery wasn't as blatantly silly, but it had the light, fun tone that Allen seemed to be trying for in Scoop. And obviously, both of the movies benefitted from the presence of Diane Keaton, whom I could rave about all day. 

So far, so good; since I wrote this, I've also seen my mother's suggestion, Zelig, which I also liked. I'm 3-for-3, which is a much better track record than I expected. Up next are Manhattan (recommended by everyone) and Bullets Over Broadway, which Allen himself considers one of his best (although that list of six has raised some eyebrows - I can't really judge yet as I've only seen nine, which means my top six would need to include at least one film I didn't like).