Anything Else (2003)
Directed by Woody Allen
Jerry Falk, an aspiring writer in New York, falls in love at first sight with a free-spirited young woman named Amanda. He has heard the phrase that life is like "anything else," but soon he finds that life with the unpredictable Amanda isn't like anything else at all.
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What critics compared Anything Else to
Sure, Match Point was quite intriguing, and there were the low-key charms of Melinda and Melinda, Cassandra's Dream, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona ... but it will take a pretty long time to wash away the stench of the run that included Anything Else, Hollywood Ending, and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.
Allen's last movie, Anything Else, seemed to indicate that he was eschewing the plot-heavy vibe that's dominated his work as of late, but Melinda and Melinda veers off too heavily in the other direction.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji (who shot Allen’s 2003 film Anything Else and is also working on his next film) makes Paris feel truly magical, especially during a lyrical opening montage of static shots set to Sidney Bechet’s “Si Tu Vois Ma Mère.”
Allen has often made a practice of pouring himself into his lead characters, sometimes with embarrassing, unwatchable results (as in the case of the aspiring comedy writer played by Jason Biggs in Anything Else).
On this very web page only two years ago, I pronounced Woody Allens career as pathetic and immoral with my review of his 2003 Anything Else.
Although Allen has turned out some substandard comedies in the past few years ("Hollywood Ending," "Anything Else"), "Match Point" might go a long way toward quieting critical speculation that he might be long past his prime as a filmmaker.
Of late Mr. Allen certainly hasn't been lazy - his one movie per year pace is nearly unfathomable - but his recent efforts, in particular 2002's "Hollywood Ending" and 2003's "Anything Else", have been uninspired at best.