If this is considered Allen's magnum opus...I'm just not sure where to go from here...because whereas I can dig this style of anti-romantic comedy...it's his particular brand of humour that just doesn't do it for me.
With that being said, I fully appreciate the structure of the film.
The connection and transitions between vignettes, the breaking of the the fourth wall (by addressing the audience through the camera), the creative use of subtitles (that provide us a glimpse into the underlying thoughts of the characters while they have a conversation where they otherwise pander to each other's expectations)...all very clever.
I also love all the movie and literary references he manages to weave in.
And all the locations- from both New York and LA- that he incorporates into the film.
But his brand of humour just doesn't swing it for me.
It just comes off as bland and unrewarding, and leaves me unfulfilled.
But, perhaps, that is what he was going for...awkward humour, from an awkward man, making an awkward picture, about his awkward relationships.
Am i just missing the brilliance?
Probably.
But I can't help but feel how I feel about it.
I will admit, I was entertained by the film itself, even if the characters- and their sense of humour- turned me off.
So maybe I shouldn't throw Allen under the bus (despite the criticisms that society has directed at him since), without giving some of his other films a shot.
I will probably, at least, watch Bananas, Sleeper, and Manhattan going forward.
But I will certainly be going into those with much lower expectations than I had here.
Because, despite it's reputation as "the best New York based romantic comedy ever made" (Breakfast At Tiffany's is better, in my opinion)...I don't understand how it won 4 oscars (perhaps it was a slow year...).
It's certainly not a bad film, by any metric...it's just not my kind of film.
But maybe it's one of those things that has to grow on you, over time (despite Allen clearly having the opposite effect on every woman he's ever met).
6 out of 10.
With that being said, I fully appreciate the structure of the film.
The connection and transitions between vignettes, the breaking of the the fourth wall (by addressing the audience through the camera), the creative use of subtitles (that provide us a glimpse into the underlying thoughts of the characters while they have a conversation where they otherwise pander to each other's expectations)...all very clever.
I also love all the movie and literary references he manages to weave in.
And all the locations- from both New York and LA- that he incorporates into the film.
But his brand of humour just doesn't swing it for me.
It just comes off as bland and unrewarding, and leaves me unfulfilled.
But, perhaps, that is what he was going for...awkward humour, from an awkward man, making an awkward picture, about his awkward relationships.
Am i just missing the brilliance?
Probably.
But I can't help but feel how I feel about it.
I will admit, I was entertained by the film itself, even if the characters- and their sense of humour- turned me off.
So maybe I shouldn't throw Allen under the bus (despite the criticisms that society has directed at him since), without giving some of his other films a shot.
I will probably, at least, watch Bananas, Sleeper, and Manhattan going forward.
But I will certainly be going into those with much lower expectations than I had here.
Because, despite it's reputation as "the best New York based romantic comedy ever made" (Breakfast At Tiffany's is better, in my opinion)...I don't understand how it won 4 oscars (perhaps it was a slow year...).
It's certainly not a bad film, by any metric...it's just not my kind of film.
But maybe it's one of those things that has to grow on you, over time (despite Allen clearly having the opposite effect on every woman he's ever met).
6 out of 10.