The fact that Woody Allen directed this film is its sole dynamic. Otherwise, it’s a somewhat pedestrian thriller in which the aspect of luck (analogized in the image of a tennis ball clipping the net and suspended equally over either half of the court) is more emphasized than the characters’ motivations. It is engaging to find Allen in such an uncharacteristic venture, but the absence of a neurotic protagonist with inordinate sexual frustrations makes it feel incomplete.
by Rumsey Taylor | Source: Dreamworks DVD screener
28 Dec 2005 2:27 PM | Comments (2)
I’ve been speculating that this is perhaps the rare recent Woody Allen film that would have actually been improved if Allen had cast himself in the lead role. Think about it: Woody as a hunky tennis pro, ingratiating himself into a wealthy British family, lusting pathetically and uncontrollably after Scarlett Johansen. At very least, he would have had some great scenes with the horribly underused Brian Cox, and the oil-rub scene would have been no more repulsive than his making out with Juliette Lewis in Husbands and Wives.
If Brian Cox was the snarky son of the family then Amen! Sometimes his performance was almost underecorded. I would love to hear more about his bad self.
leo
28 December 2005
12:09 PM
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