Fergus
05-29-2002, 10:42 PM
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Mary Steenburgen, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Jose Ferrer.
PG/1982/88 minutes.
One of the most underrated and unseen of all Woody Allen films, and marks the 14th production I’ve seen from the man. Each time I sit down to watch one of his films, I get into this excited mood almost as if I’m visiting an old friend and I know for a fact that I’m going to have an enormously good time. And almost all the time, I’ve had just that. For one thing, its because of his very dry humor, which will not satisfy all fans of the comedy genre; it’s a required taste. If you have a knack for it, you’ll have a ball. One thing that amazes me every time I think of it is that this guy writes, directs and acts in almost all of his films. Now that is not an easy task, and how many entertainers can truthfully say they can do that? Not only does he just act in his movies, he usually has the lead role, which is usually has the same personality (a nebbish from NY). Even if his acting range doesn’t veer far from his own personality, I cannot picture one of his pictures without that personality. His character always has some one-liner coming out of nowhere to lighten up the situation. Something I did realize was that the films he makes are sometimes dark (via Crimes and Misdemeanors), and they deal mainly with love and death. But this time, Woody has taken the comedic route, and what resulted was much better than I had expected from a less popular work.
This film has about as much to do with Shakespeare as Spielberg does with horror films. The title suggests that it might be some sort of spoof of A Midsummer Nights Dream, but the only thing the two have in common is that they are comedies. Its set around the turn of the 20th century, and to my surprise, it wasn’t cheap, unlike the period piece Sleeper. And basically, it’s a farce between 6 different people, three different couples go out to a summer house to spend the weekend. A couple of Allen’s regulars are here, Tony Roberts and Mia Farrow (this was Farrows first appearance in an Allen film), as well as others like Mary Steenburgen, Julie Hagerty, and Jose Ferrer.
One thing I like to analyze when I see one of Allen’s films is to see what direction he takes his films who usually hinge on such flimsy plots. Just when it seems Woody can’t take his movie farther, and have it actually produce something good, he does it, and that’s what amazes me about the guy. In the film for example: the couples are sitting outside eating dinner having a very casual conversation. I immediately began to get bored, just before he employs a simple plot device (someone tries committing suicide), and once again, my attention is there. Like any film of his, there’s bound to be some kind of memorable scene or something in which to make it stand out. Woody’s character here is an inventor and seeing as how quirky he is, theres got to be something up his sleeve. Two memorable inventions he manages to come up with, aren’t exactly hilarious, it’s the way he uses them that makes them funny. For example, the flying bicycle and the device that allows you to see visions and ectoplasms from the past, present or future. And Woody’s trademark witty humor is more than present, and a few hilarious gags stand out. He’s like Shakespeare in a way, only Allens films and scripts usually cast a character who comes in the form of a small neurotic man with a New York accent.
Will someone please give kudos to the man who is Gordon Willis. Without him, Allen’s films would be drier than his own humor. Some of the camerawork is just stunning, perfectly capturing the countryside. He uses locations to his advantage and I’m just bowled over by how he manages to conjure up these images. The scenes where the cinematography is most noticeable is during the forest scenes. Quite some sights to see.
The movie itself, however, couldn’t have exceeded its own material. I’m not saying that it ruins the film in any respect, but just that Allen could’ve come up with some stronger material, though I still think he did a great job with what he had. A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy is a very funny Woody Allen film that is, plain and simple, an entertaining sex farce. Though, at times, I still with the material was stronger.
**** out of five
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Mary Steenburgen, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Jose Ferrer.
PG/1982/88 minutes.
One of the most underrated and unseen of all Woody Allen films, and marks the 14th production I’ve seen from the man. Each time I sit down to watch one of his films, I get into this excited mood almost as if I’m visiting an old friend and I know for a fact that I’m going to have an enormously good time. And almost all the time, I’ve had just that. For one thing, its because of his very dry humor, which will not satisfy all fans of the comedy genre; it’s a required taste. If you have a knack for it, you’ll have a ball. One thing that amazes me every time I think of it is that this guy writes, directs and acts in almost all of his films. Now that is not an easy task, and how many entertainers can truthfully say they can do that? Not only does he just act in his movies, he usually has the lead role, which is usually has the same personality (a nebbish from NY). Even if his acting range doesn’t veer far from his own personality, I cannot picture one of his pictures without that personality. His character always has some one-liner coming out of nowhere to lighten up the situation. Something I did realize was that the films he makes are sometimes dark (via Crimes and Misdemeanors), and they deal mainly with love and death. But this time, Woody has taken the comedic route, and what resulted was much better than I had expected from a less popular work.
This film has about as much to do with Shakespeare as Spielberg does with horror films. The title suggests that it might be some sort of spoof of A Midsummer Nights Dream, but the only thing the two have in common is that they are comedies. Its set around the turn of the 20th century, and to my surprise, it wasn’t cheap, unlike the period piece Sleeper. And basically, it’s a farce between 6 different people, three different couples go out to a summer house to spend the weekend. A couple of Allen’s regulars are here, Tony Roberts and Mia Farrow (this was Farrows first appearance in an Allen film), as well as others like Mary Steenburgen, Julie Hagerty, and Jose Ferrer.
One thing I like to analyze when I see one of Allen’s films is to see what direction he takes his films who usually hinge on such flimsy plots. Just when it seems Woody can’t take his movie farther, and have it actually produce something good, he does it, and that’s what amazes me about the guy. In the film for example: the couples are sitting outside eating dinner having a very casual conversation. I immediately began to get bored, just before he employs a simple plot device (someone tries committing suicide), and once again, my attention is there. Like any film of his, there’s bound to be some kind of memorable scene or something in which to make it stand out. Woody’s character here is an inventor and seeing as how quirky he is, theres got to be something up his sleeve. Two memorable inventions he manages to come up with, aren’t exactly hilarious, it’s the way he uses them that makes them funny. For example, the flying bicycle and the device that allows you to see visions and ectoplasms from the past, present or future. And Woody’s trademark witty humor is more than present, and a few hilarious gags stand out. He’s like Shakespeare in a way, only Allens films and scripts usually cast a character who comes in the form of a small neurotic man with a New York accent.
Will someone please give kudos to the man who is Gordon Willis. Without him, Allen’s films would be drier than his own humor. Some of the camerawork is just stunning, perfectly capturing the countryside. He uses locations to his advantage and I’m just bowled over by how he manages to conjure up these images. The scenes where the cinematography is most noticeable is during the forest scenes. Quite some sights to see.
The movie itself, however, couldn’t have exceeded its own material. I’m not saying that it ruins the film in any respect, but just that Allen could’ve come up with some stronger material, though I still think he did a great job with what he had. A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy is a very funny Woody Allen film that is, plain and simple, an entertaining sex farce. Though, at times, I still with the material was stronger.
**** out of five