An odd film for Allen, neither an overt comedy or one of his dark serious films (e.g. 'Crimes and Misdemeanors'). This is a 'light' drama, something he hasn't done much. While far from Allen's best work, I felt more warmly towards it than most of the press, especially after a second viewing. Some of the criticisms are valid; the voice over narration feels out of tone with the film, and at times tells us too literally what we already know. Yet, in the current American cinema, how many film-makers are getting to even and try and address the complex subtle questions of grown-up relationships, aging and the fear of death, and the lies we tell ourselves to get through it all? Or deal with the paradox that humans seem to need something to believe in, and yet that same belief can also lead us astray? Or give great older actors like Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones really meaty roles? As long as Allen keeps asking questions, he'll remain a voice worth listening to.
95 Reviews
"We need some delusions to keep us going." - Woody Allen,
Galina_movie_fan17 February 2011
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, the latest Woody Allen's film is light, airy, lacy, elegant, sad, bittersweet and tender, just like a Boccherini musical piece for guitar that a beautiful young woman was playing sitting next to the window in a London apartment/flat. It is also funny, sharp, mocks the absurdity of existence, and manages to highlight the insignificance and callousness of the characters yet not to judge them while letting them search for "bell' alma inamorata", and are not we all searching? Allen is still the master of his craft, the creator of charming dra-medies. His favorite and constant themes of lives and deaths of the relationships, of growing older and refusing to accept it, of trying to postpone the inevitable meeting with a "tall dark stranger", of struggle to find the reason in a tale, "full of sound and fury", are all here. But he knows how to look at the familiar material from the unusual angle by mixing masterfully humor and seriousness, light touch and insight in the right proportions to explore the desires, longings, and motivations of the characters. One of the themes Allen was interested while working on the Tall Dark Stranger was faith in something because it is for humans to prefer the power of self-delusions over the darkness of bitter truths. He said: "This sounds so bleak when I say it, but we need some delusions to keep us going. And the people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than the people who can't." Sounds too serious but it is Allen's film, and is ironic, witty, and light. I ask myself why I love Allen's films so much and always wait for them impatiently. One of the reasons, he makes them for adults and about adults. His target audiences want to see a clever intelligent film without being manipulated or spoon fed. I admire Allen for respecting his viewers: "I never write down to them. I always assume that they're all as smart as I am . . . if not smarter". Or, more likely, I love his films because the beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and my eyes are always open to the beauty of his films. They are so perfectly constructed and framed. They look and sound terrific. While watching them, I don't understand how can they not be liked and admired by everyone? His short films are not small to me. I need them and I always will.
The perfection of Woody Allen - This is a true horror film
Gloede_The_Saint31 March 2011
The goofy comedian has always been a pessimist. True love has never existed in his films and his couples rarely find happiness together. Despite of this, his films has never been as scary as this.
What started as comedic twists and a taste of the bittersweet life has slowly evolved into a harsh, but tragically honest depiction of life. With You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger the evolution seems to have been perfected.
The goofiness is basically gone and what's left plays like a drama with darkly humorous undertones. But it might just as well play as an horror film. Tragic, raw and beautiful. It's not his best, god knows he has done a lot of great work, but it's by far his most "pure" work to date.
Is delusions the only plays you can find happiness? Is the ideas of love and friendship simply a charade we hide behind? Do we simply get bored of each other? You know there's at least some truth here, but though I'm not ready to accept it all the very thought of it gives me chills.
Conveyed with such fabulous performances, particularly from Gemma Jones, and as is often the case with Allen, one heck of a script, Allen creates the perfect atmosphere. To put it in the simplest way possible - this is pretty close to being the perfect feel bad movie.
What started as comedic twists and a taste of the bittersweet life has slowly evolved into a harsh, but tragically honest depiction of life. With You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger the evolution seems to have been perfected.
The goofiness is basically gone and what's left plays like a drama with darkly humorous undertones. But it might just as well play as an horror film. Tragic, raw and beautiful. It's not his best, god knows he has done a lot of great work, but it's by far his most "pure" work to date.
Is delusions the only plays you can find happiness? Is the ideas of love and friendship simply a charade we hide behind? Do we simply get bored of each other? You know there's at least some truth here, but though I'm not ready to accept it all the very thought of it gives me chills.
Conveyed with such fabulous performances, particularly from Gemma Jones, and as is often the case with Allen, one heck of a script, Allen creates the perfect atmosphere. To put it in the simplest way possible - this is pretty close to being the perfect feel bad movie.
Lacks most of Allen's intelligent wit, but still has his subtle jabs at society
napierslogs15 October 2010
In "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" we are swiftly introduced to the complicated plot with who is married to whom, who is cheating with whom, and who is in love with whom. I found that the slowest part. I wasn't able to find much of Allen's underlying comedy in all of the criss-crossing relationships.
The comedy comes with the arrival of Charmaine (Lucy Punch) - the "actress" that Anthony Hopkins is marrying. I found it interesting that at the sight of this most ludicrous relationship, the other characters, all at various stages of mid-life crises, then pushed forward to get their lives and relationships sorted out. Allen didn't spend much time analyzing the various loves and consequences, more just saying here they are, you can laugh at them if you wish. I laughed a little bit.
I found that Anthony Hopkins and Lucy Punch stood out of this all-star cast. Hopkins' character, nearing 70, married the much younger Punch and joined a gym after suffering his mid-life crisis. Antonio Banderas played a gallery owner and I was quite impressed with his subtle comedy and muted sexual presence. Josh Brolin played the neurotic writer that Allen himself would have played in earlier years. At first he seemed out-of-place, but I think that's part of the joke, and like Banderas, I was impressed with his subtle comedy.
I am a Woody Allen devotee, and although I found "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" lacks most of his intelligent wit, it still had his subtle jabs at his characters who each represent facets of today's society. And I still recommend it because it's better than most other films you can find.
The comedy comes with the arrival of Charmaine (Lucy Punch) - the "actress" that Anthony Hopkins is marrying. I found it interesting that at the sight of this most ludicrous relationship, the other characters, all at various stages of mid-life crises, then pushed forward to get their lives and relationships sorted out. Allen didn't spend much time analyzing the various loves and consequences, more just saying here they are, you can laugh at them if you wish. I laughed a little bit.
I found that Anthony Hopkins and Lucy Punch stood out of this all-star cast. Hopkins' character, nearing 70, married the much younger Punch and joined a gym after suffering his mid-life crisis. Antonio Banderas played a gallery owner and I was quite impressed with his subtle comedy and muted sexual presence. Josh Brolin played the neurotic writer that Allen himself would have played in earlier years. At first he seemed out-of-place, but I think that's part of the joke, and like Banderas, I was impressed with his subtle comedy.
I am a Woody Allen devotee, and although I found "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" lacks most of his intelligent wit, it still had his subtle jabs at his characters who each represent facets of today's society. And I still recommend it because it's better than most other films you can find.
Another underrated Woody Allen film
BBROTHERSUN30 April 2011
*****SPOILERS***** People who go to Woody Allen's films should know by now that Allen is an agnostic when it comes to God, and a skeptic when it comes to anything "supernatural", especially "New Agey" beliefs. That doesn't stop him from using God, religion, and New Age beliefs in his films. In "Alice", one of Allen's best films, he uses a lot of "New Agey" beliefs and supernatural events. Those people posting here who think that Allen is "endorsing" fortune-telling, psychics, and reincarnation are WAY off track. Allen is using those things to compare and contrast the "ordinary" beliefs and actions of "ordinary" people. The husband, daughter, and son-in-law think that the wife/mother/mother-in-law is "delusional" because she believes in fortune-telling and reincarnation. BUT, does she REALLY believe in those things? Or, does she pretend to because it helps her to "get what she wants" and the "blame" goes to the fortune-teller friends and/or her own "nuttiness"? She doesn't want to lend her ungrateful daughter even MORE money------blame the fortune-teller. She wants to criticize her son-in-law for wasting his life trying to become a famous writer instead of becoming a doctor------that's what the fortune-teller said. She knows these kinds of things still "sting" her ungrateful family members, but it's not because SHE is being critical or mean------the fortune-teller is saying these things! She would rather be thought of as "nutty" than "judgmental and selfish". And, she knows her husband is the "nutty" and delusional one-----he thinks he can stop the aging process and death by working out at the gym and marrying a woman young enough to be his grand-daughter. The daughter is delusional because she thinks her boss has romantic feelings for her when he has never said or done anything to give that impression. The son-in-law is delusional because he thinks he is a great writer and thinks he can actually get away with passing someone else's writing off as his own. All these "delusions" are "ordinary" ones that humans have All The Time, so we don't recognize them as "delusions". We save that judgment for the "real nutty" things like psychics and reincarnation. Allen says, why are some delusions "nutty" but others aren't? Well, I guess our OWN delusions are NOT nutty, but other people's delusions ARE nutty. Does that make us delusional? Nutty? Or Human?
Funny, cool and philosophical. Another gem by the genius Woody Allen
antoniatejedabarros10 October 2018
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is another gem by the genius Woody Allen. The script is great and very funny, the casting is spectacular and the music is great, as always. A funny plot packed with jokes and philosophy (love, life and death). Woody's films make life better. Thank you, Woody!
Very amusing - what a perfect cast
phd_travel10 January 2011
Woody Allen does a great job of making fascinating characters from ordinary people. He has really made some great movies recently and has applied his original magic to London once again. This is my favorite London movie since Match Point.
The casting is perfect. There are really good performances from Josh Brolin who looks suitably disheveled; Naomi Watts who is perfectly believable in her unrequited love and who has such great lines with her mother at the end; and Lucy Punch who is hilarious as the tart and steals all the scenes from Anthony Hopkins.
The humor arises from the situations. The plot line with Josh Brolin at the hospital bed near the end is just priceless. It is a total delight to watch from start to finish.
The casting is perfect. There are really good performances from Josh Brolin who looks suitably disheveled; Naomi Watts who is perfectly believable in her unrequited love and who has such great lines with her mother at the end; and Lucy Punch who is hilarious as the tart and steals all the scenes from Anthony Hopkins.
The humor arises from the situations. The plot line with Josh Brolin at the hospital bed near the end is just priceless. It is a total delight to watch from start to finish.
sometimes the fans lose perspective
A_Different_Drummer24 October 2015
I realize that his many fans feel Allen can do no wrong but this film stands as a mute rebuttal to that point of view.
The low rating reflects not necessarily the production values (which are almost perfect even though the film is horrid) but the blow to "media ecology" that the planet must endure when an artiste WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER wastes talent like it grew on trees.
The "magic" here is that somehow Allen coaxed some of the best actors on the planet to give one of the worst performances of their lives.
Don't know where to start. Brolin, he of the broad facial testosterone markers, plays a simpering wimp. Watts, who almost never looks lost in a role, acts like she would rather be somewhere else. Hopkins and Bandiaras are playing variants of role they have played many times before, which suggests that, if nothing else, you are better off watching those performances, not these.
And the trademark Allen voice-over, an egoistic affectation if ever there was, serves the same role as the Surgeon General's warning on a pack of cigarettes.
The low rating reflects not necessarily the production values (which are almost perfect even though the film is horrid) but the blow to "media ecology" that the planet must endure when an artiste WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER wastes talent like it grew on trees.
The "magic" here is that somehow Allen coaxed some of the best actors on the planet to give one of the worst performances of their lives.
Don't know where to start. Brolin, he of the broad facial testosterone markers, plays a simpering wimp. Watts, who almost never looks lost in a role, acts like she would rather be somewhere else. Hopkins and Bandiaras are playing variants of role they have played many times before, which suggests that, if nothing else, you are better off watching those performances, not these.
And the trademark Allen voice-over, an egoistic affectation if ever there was, serves the same role as the Surgeon General's warning on a pack of cigarettes.
Sound and Fury Signify Nothing
ferguson-610 October 2010
Greetings again from the darkness. Sound and fury signify nothing. The narrator begins the film by reminding us of Shakespeare's words. I can't decide if this was a confession by Woody Allen when he realized the movie fits that phrase. I have followed Mr. Allen's film career since the early 70's and have learned that sometimes disappointment follows. Of course, there are also times when pure screen magic occurs and that makes the journey worthwhile. Unfortunately, there is no magic here, just sound and faux-fury.
Here is a convoluted recap of the story: Elderly woman Helena (Gemma Jones) is dumped by her doesn't want to admit he's aging husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). He tries to be a swinging bachelor and ends up marrying a gold-digging call girl named Charlamaine (Lucy Punch). Helena looks for guidance from Cristal (Pauline Collins),a fortune teller referred by Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts). Sally is married to Roy (Josh Brolin), a morally bankrupt one-hit wonder in the novel-writing business. She works at a very successful art gallery run by Greg (Antonio Banderas). Sally and Roy yell at each other a lot and Sally has eyes for Greg, who instead has eyes for Iris (Anna Friel), a painter Sally discovered. Roy has peeping eyes for Dia (Freida Pinto), whom he can see from his bedroom window.
So, you get the idea. It is actually a set-up that fits perfectly with a Woody Allen film. A madcat story where no one is happy with their life and they each seek proof of their worth. Interesting that they seem to have some security with their current partner, but it's just not enough. The cast is stellar, and London makes the perfect setting. However, nothing really clicks. Manly Josh Brolin just doesn't wear neurosis well. I didn't enjoy watching Naomi Watts yell at people. Anthony Hopkins' character is such a pathetic re-tread that it really annoyed me. Mr. Allen obviously finds Freida Pinto appealing because her character gets perfect lighting and comes across as a victim, despite dumping her fiancé.
Despite all the turns in these sub-plots, only one of the stories really has any finality to it. Now I don't mind endings that leave much to the imagination, but I do get irritated when it appears the filmmaker just lost interest. Even when that filmmaker is Woody Allen.
Here is a convoluted recap of the story: Elderly woman Helena (Gemma Jones) is dumped by her doesn't want to admit he's aging husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). He tries to be a swinging bachelor and ends up marrying a gold-digging call girl named Charlamaine (Lucy Punch). Helena looks for guidance from Cristal (Pauline Collins),a fortune teller referred by Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts). Sally is married to Roy (Josh Brolin), a morally bankrupt one-hit wonder in the novel-writing business. She works at a very successful art gallery run by Greg (Antonio Banderas). Sally and Roy yell at each other a lot and Sally has eyes for Greg, who instead has eyes for Iris (Anna Friel), a painter Sally discovered. Roy has peeping eyes for Dia (Freida Pinto), whom he can see from his bedroom window.
So, you get the idea. It is actually a set-up that fits perfectly with a Woody Allen film. A madcat story where no one is happy with their life and they each seek proof of their worth. Interesting that they seem to have some security with their current partner, but it's just not enough. The cast is stellar, and London makes the perfect setting. However, nothing really clicks. Manly Josh Brolin just doesn't wear neurosis well. I didn't enjoy watching Naomi Watts yell at people. Anthony Hopkins' character is such a pathetic re-tread that it really annoyed me. Mr. Allen obviously finds Freida Pinto appealing because her character gets perfect lighting and comes across as a victim, despite dumping her fiancé.
Despite all the turns in these sub-plots, only one of the stories really has any finality to it. Now I don't mind endings that leave much to the imagination, but I do get irritated when it appears the filmmaker just lost interest. Even when that filmmaker is Woody Allen.
Woody Allen excels again
Gordon-1119 December 2010
This film is about a family of mother, father, daughter and son-in-law, who go through various stages in their lives, creating an ocean of emotions that they have to deal with.
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" tells the superficially wonderful life of an old man, who feels his life slipping away as he grows old. He leaves his wife, causing her to become neurotic, depending on a clairvoyant to sooth her nerves. Their daughter is trapped in an unhappy marriage, while her husband is dying to prove himself that he is still worthy of something. Given such well developed and convincing backgrounds, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" can only be a great film on character analysis. There is not a moment of boredom, all the characters are attractive and engaging in their own way. In true Woody Allen style, the characters are quirky, yet interesting and adorable. The characters are not as paranoid as in previous films, which is a departure from his usual style. It is still a great effort, and I enjoyed watching it a lot.
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" tells the superficially wonderful life of an old man, who feels his life slipping away as he grows old. He leaves his wife, causing her to become neurotic, depending on a clairvoyant to sooth her nerves. Their daughter is trapped in an unhappy marriage, while her husband is dying to prove himself that he is still worthy of something. Given such well developed and convincing backgrounds, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" can only be a great film on character analysis. There is not a moment of boredom, all the characters are attractive and engaging in their own way. In true Woody Allen style, the characters are quirky, yet interesting and adorable. The characters are not as paranoid as in previous films, which is a departure from his usual style. It is still a great effort, and I enjoyed watching it a lot.
One of Woody Allen's weaker films, but far from total disaster
TheLittleSongbird20 July 2014
Of the 27 films seen so far from Woody Allen, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger was for me one of the weaker ones, but it's far from a bad film. In fact, I don't consider any of Allen's lesser films "bad", if anything so far they're more mediocre to mixed feelings. There are good things to be had, because You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is a well made film, colourful and picturesque. The music suits the film beautifully, with the clarinet tune so catchy it'd make for a good ring-tone. There are a few amusing moments here and there, namely with Lucy Punch and apart from a wooden Josh Brolin and a lack of chemistry between him and Freida Pinto the cast are great. In particular Lucy Punch who is a breath of fresh air, Anthony Hopkins in a world-weary kind of role that is understatedly and movingly played and Gemma Jones who is sympathetic and funny. Antonio Banderas is also surprisingly subtle, Naomi Watts is also highly commendable and Freida Pinto brings sexiness to the film. Unfortunately they did deserve better to work with, because the script is far too predictable and hollow with not enough of Allen's sharp insight or witty humour coming through and the story while complicated suffers from too many sub-plots and not enough time to develop or explore them, the scenarios have been done with Allen quite a number of times before and so much better than here. The characters are not that interesting as a result of how the story was done and are so broadly drawn that it is difficult to engage with them or what happens to them. The ending is also far too rushed and feels very unfinished and the narration was unnecessary and irritated rather than amused or thought-provoked. Overall, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is not as bad as some have said it to be but for Allen and considering the calibre of the actors it could and should have been much better. 5/10 Bethany Cox
"Sound and fury--signifying nothing."
moonspinner5526 December 2016
Various romances work their way through the proverbial peaks and valleys of love because, as narrator Zak Orth so pithily points out for us, "sometimes the illusions work better than the medicine." Writer-director Woody Allen's drama-lite, shot in and around London, concerns a young married couple (Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts) finding their bickering-from-room-to-room union on the brink of collapse after her parents announce their split; Brolin, a struggling writer, becomes smitten with the attractive woman in the apartment across the way, while gallery worker Watts flirts with her boss. Watts' father (Anthony Hopkins) takes up with a much younger woman (a former prostitute who may not have changed her ways) while her mother (Gemma Jones) becomes attracted to a book-seller still in love with his deceased wife. This is one of Allen's least-compelling group of characters. It isn't enough that Hopkins is humiliated by having to gulp Viagra and shell out all his money to keep his prostie-wife happy, he's further humiliated by the prospect of raising a child that isn't his (the pair are also misfits in each other's lifestyles, which is straight out of the older man/younger woman manual). Meanwhile, Brolin (looking like Kris Kristofferson in his youth) lurches through his scenes without expression, and seems incapable of reading a book much less writing one. It's a curiously indifferent enterprise, as if Allen's heart wasn't in it and his unamused cast just wanted to get through it. *1/2 from ****
a Woody Allen
Kirpianuscus26 March 2017
maybe, not the best. but nice. and good opportunity to meet a soft Allen, using a spring mixture of flavors and cinnamon and honey. great cat. and a story like a large puzzle. more important than compare it with the other pieces from the filmography it is to enjoy it. only enjoy. because, without be great, it is a honest film. and this is not a small virtue. it represents the occasion to see great actors making a fine job. and, not the last, an ironic view about the contemporary sins is always an useful choice. so, a Woody Allen. special. refreshing. and seductive but not using the classic recipes.
Awesome as usual
lanzarishi9 January 2011
My love for Woody Allen's genius as seen through his movies just keeps getting deeper and deeper. First off, the casting here is phenomenal, it just couldn't be better. I couldn't stand at least two of these actors before seeing them in this Woody film but now they rate, (in my book anyway), that being Ms. Pinto and Mr. Benedaras. The two elder British actresses here blew me away as did Naomi Watts as usual. Her beauty, capacity, and craft are just amazing. Not to mention Anthony Hopkins who is flawless thru-out. Also, I cannot help noticing how each new movie Woody Allen releases carries with it something from a previous one, be it a song, a concept or some colour, sort of like a musical concept album that all ties in somehow. It is so deep in fact, that I am starting to feel the effects of some kind of spiritual occult power that Woody Allen possesses. He is THAT good! At its base though is always an incredible innocent humor, the one quality that makes all the harsh ugly realities of life enjoyable and worth living. This film isn't anything new or unique but it is another piece of the jigsaw in one of the most beloved Director's valuable creative archive. Thank you Woody for giving us a reprieve in this abyss of suffering!!
Another trip to Woody Allen country
Red-1253 March 2011
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) was written and directed by Woody Allen. Even if you didn't know that, you could guess it pretty quickly. In Woody Allen country, nobody stays in a love relationship if someone better comes along.
Alfie Shebritch (Anthony Hopkins) is an older man married to Helena (Gemma Jones). He decides to have a (somewhat late) midlife crisis, finds a bimbo, and leaves his wife.
Meanwhile, their daughter, Sally Channing (Naomi Watts) is leaving her husband Roy (Josh Brolin) because she has fallen in love with Greg (Antonio Banderas).
Meanwhile, Roy . . .
Allen has the clout to surround himself with these fine actors, and his movies--including this one--demonstrate his complete command of the medium. The problem is that he's writing and directing the same romantic comedy over and over.
I saw the movie on DVD and it worked well on the small screen. I think it's worth seeing if you're in the mood for fine actors in a lightweight comedy. If you're in the mood for more than this, find another film.
Alfie Shebritch (Anthony Hopkins) is an older man married to Helena (Gemma Jones). He decides to have a (somewhat late) midlife crisis, finds a bimbo, and leaves his wife.
Meanwhile, their daughter, Sally Channing (Naomi Watts) is leaving her husband Roy (Josh Brolin) because she has fallen in love with Greg (Antonio Banderas).
Meanwhile, Roy . . .
Allen has the clout to surround himself with these fine actors, and his movies--including this one--demonstrate his complete command of the medium. The problem is that he's writing and directing the same romantic comedy over and over.
I saw the movie on DVD and it worked well on the small screen. I think it's worth seeing if you're in the mood for fine actors in a lightweight comedy. If you're in the mood for more than this, find another film.
unhappy people is not my idea of a good movie
MLDinTN7 December 2011
I didn't think there was much to this movie. It was sort of depressing because the people in it were whiny, argumentative, or miserable about all the time. The film is mainly about two couples. One, an older couple, Alfie and Helena, and their daughter, Sally and her husband, Roy. Alfie divorces Helena because he's become bored and wants to live a little through a younger woman. Only problem is the girl he picks up is a hooker/ actress. Helena visits a wann-a-be psychic that tells her what she wants to hear to help cope with the divorce. Sally gets a new job with a boss she has the hots for and her lazy husband sits around and tries to write but isn't good at it. His one good book was actually written by someone else. Roy also falls for the neighbor whose engaged.
With this movie, it's just one thing after another with the characters being selfish and whiny toward each other.
FINAL VERDICT: There's no one to root for in this. It's not even funny. Skip it.
With this movie, it's just one thing after another with the characters being selfish and whiny toward each other.
FINAL VERDICT: There's no one to root for in this. It's not even funny. Skip it.
One of Woody Allen's worst movies
grantss17 February 2014
One of Woody Allen's worst movies. Not THE worst, that honour goes to To Rome With Love, but this comes close.
At least the stories are coherent, but they're not at all good. There is hardly a likable character in the entire movie. Everyone, in their own way, is plain loathsome. Infidelity (especially), deceit, naivety and insanity abound. Naomi Watts' character might be the only character worth supporting, and even she's not perfect.
Many of the relationships don't even make sense, they're just there for relationship sake, or infidelity sake.
About the only great moment was Josh Brolin's character's comeuppance.
Performances are fine, it is the characters that are irritating, and very much so.
At least the stories are coherent, but they're not at all good. There is hardly a likable character in the entire movie. Everyone, in their own way, is plain loathsome. Infidelity (especially), deceit, naivety and insanity abound. Naomi Watts' character might be the only character worth supporting, and even she's not perfect.
Many of the relationships don't even make sense, they're just there for relationship sake, or infidelity sake.
About the only great moment was Josh Brolin's character's comeuppance.
Performances are fine, it is the characters that are irritating, and very much so.
Flawed but engaging film that moves from lightly comic to embittered tragedy in a satisfyingly manner
bob the moo2 June 2011
The story of two married couples, a couple with more than 40 years together (Alfie and Helena) and their daughter, Sally and her husband Roy. When confronted by his own mortality, Alfie chases his youth with health foods and the gym, even going as far to leave Helena when she tries to make him act her age. He runs into the arms of a much younger "actress" while Helena seeks refuge in a supposed psychic. Meanwhile Sally lands a new job in a gallery and becomes enamoured with her smooth boss, while Roy gets inspired by a beautiful woman in red who has moved into the flat directly across from theirs.
I'm catching up on my Woody Allen recently and it was just the other day I watched the rather poor Whatever Works where Allen delivers (badly) a rather positive message of finding something in life to make you happy as long as you're not hurting anyone else (although he doesn't really make that point beyond saying it out loud). Anyway, in this film the title alludes to the general predictions of wellness and happiness made by the fortune teller in the film – hopes and dreams that specifically guide Helena but at the same time all the characters here are chasing happiness and love in places other than where they are. The first half of the film could have been funnier (or at least funny) but it is rather comic at the start. I would have preferred a few more relaxed laughs but the comic tone is rather charming and I did settle in for a (very) light romantic comedy.
Instead what Allen delivers is a rather bitter look at the pointless nature of chasing happiness in illusions and aspirations – whether it be the arms of a physically beautiful woman or psychic babble. The film drifts from the comic into the farcical tragedy it becomes with ease as our various characters find themselves mostly cut off or denied the dream that looked so good from a distance. He doesn't quite manage to conclude the film in a satisfying manner but, while his narrator may conclude that the illusion is better than the medicine in one case, for the majority of characters their attempts to catch the illusion has not helped them escape their pain – just transplanted it to another painful situation. It is a very bitter message but one that is convincingly done in most of the plots because they all have an element of truth in them.
The delivery of this message could have been better done and the light touch from Allen does limit it but I did really enjoy it. OK the comic aspects could have been more comic but he got the "pain" side right and didn't push it too far or risk melodrama. Perhaps I am a miserable SOB at heart but to me this rather realistic look at the world of love and romance is refreshingly bitter and convincing. The cast are perhaps too deep in names/faces as everyone and their dog lines up to be able to say "I worked with Woody Allen". Hopkins is rather obvious but his restraint works across both aspects of the film. Jones I'm not so sure on but then I didn't like her character that much either. Watts and Brolin work well together in their relationship. Pinto is a stunningly light woman and her easy delivery is perfect for the "beautiful object of desire" role. Likewise, although a little obvious, Punch is good as the ditzy gold-digger. In support we have Collins, Banderas, Bremner, Glenister, Friel, Syal and others all doing solid work but mostly just able to list a Woody Allen film on their CV.
Overall, "You Will Meet etc" is not a great Woody Allen as it is not particularly smart, funny or dramatic. However it is a refreshingly bitter and realistic comic romance which rings true as it moves nicely from comic to tragedy and I enjoyed it even if it is not a great film. Having said that, put next to Whatever Works this is a great film – but then I guess everything can be made to look however you want with the right context!
I'm catching up on my Woody Allen recently and it was just the other day I watched the rather poor Whatever Works where Allen delivers (badly) a rather positive message of finding something in life to make you happy as long as you're not hurting anyone else (although he doesn't really make that point beyond saying it out loud). Anyway, in this film the title alludes to the general predictions of wellness and happiness made by the fortune teller in the film – hopes and dreams that specifically guide Helena but at the same time all the characters here are chasing happiness and love in places other than where they are. The first half of the film could have been funnier (or at least funny) but it is rather comic at the start. I would have preferred a few more relaxed laughs but the comic tone is rather charming and I did settle in for a (very) light romantic comedy.
Instead what Allen delivers is a rather bitter look at the pointless nature of chasing happiness in illusions and aspirations – whether it be the arms of a physically beautiful woman or psychic babble. The film drifts from the comic into the farcical tragedy it becomes with ease as our various characters find themselves mostly cut off or denied the dream that looked so good from a distance. He doesn't quite manage to conclude the film in a satisfying manner but, while his narrator may conclude that the illusion is better than the medicine in one case, for the majority of characters their attempts to catch the illusion has not helped them escape their pain – just transplanted it to another painful situation. It is a very bitter message but one that is convincingly done in most of the plots because they all have an element of truth in them.
The delivery of this message could have been better done and the light touch from Allen does limit it but I did really enjoy it. OK the comic aspects could have been more comic but he got the "pain" side right and didn't push it too far or risk melodrama. Perhaps I am a miserable SOB at heart but to me this rather realistic look at the world of love and romance is refreshingly bitter and convincing. The cast are perhaps too deep in names/faces as everyone and their dog lines up to be able to say "I worked with Woody Allen". Hopkins is rather obvious but his restraint works across both aspects of the film. Jones I'm not so sure on but then I didn't like her character that much either. Watts and Brolin work well together in their relationship. Pinto is a stunningly light woman and her easy delivery is perfect for the "beautiful object of desire" role. Likewise, although a little obvious, Punch is good as the ditzy gold-digger. In support we have Collins, Banderas, Bremner, Glenister, Friel, Syal and others all doing solid work but mostly just able to list a Woody Allen film on their CV.
Overall, "You Will Meet etc" is not a great Woody Allen as it is not particularly smart, funny or dramatic. However it is a refreshingly bitter and realistic comic romance which rings true as it moves nicely from comic to tragedy and I enjoyed it even if it is not a great film. Having said that, put next to Whatever Works this is a great film – but then I guess everything can be made to look however you want with the right context!
Believers are happier than non-believers
dierregi1 January 2020
Allegedly the plot was born to prove that believing in anything, no matter how silly and incongruous, makes people happier.
It's been proved many times that people find consolation in anything that gives them hope and in this story we start with the most hopeless case of Helena, a middle-aged, wealthy housewife abandoned by her husband, Alfie.
Helena is not smart and starts seeing Cristal, a clairvoyant, for comfort. At first, Helena desperately wants Alfie back, but slowly, Cristal convinces her that she can do better.
Helena's daughter, Sally is going through the final stages of her marriage with Roy, a nasty piece of work, who having got lucky with his first book, decided to pursue a writing career, which is proving disastrous.
Their fragile balance is shatter respectively by Sally's new boss, a sexy Banderas as Greg and by female neighbour Dia.
A final wheel is set in motion when Alfie, after much grief in the dating world, hooks up with a call girl and decides to marry her. Like way too many before him, Alfie's in for some nasty surprises.
Things don't go much better for Roy and Sally, with the exception of Helena. Having started as the most unhappy and unlikely to straighten her life, thanks to Cristal's bad advice, but most of all, to her own "faith" in Cristal, Helena ends up as the sole winner of some sort.
To prove once more that life is unfair and chance is more important than intelligence. Good movie, albeit depressing.
It's been proved many times that people find consolation in anything that gives them hope and in this story we start with the most hopeless case of Helena, a middle-aged, wealthy housewife abandoned by her husband, Alfie.
Helena is not smart and starts seeing Cristal, a clairvoyant, for comfort. At first, Helena desperately wants Alfie back, but slowly, Cristal convinces her that she can do better.
Helena's daughter, Sally is going through the final stages of her marriage with Roy, a nasty piece of work, who having got lucky with his first book, decided to pursue a writing career, which is proving disastrous.
Their fragile balance is shatter respectively by Sally's new boss, a sexy Banderas as Greg and by female neighbour Dia.
A final wheel is set in motion when Alfie, after much grief in the dating world, hooks up with a call girl and decides to marry her. Like way too many before him, Alfie's in for some nasty surprises.
Things don't go much better for Roy and Sally, with the exception of Helena. Having started as the most unhappy and unlikely to straighten her life, thanks to Cristal's bad advice, but most of all, to her own "faith" in Cristal, Helena ends up as the sole winner of some sort.
To prove once more that life is unfair and chance is more important than intelligence. Good movie, albeit depressing.
A brilliant film
chattenoire-129 April 2022
'When you wish upon a star...'
gradyharp21 March 2011
Woody Allen frequently seems to take his cues from music in molding a story. This time, in YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER he admixes frustrated relationships with lust and a dollop of 'ppychic readings' and comes up with a fun if uneven little film. As usual he surrounds himself with a fine cast of actors who are able to make the most out of Allen's outline for a microscopic examination of human behavior.
Helena Shebritch (Gemma Jones) is consulting 'clairvoyant' Cristal (Pauline Collins) regarding the request for divorce from her gadabout husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) who is courting a hooker named Charmaine (Lucy Punch). Helena and Alfie's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is disgusted with both her parents and is in the midst of coping with her MD educated turned writer's block novelist husband Roy (Josh Brolin). Fed up with their static life Sally seeks and gains employment with art gallerist Greg (Antonio Banderas), and in her need for attention falls in lust with him, despite the fact that he is married and seemingly unavailable until she discovers Greg is having an affair with gallery artist Iris (Anna Friel). Roy spends his days gazing at guitarist Dia (Freida Pinto) who lives across the way in the next apartment. Roy serendipitously comes on a novel (by a comatosed friend) he can 'sell' and with his self worth strengthened he courts Dia who is in an arranged marriage contract. Inappropriate Cristal is the one who oversees all of the derring-do with miscalculated predictions - except for Helena who meets widower Jonathan (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) in a séance oriented lifestyle. By story's end it seems that perhaps Helena will be the only one successful in her 'wish upon a star'.
This may not be one of Woody Allen's best films but it does pose many questions about relationships today and as usual, he has a fine cast to entertain us. If you like Woody Allen, you'll likely enjoy this outing.
Grady Harp
Helena Shebritch (Gemma Jones) is consulting 'clairvoyant' Cristal (Pauline Collins) regarding the request for divorce from her gadabout husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) who is courting a hooker named Charmaine (Lucy Punch). Helena and Alfie's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is disgusted with both her parents and is in the midst of coping with her MD educated turned writer's block novelist husband Roy (Josh Brolin). Fed up with their static life Sally seeks and gains employment with art gallerist Greg (Antonio Banderas), and in her need for attention falls in lust with him, despite the fact that he is married and seemingly unavailable until she discovers Greg is having an affair with gallery artist Iris (Anna Friel). Roy spends his days gazing at guitarist Dia (Freida Pinto) who lives across the way in the next apartment. Roy serendipitously comes on a novel (by a comatosed friend) he can 'sell' and with his self worth strengthened he courts Dia who is in an arranged marriage contract. Inappropriate Cristal is the one who oversees all of the derring-do with miscalculated predictions - except for Helena who meets widower Jonathan (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) in a séance oriented lifestyle. By story's end it seems that perhaps Helena will be the only one successful in her 'wish upon a star'.
This may not be one of Woody Allen's best films but it does pose many questions about relationships today and as usual, he has a fine cast to entertain us. If you like Woody Allen, you'll likely enjoy this outing.
Grady Harp
Less known aspects of everyday life
valadas27 February 2011
But not so uncommon. Woody Allen's movies are full of intelligence, psychological realism and good humour. He analyzes human relations mainly in what concerns love with all its illusions and disenchantments with great authenticity and a reasonable amount of depth despite the fact that the good humour he also puts in his analysis sometimes makes it seem superficial. This time the place is London. In this movie we have the married couple who lives in disharmony because the husband is a failure as a novelist and lives at the expense of his wife who works at an art gallery and has an uncorresponded crush on her boss while he (the husband) himself has a crush on a young neighbour girl he sees through her window sometimes playing the guitar sometimes undressing herself. We have also the wife's mother who believes in everything a fortune-teller woman tells her and whose husband has divorced her because he felt she was getting older and then married a young girl who was a half-whore and kept sleeping with others. All these people interact creating situations sometimes funny sometimes not so funny but told very cleverly in images and witty dialogues. It's one of the best Woody Allen's movies in my opinion.
Interesting but ultimately a let down
perkypops5 February 2012
As with most Woody Allen screenplays there are moments of sheer delight in what is essentially a comedy of errors based around the notion we are always at our best when things are going for us. The story essentially revolves around the lives of Helena and Alfie, Roy and Sally, and Charmaine, Dia and Greg, the latter three representing the catalysts for changes in fortune and demeanour. The essential hook upon which lives change is, in this film, implied to be wishes if not spoken aloud then certainly "notions" lying only just beneath the surface. We observe the bad sides of people when things are going wrong. These hooks should come about through a kind of synchronicity about which Jung would have approved, but in this story, and in my opinion, the manoeuvres seem rather too obvious, predictable and unsubtle. This kind of lets the whole core message of the film down since grown ups should know how the cookie can crumble.
The story is not played out as a farce, but as a comedy drama with romantic overtones, and the acting is assured and capable throughout with Gemma Jones (as Helena), Anthony Hopkins (as Alfie) and Lucy Punch (as Charmaine) taking the honours. It is a pity the screenplay is so uneven because there are some excellent exchanges between the characters along the way. Essentially what ruined the whole plot for me was a failure to exact true closure on the whole affair which I took to be the reason for a rather rushed end. Perhaps Mr Allen wanted me to feel let down with all the character demeanour exchanges but I just think he ran out of ideas.
Worth a glance but not vintage Allen.
The story is not played out as a farce, but as a comedy drama with romantic overtones, and the acting is assured and capable throughout with Gemma Jones (as Helena), Anthony Hopkins (as Alfie) and Lucy Punch (as Charmaine) taking the honours. It is a pity the screenplay is so uneven because there are some excellent exchanges between the characters along the way. Essentially what ruined the whole plot for me was a failure to exact true closure on the whole affair which I took to be the reason for a rather rushed end. Perhaps Mr Allen wanted me to feel let down with all the character demeanour exchanges but I just think he ran out of ideas.
Worth a glance but not vintage Allen.
Awkward and familiar--it has moments, but it has too much that struggles
secondtake8 August 2013
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
In this painfully derivative Woody Allen drama, we have more couples breaking up than can fit on the screen. But if there is a twist to it all, it starts with the title (there is no tall dark stranger in the movie) and with the ending, which I won't spoil. But I will say, that almost everyone is deeply unhappy at the end, and all because hankering for a glamour and youth in their partners that is, in the movie, clearly unattainable.
When I say derivative, I mean that Allen is covering himself. The types of characters (and actors) and the types of problems (relatioinships) have been worked in these ways many times before in earlier and better Allen movies. If there had been a bit of Allen humor along the way, it might have been more fun and therefore more moving, too. But it remains superficial and disappointing.
I will say the acting is really good (and with several genuine stars in the cast, as Allen still seems to be able to attract). The photography is by legendary Vilmos Zsigmond, who does a standup excellent job, but a long way from "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and other early, gorgeous movies. This turns out to have been his last film, and if you look at his filmography you'll be impressed. (Allen has also attracted some of the truly great cinematographers in his long career.) A final clue to Allen's intentions comes from the bland (downright boring) voice-over all through. It means to suggest a lighthearted look at these people (caught in the sound and the fury). And the music in the background shifts the mood in almost silly ways, announcing that the movie is almost an oversized trifle. Or truffle.
I don't suppose Allen has a quota of movies he has to meet, being beyond that idea and independent, but this movie fills like it's filling a small need, and quickly.
In this painfully derivative Woody Allen drama, we have more couples breaking up than can fit on the screen. But if there is a twist to it all, it starts with the title (there is no tall dark stranger in the movie) and with the ending, which I won't spoil. But I will say, that almost everyone is deeply unhappy at the end, and all because hankering for a glamour and youth in their partners that is, in the movie, clearly unattainable.
When I say derivative, I mean that Allen is covering himself. The types of characters (and actors) and the types of problems (relatioinships) have been worked in these ways many times before in earlier and better Allen movies. If there had been a bit of Allen humor along the way, it might have been more fun and therefore more moving, too. But it remains superficial and disappointing.
I will say the acting is really good (and with several genuine stars in the cast, as Allen still seems to be able to attract). The photography is by legendary Vilmos Zsigmond, who does a standup excellent job, but a long way from "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and other early, gorgeous movies. This turns out to have been his last film, and if you look at his filmography you'll be impressed. (Allen has also attracted some of the truly great cinematographers in his long career.) A final clue to Allen's intentions comes from the bland (downright boring) voice-over all through. It means to suggest a lighthearted look at these people (caught in the sound and the fury). And the music in the background shifts the mood in almost silly ways, announcing that the movie is almost an oversized trifle. Or truffle.
I don't suppose Allen has a quota of movies he has to meet, being beyond that idea and independent, but this movie fills like it's filling a small need, and quickly.
Woody, I gotta ask: what's with this insistence on age differences?
lee_eisenberg16 April 2023
If you've seen most of Woody Allen's movies, then you should know that he likes depicting relationships. An example in the 21st century is "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", about a group of acquaintances in London. It's worth seeing.
However, there's one jarring thing, and it happens a lot in Allen's movies: a man with a woman half his age. It's not just that Allen got married to his stepdaughter, it's that he's been showing his lecherous side ever since "Manhattan" (where his character was in a relationship with a teenage girl). Never mind that the characters' relationships smack of those in Allen's god-awful "Everyone Says I Love You" (he would have to try unimaginably hard to make a worse movie than that one).
Anyway, it's okay, not great.
However, there's one jarring thing, and it happens a lot in Allen's movies: a man with a woman half his age. It's not just that Allen got married to his stepdaughter, it's that he's been showing his lecherous side ever since "Manhattan" (where his character was in a relationship with a teenage girl). Never mind that the characters' relationships smack of those in Allen's god-awful "Everyone Says I Love You" (he would have to try unimaginably hard to make a worse movie than that one).
Anyway, it's okay, not great.
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