"Never Trust a Naked Bus Driver."
Written: Sep 20 '03 (Updated Sep 20 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Funny dialogue, interesting characters
Cons: Lacks a definite form, perhaps a little too abstract
The Bottom Line: An enjoyable film with some laughs, but not much more.
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| dlockeretz's Full Review: Anything Else |
"American Pie" meets "Annie Hall"? Well, maybe. "Anything Else" is good enough to be more than a gimmick, but it stops well short of being a watershed. There are a lot of good ideas at work in this movie, but somehow they don't add up to a convincing whole. I'm not sure I buy Woody Allen as a gun nut, Christina Ricci as a would-be actress or Stockard Channing as her coke-sharing mother, but I will say this: While "Anything Else" might not have a real point, it is pretty entertaining.
Jason Biggs plays Jerry Falk, a love-sick writer in his early twenties who by his own admission "hates to sleep alone." He falls in love with Amanda (Ricci), who at first comes off as a care-free artistic type but soon shows that she is more than anyone could bargain for. This is never more true than when her mother (Channing) comes to stay, insisting that she have a piano in their studio apartment for which to develop a Broadway routine.
Meanwhile, Biggs comes across Dobel (Allen), an interesting character who comes across as what might be described as a literary survivalist. Dobel wants Jerry to dump his agent (Danny DeVito) and to purchase a rifle; after Jerry buys a rifle, he is admonished by his girlfriend, her mother and his own psychiatrist, a conspicuously quiet type.
With so many quirky characters lumped together, you'd think that more laughs would develop. The humor in the film is more abstract; it reminds me of the flavor of "About Schmidt". There are some truly funny moments that develop out of the characters unique personalities, but it almost seems as if Allen settled for typecasting.
The film's lack of a plot doesn't bother me so much as it's lack of a real purpose. It's not a romantic comedy, it's not a sex comedy and it's not a drama.
It will entertain. Anyone who has been young and in love can relate, although my experience has been that most early 20-somethings, male and female are more concerned with beer bongs, blumkins and reality TV than with Camus or Billie Holiday. (Has Allen over-estimated America? Although for my part I was just glad to see a movie this year that wasn't a sequel.) It might not deliver what it promises, but "Anything Else" is good for a few laughs and smiles for a rather minimal investment, and I'm not just talking about seeing it as a matinee show. Which I did.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dlockeretz
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Member: David Lockeretz
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Reviews written: 268
Trusted by: 27 members
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