Movie review - "Anything Else" (2003) **

Another Woody Allen disappointment from that filmmaker's longest cold streak. Frustrating to watch because it was so easy to see how it could have been fixed. Its the story of a young promising comedy writer (Jason Biggs) who has a fling with a crazy woman (Cristina Ricci) and gets advice from an elder writer (Woody Allen). That's not much of a plot but films like Annie Hall and Manhattan didn't have much plot either, yet were still wonderful - because they were full of romance and acute observation, because Allen knew what he was talking about when he was making it. Here he doesn't - he doesn't know young people well enough however young his wife is. But he was young once and the story feels as though it must be autobiographical - if only he'd made the film really autobiographical, set in during period. That way things like Biggs writing for night club comics, Biggs being married young and Biggs and Ricci talking about how much they love Billie Holiday and Cole Porter wouldn't seem so odd. I mean, I know young people like these things but they also like other stuff - it just seems like old Woody Allen dialogue put in young people's mouths. Setting it in period would have fixed that - I know it would have added something to the budget but it would have been worth it. There is one scene where Biggs and Ricci are at a party and in the background a Moby song is playing - an actual modern song in a Woody Allen film and I know I'm biased because I like Moby but it acted like this incredible jolt of energy into the film. It doesn't really help either that none of the leads is really well cast - Biggs would have seemed ideal as young Woody but isn't quite there... I always want to like Biggs more than I do because he seems like such a nice guy and is obviously intelligent but he can't do the neurotic Woody thing as well - he doesn't seem like a writer, and he has the physique of someone who has a personal trainer. Ricci is OK - not a terrific Diane Keaton but OK (there's a scene of her in underwear and a tight top around the house which would normally be sexy but knowing Woody was there as a director kind of ruins it a bit). Woody isn't even that good as the mentor - I like the idea of a 60 something trying to make it, but to be such a mentor... couldn't they have given him more of a history? In some ways Danny de Vito (who plays Biggs agent and has a funny scene towards the end) would have been better casting; Allen's presence in the role throws it slightly out of whack. A frustrating film. There is stuff to admire but I just wish he'd stick to what he actually knows about.