It's great to see Peter Bogdanovich helming a theatrical feature again and this passed the time pleasantly enough: a fantastic cast, gorgeous photography, and a loving homage to old Hollywood comedies. It feels very much in the vein of Woody Allen (it's set in New York, with an ensemble cast) and Bogdanovich's They All Laughed.
I liked this, but then I'm a film buff and got a lot of the jokes: the references to old movies, Bogdanovich in jokes (a character uses a pseudonym "Derek Thomas" which he would use). He wrote the script with Louise Stratten and it has some good ideas and bright moments but I really wish he would've gotten a proper writer to have a pass at it.
The story seems to lack reality - they're putting on a play and the director is put up at an expensive hotel and has masses of cash lying around; I never believed the young girl being so into old movies; cell phones don't play the role they logically would (the script feels dated in that regard, like it was written in the 90s). The drama and complications don't really build in the way it could/should.
But let's take a walk on the sunny side... Owen Wilson is always engaging, I liked the twist of him falling for escorts and giving them all this money to change their lives; Kathryn Hahn is always fun too; Jennifer Aniston is a stand out as a therapist who hates her patients; Austin Pendleton is a lot of fun as a love struck judge; Rhys Ifans does his Rhys Ifans thing well. The gag at the end was brilliant.
Imogen Poots doesn't impress terribly in her part - she's clearly sporting an accent and never seems to be as captivating as Bogdanovich thinks she is. Will Forte is undercooked in a role that feels underused. Richard Lewis and Cybill Shepherd feel wasted.
I'm glad Bogdanovich is back in the theatres, its pleasing to see this style of movie... I hope he gts the chance to do another one.
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