Woody Allen rips off himself again - there's a brooding misanthrope with a disastrous love life who worries about the Meaning of It All; an artistic environment (in this case the philosophy department of a college); a nubile young woman who can't resist the lure of a middle aged man; a murder; debates about morality; scenes in the rain; nicely presented furniture; awkward expositional dialogue.
Joaquin Phoenix adapts very well to Woody Allen-land - his quality (lost, intelligent, charismatic) is spot on and he's very good in the role, even if all the hip flask sipping to indicate his alcoholism was clunky. I loved the Russian roulette sequence and his motive to commit murder. Emma Stone and Parker Posey are good value as the women in Phoenix's life and it was nice to hear a vaguely modern tune on the soundtrack - "The In Crowd" - instead of that croaky jazz (although it is over used - how about two new tracks Woody?). At least this is a film for grown ups.
But it's frustrating, especially for Allen fans who would have seen so many of these elements before. On a simple murder tale basis I felt he could have used supporting characters more - Stone and Parker both have boyfriends and Stone has parents and a friend who get introduced, and I kept waiting for them to do something important in the story, but they don't. Even Parker barely does anything in the last portion of the film.
Because it has movie stars, nice production values and adult themes I did enjoy watching it. I just wish it had been better.
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