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Movie Description
Woody Allen mixes the tragic with the comic in MELINDA AND MELINDA, a delightful, intelligent look at two versions of the same story. After hearing a tale about a quirky woman who walks in unexpectedly on a dinner party in an apartment in New York City, Sy (Wallace Shawn) expands it into a romantic comedy, while Max (Larry Pine) turns it into an urban tragedy. Allen intercuts between the two retellings, intermingling cause and effect, love and romance, failure and success, as Melinda creates havoc in both fictional worlds. Each story has its own cast: the comedy features Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet, and Josh Brolin; the tragedy stars Chloe Sevigny, Jonny Lee Miller, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Radha Mitchell is the only repeat actor, playing both Melindas, and she does a tremendous job. Interestingly, the comic section is not a straight laughfest, like Allen's SLEEPERS, ANNIE HALL, or BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, and the more serious part is not nearly as dour as INTERIORS or ANOTHER WOMAN. Instead, Allen, who has been criticized by critics and fans alike for not making more funny films, has created two parallel universes that each combines aspects of comedy and tragedy, resulting in a wonderful, insightful drama.
Industry Reviews
"[With] much philosophical pondering and a plethora of funny, fatalistic lines..."
Uncut - Chris Roberts (04/01/2005)
"Mitchell works wonders as the deranged Melinda embraces her dark side....[Allen is] saying the game isn't over before you laugh till it hurts."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (03/24/2005)
"Props here to Santo Loquasto, the splendid production designer."
Film Comment - Nathan Lee (03/01/2005)
"[S]mart, satisfying and compact....It's Woody Allen's best outing in many years."
USA Today - Mike Clark (03/18/2005)
"Mitchell, the rare beauty who doesn't act behind a screen of self-possession, lends urgency to the drama of someone coming apart, and she's moving in her romance..."
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (03/24/2005)
"[A] movie about the symbiosis of the filmmaker and the audience, who are required to conspire in the creation of an imaginary world. He shows us how he does it and how we do it. In its complexity and wit, this is one of his best recent films."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (03/23/2005)
"[T]his is Allen's most satisfying for a while."
Uncut - Uncut Staff (08/01/2005)
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