Woody Allen's bag of tricks has no bottom. The topics he embraces can be repeated time and again. Yet with different settings and different dialogue, they are barely recognizable. One of Woody's characters can be represented by two separate actors as well. Here, Jesse Eisenberg is Woody #1, who pines for his beautiful soul-mate (Kristen Stewart) Could Ms. Stewart be playing a former flame, Diane Keaton nee Hall? At the same time, Woody #2 (Steve Carell) is always chasing ladies from the younger set and ends up blissfully happy. Is Woody paying homage to his current wife, Soon-Yi Previn, who is forty years his junior? The duplication of names and personas is apparent in many of Allen's films, indicating to me that his imagination does not require a lot of triggers to produce an Oscar worthy script.
This is a worthy film, full of nuances (+great music) Kirsten Stewart gives a marvelous performance as a woman who has adapted to the moneyed set in New York City. Steve Carell's role was essentially one dimensional, but it allowed Allen to let the light shine on Soon-yi. Eisenberg is a good fit for an early Woody Allen. His transformation from a naïve youngster to a man-about-town was seamless. And does it surprise you that the lead character, born and raised in NYC, tries out Hollywood before returning home to find his niche?
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