Review of Cassandra's Dream (2007) by K S — 03 Nov 2008

This film has a plotline that is utterly predictable, with two-dimensional characters that you keep hoping will become more interesting, but mostly never do. The London accents 'worn' by McGregor and Farrell are unconvincing; McGregor warms up into it as the film reaches its latter scenes, but Farrell always struggles with his Irish burr.

There are positive aspects though; the photography is ravishing, and some of the supporting cast (Clare Higgins and Sally Hawkins in particular) do sterling work. However, the scenes between the two lads feel stilted and under-rehearsed, and all the actors seem to be taking different approaches to the challenge of being in a Woody Allen film. The confident ones like Hawkins use the script as a convenient starting point for improvisation, and manage thereby to put some flesh on the bare bones of their characters. The boys lack the confidence to do this, probably because of not being fully at home with the accent. Tom Wilkinson, normally such a resourceful actor, gives a disappoiningly monochrome performance, featuring a peculiar technique of injecting unlikely pauses into the middle of lines. Whether this is a gesture towards Woody Allen impro I don't know; I fear that the poor man was simply giving himself time to remember his lines.