Review of Everyone Says I Love You (1996) by Nelson H — 01 Jun 2004

Sometimes the challenge with Woody Allen is to look at his films on their own merits, and not as compared to the rest of his vast output. "Everyone Says I Love You" is a safe, completely watchable, enjoyable, and forgettable film.

And in terms of a Woody Allen movie, it's a little bit of a mess. Around the mid '80s, Allen started employing more and more labrynthine plots and subplots. This worked to wonderful effect in "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Radio Days", and "Crimes and Misdemeanors".

Not so much here, though. What could have been a pleasant ride through a tribute to the classic Hollywood musical was marred by too many characters, too much going on, and not enough focus on the stories that mattered.

How much more fun Drew Barrymore's adventure with Tim Roth's convict could have been if it had been given more time. An announced wedding between Natasha Lyonne and an Italian gondolier is forgotten within minutes.

Two young girls who are in love with the same kid didn't even need to be there. And what a waste of such talented actors in some thankless roles. Allen mainstay David Ogden Stiers makes an appearance for what couldn't have been half a dozen lines, and is gone.

Lukas Haas serves only one purpose as the punch line to a joke late in the movie. A funny joke, yes, but unnecessary in regards to the story. And I was much more interested in the triangle between Alan Alda, Woody Allen, and Goldie Hawn than I was in Allen's relationship with Julia Roberts.

But, as with all his movies, there are some fine moments. I really enjoyed his figuring out he can kill himself three hours sooner by taking the Concorde to Paris and doing it there. There's a very nice scene between Allen and Hawn at the end that includes Allen doing a fantastic Groucho Marx impression.

And many of the song and dance numbers were inspired. The entire movie would've been if Allen had been able to trim it down.