Review of Irrational Man (2015) by Blake P — 14 Apr 2016

Now that Woody Allen's claimed Emma Stone as his latest muse (though I still miss Scarlett Johansson), I'm waiting for the day when he'll put her in something more "Midnight in Paris" than "Scoop." Not that I didn't like "Magic in the Moonlight" - it was a scrumptious summertime treat despite its overwhelming fluffiness - it's just that Stone, as cinema's current (and arguably) greatest brainy (and beautiful) leading lady, is deserving to work with a genius when he's at his most inspired. "Magic" was all charm and no memorability; last year's "Irrational Man," the latest release for Allen and Stone both, is all high concept without the convincing delivery to make it stick.

It revolves around a storyline I could never quite accept, either because the perceived anti-hero behind most of the madness is always made out to be more than he actually is, or because the drive pushing the plot is too contrived for its own good. No matter; like other minor works from Allen, it's more akin to filler than to worthwhile entertainment. Joaquin Phoenix, slightly insufferable, plays Abe Lucas, a controversial philosophical writer who has recently taken a job as a professor at a quaint university in a fictional New England town. In the midst of an existential crisis, he's unhealthily introverted, the staff meeting him with raised eyebrows, his students unsure what to think of him.

But his life is given something of a purpose by Jill (Emma Stone), a bright-eyed student whose spirited writing makes her somewhat of an object of affection. Jill, a fan of Abe's work before he even arrived on campus, is delighted by his attention toward her - almost immediately is a connection formed. A relationship soon ensues, prompting her to abandon a romance with a much more stable student closer in age (Jamie Blackley).

Just as soon as we're about to come to the conclusion that the storyline is going nowhere, though, things take a turn for the juicy. During a lunch date at a local diner, Abe and Jill overhear a disconcerting conversation from the table behind them, in which a woman describes losing a custody battle because of an unethical judge. Our leads are revolted, disgusted by the power a single man can hold over a working woman's life. Jill, like most would in the situation, is only temporarily disturbed, ready to move on with her own life within a few days; Abe, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with the matter.

After some contemplation, he decides that the best thing to do is to kill the judge, not mind his own business or drown in his own sympathy. The sudden thirst to make "right" leaves Abe happier than he's ever been - finally, he feels as though he's needed. From this point on, the film becomes questionable, turning its back on its supposed leading character and upping Jill to the status of a quasi-detective heroine.

But by the time Jill discovers just what her new lover has done, I found myself to be strangely disconnected from "Irrational Man" as a whole - it's an assumed-to-be black comedy without the comedy, sitting somewhere between forced rom-com and moral drama. I suppose it tries to be light - most of Allen's dialogue is markedly witty (as expected), and an incessantly upbeat jazz score fills up most transitions - but it's too blackened to ever really work. Its hypothetical scenario is too broad to take on, and Phoenix's performance only brings out Abe's erraticism more. Where is the supremely interesting, mysterious man Jill brags about to her parents? All we see is a self-regarding intellect too into himself to get attached to.

It's all very intolerable. "Irrational Man" is the rare Woody Allen movie to escape my liking (even at his worst, I still tend to leave the theater happy). Stone is, as always, a wonderful leading lady, captivating even when the film isn't. But a misguided movie is something even a terrific actress can't save - avoid "Irrational Man" even if you figure yourself to be a fan of those involved.