Review of Melinda and Melinda (2004) by Stuart K — 23 Sep 2008

After a few flops, Woody Allen got his act together, and pulled off a film with a similiar structure to his own Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). It starts off with a dinner between two successful playwrights, Max (Larry Pine) and Sy (Wallace Shawn), who hear a story about a woman called Melinda (Radha Mitchell), who is trying to get her life in order after some troubles.

What follows is two versions of her trying to get her life together, as the two playwrights discuss whether it can be a tragic story or a comic story. There's a tragic version where she is a suicidal depressive, who finds brief solace with her old schoolfriend Laurel (Chloë Sevigny), her husband actor Lee (Jonny Lee Miller) and musician Ellis Moonsong (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

In the comic version, it has Melinda as a free-spirited neighbour to filmmaker Susan (Amanda Peet) and her stuggling actor husband Hobie (Will Ferrell). After Melinda becomes friends with her neighbours, Hobie finds himself falling for Melinda.

It's a very clever film, and the two segments of the film compliment each other, the tragic version is very powerful, and boasts some very good performances, whilst the comic version, (the better of the two), has some of Woody's best dialogue in a long time, and quick appearances from Steve Carell and Josh Brolin.

One of Woody's better recent ones, before he went off to London and Barcelona... ;).