Review of Melinda and Melinda (2004) by Scott F — 09 Apr 2005

Woody Allen's new film begins with four people at dinner in New York City. One of the people at the table is a comedy writer, another a drama, and the other two are simply good friends who offer truthful criticisms and opinions amidst the constant arguing over which genre is more appealing to audiences. From this conversation the story unravels as two stories featuring the same woman named Melinda, one a tragedy and one a comedy. The two have a lot more in common than most would think. It's a creative and unique setup and when it all starts to play out alongside Allen's beautiful vision of New York City filled with the strangest of characters, the end result is his best film in a long time.

The usual packaged ensemble Allen brings is here again, and it's overflowing with great performances in the best outing by his cast since [i]Deconstructing Harry[/i]. Radha Mitchell leads them all in a vibrant and controlling dual role as Melinda and Melinda. She coasts through both the tragedy and the comedy with such ease that it's almost unreal. In both stories she interrupts a dinner party in progress. In the comedy we are introduced to a married couple played by Amanda Peet and Will Ferrell. She's a budding filmmaker and he is a struggling actor who can only nab commercial voiceover work. Ferrell is the obvious Woody Allen of the film, and I must say for the most part he does a pretty decent job, that is when he's not being the usual over the top Will Ferrell. When he is settled down, especially in his scenes with Mitchell, he hits every note right. Melinda lives in an apartment across the hall from them and soon becomes good friends with Ferrell's character.

The tragedy portion of the film is the biggest part why [i]Melinda and Melinda [/i]is getting bashed by critics, but I think it's the spark behind the film's success. It is in this part of the film that we get the most interesting and troubled Melinda (Mitchell is much, much better here) and a more involving story with deeper meaning. There is a devastatingly different married couple played with brilliance by Chloe Sevigny and Johnny Lee Miller, and another distant-beneath-the-surface couple with a third child on the way played by Josh Brolin and Brooke Smith. Melinda infiltrates these people's lives at an inconvenient time and severely shakes things up. Another key character is Ellis Moonsong, a piano player/composer who makes things a little more complicated. Chiwetel Ejiofor from [i]Dirty Pretty Things [/i]plays this part to perfection and in the scenes between him, Mitchell and Sevigny we get to feast on the combination of Allen's words and brilliant acting. These three characters are at the heart of the film as they drive the tragedy. I am extremely happy that Allen decided to make the serious portion of the movie more of the focus point because he proves once again that when he ventures off into drama he is just as thought provoking and brilliant as ever.

Certain sequences of this film brought back fond memories of [i]Another Woman[/i], like the scene in the dark bistro with Mitchell, Sevigny, and Ejiofor. This might not be touching on all new ground for Allen, but why does that have to be a disadvantage or a setback when criticizing it. It's a brilliant piece of work that at numerous times brings back the classic Allen of old and is definitely his best offering so far this decade.