Review of Sleeper (1973) by Ken W — 16 Feb 2009
Strictly a Woody Allen showcase, and not exactly his best material. What little social and political commentary occurs is dated, nearly 30 years on. While issues such as cloning would seem to be a custom fit for our current world situation, the topic is only a foil for gags.
Much of the humor in this film is physical, which is not exactly compelling over 90 minutes. What little satire there is in this movie is mostly pseudo-intellectual, and lacks the insight of some of his later movies. While the premise of this film could provide rich material for social and political commentary, it ultimately seems as though Allen doesn't really have much to say in this film, beyond the oh-so-deep insight that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
As with most Allen works, we're left with his neurotic obsession with sex and death. Fortunately, when done properly, neither of these leads to nauseousness afterwards. Unlike this movie.
This review of Sleeper (1973) was written by Ken W on 16 Feb 2009.
Sleeper has generally received positive reviews.
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