Review of Sleeper (2012) by Meg C — 30 Sep 2012

One of the simple instances of Woody Allen making comedies that are grounded in comedy, and not surrealism or human dysfunction. There is just simple ease to this film, flowing from one thing to the next.

It's grounded in the same neurotic toils that many of Allen's films are and were, but there is something so decidedly human, sweet, and existential about this film, which makes it a critical and cultural darling.

Not only does that film conjure many riveting images, but also makes its mark in genres such as dystopian societies, doomed love affairs, and the always popular Allen sub-genre of comedy. It never slows, always pops with its references and originality, and even mimics slapstick and vaudevillian comedy.

I loved that the dystopian aspect of it wasn't played up too seriously, while also drawing humor from the inadequacies of life, and ultimately satirizing common day (which was the nineteen seventies at that point.

) It made me laugh all the way through, it had a sweetened love story between Woody Allen and Diane Keaton's characters, and it decided to lay low until the initial laugh, which was always a surprise.

I loved the setting, the choices in fumbling villains and overwrought pains of the protagonist. The throwbacks to eras of comedy, and the origins of the director, were subtle yet precocious, and ultimately it's a film that will resonate with many generations not just for its nostalgia but its crisp examination of society and the happiness it brings to be alive.