Review of Sleeper (2012) by Al H — 11 Nov 2014

It's easy to forget that there was a time in which Woody Allen was strictly silly. For years, he made effortlessly funny screwball comedies that combined his standup skills and witty writing. His comedy never necessarily died, he just slowly got more mature as he aged, beginning with 1977's "Annie Hall." "Sleeper" was made in 1973 and is one of his earliest and finest films. Allen's only foray into the sci-fi genre, "Sleeper" is ingeniously funny while also creating a razor-sharp satire of other science fiction films of the era.

The film opens in 2173. The colors of the architecture are strictly metallic grays and whites. The cars are pod-like and look straight out of a pulp fiction novel. The people are ignorant and dependent on technology. Imagine the shock Miles Monroe (Allen) feels when he wakes up. An owner of an unsuccessful health food store, Miles was cryogenically frozen in 1973.

His awakening is illegal in the eyes of the Big Brother-like leader of the world, and in response, the scientists who thawed him are killed. In just a short time, Miles becomes the most wanted man in the nation, dubbed "The Alien" by the citizens. He goes on the run, kidnapping a buffoon named Luna (Diane Keaton) on the way, and so begins a series of antics that rival the physical comedy mania of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.

"Sleeper" works so well because it is so self-aware and confident in its delivery. Many of the jokes are broad - in one sequence, Miles makes fun of the future's ignorance by telling curious scientists that Bela Lugosi was the mayor of New York and that Charles de Gaulle was a famous chef - but all are done so with a straight face and sure-fire timing.

Allen's writing is impeccable. Excellent comedy scenes come right after the other, never losing their focus and never losing their punch. There isn't a moment where we even get the opportunity to stop laughing, albeit stop smiling. Allen's films have endured so long because they tie-together modern self-deprecation with vintage appreciation. Miles Monroe feels like an autobiographical character as his neuroses are so distinctly Allen's; the loud jazz music, which plays with a frenzied buzz throughout every screwball sequence, is obviously a throwback to the days of Carole Lombard and Bob Hope.

The pairing of Allen and Keaton is, of course, a delight: no other woman has ever matched Allen's nutty personality so perfectly. Keaton as Luna is simply gold: she is forced to say some ridiculous lines, but she possesses the kind of timing that Lucille Ball and Katharine Hepburn portrayed with such manic clarity.

I've seen "Sleeper" about five times now, and each time it's even more enjoyable. As the computer age thickens and we become more reliable on Google, it's more relevant than ever, even funnier because it seems to mirror Generation Y's cultural ignorance. And while critics may have not been smitten with Allen's "Magic in the Moonlight" this year, "Sleeper" is a reminder he's at his most fun when he's at his least self serious.