Review of You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) by Mike M — 12 Mar 2011

As a Woody Allen fan, I am predisposed to at least like just about everything he does. I haven't had the chance to see everything he has done, but I'm slowly getting there. "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" is his most recent, and it is certainly fair to say that it is not his best work. That being said, it is not a bad film, and I think the merits slightly outweigh the downfalls.

The cast is strong; even actors like Naomi Watts and Antonio Banderas who I previously had no particular care for managed to make good of the script. Anthony Hopkins is excellent as Alfie Shepridge, a newly divorced senior citizen who attempts to recapture his youth by marrying a prostitute. Josh Brolin is also strong as Roy Channing, a struggling author who once was thought to be the next big thing, and Gemma Jones is brilliant as Hopkins' ex-wife, who spends much of the time after their marriage struggling with the breakup.

The aspects of this film that make it still worthwhile despite being on Allen's weaker side are particular moments and a brilliant twist. Without spoiling too much, Channing comes up with a creative way of dealing with his new literary woes, and the whole plan is turned on its head in a brilliant fashion. There are a lot of things about a Woody Allen film that really show the difference between a mediocre director and an excellent one. Although Allen's writing is not at his best in "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger," Allen still knows how to get strong performances from all his actors and have a few of those brilliant moments in his films that make the whole experience worth it.