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Anything Else
2003
Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci star as a mismatched couple in Woody Allen's funny and well-made romantic comedy ANYTHING ELSE. Biggs plays Jerry Falk, a young comedy writer looking to make it big, while Ricci is Amanda, a self-absorbed free spirit whom men go wild for. They fall for each other instantly near the beginning of .. Read more
| Starring | Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Christina Ricci |
|---|---|
| Director | Woody Allen |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
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Anything Else
Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci star as a mismatched couple in Woody Allen's funny and well-made romantic comedy ANYTHING ELSE. Biggs plays Jerry Falk, a young comedy writer looking to make it big, while Ricci is Amanda, a self-absorbed free spirit whom men go wild for. They fall for each other instantly near the beginning of the film, then spend the rest of the movie trying to work out their very complex and complicated relationship, especially after her mother (Stockard Channing) moves in to their small apartment to live with them. With echoes of such classic Allen fare as ANNIE HALL, ANYTHING ELSE is a lighthearted look at young love in the Big Apple. Allen himself stars as David Dobel, an older comedy writer who mentors Jerry, often on walks through Central Park, but it seems that Dobel has a bit of an anger management problem. Once again, New York City is virtually a character unto itself, as Allen includes scenes in such Gotham places as the Village Vanguard jazz club, Isabella's restaurant, Roosevelt Island, Sheepshead Bay, and the Quad Cinema. Good supporting work is turned in by Danny DeVito as Falk's manager. The soundtrack includes songs by Billie Holiday, Ravi Shankar, Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Moby, and Diana Krall, who appears in the film.
| Starring | Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Christina Ricci, Danny De Vito, Kadee Strickland |
|---|---|
| Director | Woody Allen |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 48 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 07 Feb 2005 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Woody Allen revisits many of the themes explored in Annie Hall in this typically acerbic romantic comedy. The director also resigns himself to a supporting role, playing mentor to would-be comedy writer Jason Biggs (American Pie), whose disintegrating relationship with aspiring actress Christina Ricci drives the story. The humour is particularly dark, with Allen's teacher-cum-gagsmith fixated on firearms and the Holocaust, while the depiction of both Ricci and her wannabe-singer mother, Stockard Channing, is scathing. Yet Allen reserves his special ire for Danny DeVito, as Biggs's hapless agent, who bears a distinct similarity to the eponymous hero of Broadway Danny Rose. The film — Allen's first since Manhattan to be shot in CinemaScope — is fitfully amusing and boasts engaging performances, but remains a decidedly disconcerting experience.
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Moderate comedy with a morbid edge; the one-liners are still there, but there's no one to deliver them with any feeling.
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Most helpful member's review
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18 out of 18 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
boring, boring, BORING
How often is it you can't even get to the end of a film?
This is an example of Woody Allen at his most predictable, repetitive and just plain DULL. New York highly-strung neuroses can only be funny for so long, and in this case it was a long time ago.
Not a single element of this dire film hasn't been covered in Allen films before, and probably equally dully. There is nothing that'd make you want to smack these dreary, solipsistic nerds more than this tedious, TEDIOUS work. Give it a miss.
A massive waste of resources. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Better than expected
With this film i think you have to be a well established fan of Woody Allen. It's definatly not as good as his old work. And it was no doubt done on purpose, but Jason Biggs kinda represented abit of Woody Allen's old characters in other films. So Woody hasn't moved on much. The same goes for the style of his story. Of course it's what he likes doing, so fine by me. But if your new to Woody, i suggest you watch his old stuff like 'Manhattan' and 'Hannah and her sisters.' Watch this film if you're a fan of his work. The first 15mins are irritatingly dull. But as it progressed it had me laughing and got better as a film. The two main young characters seemed well used copy's of his previous work. But i loved Woody's character as that was new. Like i say, if you're a fan it's worth renting.
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News and features
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Whatever Happened to Woody Allen?
- 21 May 2008
He's made (at least!) a film a year since 1970, a record that's all the more remarkable when you realise that he's written and directed all of them, and starred in most. They include some of the best-loved and most quoted comedies in cinema history: Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters take some beating, and that's to ignore "the early, funny ones" (Sleeper, Love and Death, Bananas); the lovely miniatures from what I consider his finest period (the early 80s gave us Broadway Danny... Read more
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