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Melinda And Melinda Details

2004 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 50
  • from 15,133 members

Woody Allen mixes the tragic with the comic in MELINDA AND MELINDA, a delightful, intelligent look at two versions of the same story. After hearing a tale about a quirky woman who walks in unexpectedly on a dinner party in an apartment in New York City, Sy (Wallace Shawn) expands it into a romantic comedy, while Max (Larry Pine).. Read more

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Ferrell, Jonny Lee Miller, Radha Mitchell
Director Woody Allen
Genres Comedy, Romance

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Melinda And Melinda

Woody Allen mixes the tragic with the comic in MELINDA AND MELINDA, a delightful, intelligent look at two versions of the same story. After hearing a tale about a quirky woman who walks in unexpectedly on a dinner party in an apartment in New York City, Sy (Wallace Shawn) expands it into a romantic comedy, while Max (Larry Pine) turns it into an urban tragedy. Allen intercuts between the two retellings, intermingling cause and effect, love and romance, failure and success, as Melinda creates havoc in both fictional worlds. Each story has its own cast: the comedy features Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet, and Josh Brolin; the tragedy stars Chloe Sevigny, Jonny Lee Miller, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Radha Mitchell is the only repeat actor, playing both Melindas, and she does a tremendous job. Interestingly, the comic section is not a straight laughfest, like Allen's SLEEPERS, ANNIE HALL, or BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, and the more serious part is not nearly as dour as INTERIORS or ANOTHER WOMAN. Instead, Allen, who has been criticized by critics and fans alike for not making more funny films, has created two parallel universes that each combines aspects of comedy and tragedy, resulting in a wonderful, insightful drama.

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Ferrell, Jonny Lee Miller, Radha Mitchell, Amanda Peet, Chloe Sevigny, Wallace Shawn, Steve Carell
Director Woody Allen
Studio 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 35 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Comedy, Romance
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 25 Jul 2005
Production year: 2004
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of Melinda And Melinda

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  • Mildly diverting entertainment, though only the presence of Will Ferrell indicates which of the two parallel stories is intended to be comic.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Allen's most adult, substantial, idiosyncratic and visually satisfying work in some time

    • Screen International
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of Melinda And Melinda

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  • 20 out of 24 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    Still the same old story...

    They're rich, live in the best spots of Manhattan, go to nice restaurants and drink good wine on a regular basis, yet they manage to carry a bagfull of neurosis, phobias, suicidal tendencies and complexes.

    It's Woody, once again, recycling himself.

    If his intent was to balance a comical story with a tragical one, he's done it way better in Crimes and Misdemeanors. This one lacks that same bittersweet touch.

    You've seen it all before. With the difference that there was a time in which you still laughed about the seductress that ends up to be a nutter or the husband that falls in love with the next door neighbour and so generates a series of would be laughable gags.

    There was once a filmaker who managed to reinvent himself in each movie. I'm talking about the guy who made Zelig, Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo.

    The author of Melinda and Melinda just looks like a pale imitation of the Woody from those days.

      • bgarcez from United Kingdom
      • Posted 03 Apr 2005 13:20

  • Most recent members' review of Melinda And Melinda

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  • 11 out of 16 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Worthwhile to Watch

    Fun to watch until it starts sagging in the middle.

    Some criticism stands on this movie not being as good as others, but sometimes you just have to judge a movie as a stand alone piece of work. On that basis, this is an often humorous, interesting portrayal of similar stories told as tragedy and comedy at the same time.

    The problem with the film is more that the link is sometimes very contrived, while at other times barely there. Parallel stories have been done better than this, the themes themselves have been done better than this, and Woody Allen has also done better than this - but it remains highly enjoyable.

      • blowski from London
      • Posted 26 Apr 2005 09:18

  • News and features

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    A Lot Like Love

    Melinda And Melinda released on DVD

    • 25 Jul 2005

    Woody Allen's Melinda And Melinda, an exploration of the tragic and comic nature of humanity, comes to DVD this week. The director of Deconstructing Harry, Mighty Aphrodite and Bullets Over Broadway seems to have scored another success with his intriguing take on life. The film stars Radha Mitchell, the former Neighbours actress whose career is starting to blossom after roles in Phone Booth, Man On Fire and Finding Neverland. Mitchell plays the role of Melinda, as the film alternates between... Read more

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Rating breakdown

15,133 Member ratings
  • 100
321
  • 90
587
  • 80
1,262
  • 70
1,919
  • 60
2,891
  • 50
2,402
  • 40
2,139
  • 30
1,612
  • 20
1,323
  • 10
677

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      • Woody Allen mixes the tragic with the comic in MELINDA AND MELINDA, a delightful, intelligent look at two versions of the same story. After hearing a tale about a quirky woman who walks in ...