A bunch of dissatisfied characters exploring new relationships; does that sum-up this flick? Yes, as is the case with most other Woody Allen films. But then, does it work? Nah, not this time around, at least. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger lacks the wit that marks his work. If ‘Annie Hall’ is his gold-standard, this one is way too mediocre.
Helena (Gemma Jones) is dumped by her rich husband of forty years Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) who’s seems to have forgotten that he’s aging too and chases a young gold digging hooker Charmaine (Lucy Punch). While Helena
Sally, an art major is stuck in a bad marriage with Roy (Josh Brolin) and falls for her employer Greg (Antonio Banderas) who’s hitting on her protégé Iris (Anna Friel). Roy, a former doctor and one-book wonder with a writer’s block starts to take an interest in neighbor Dia (Freida Pinto), a musicologist who’s already engaged.
Going by the trend of his recent films being based in Europe , this entrée is set in London New York
The stellar cast is let down by a bad script and half-hearted directorial effort. No wonder Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin merely sleep-walk through it. Still, Antonio Banderas in his brief role and Lucy Punch do sparkle. Freida Pinto had little else to do other than to eternally dress up in red and keep her obsession in the West alive.
Where it falters critically is when it merely skims the surface rather than engage the audience to take an interest in its characters. Lacking the drama that is normally expected of this genre, it ends up being a mélange of affairs. In the end, you don’t really care as to what happens to whom! This ‘stranger’ is quite forgettable!
Rating 5/10: Not the best of Woody Allen; passable at best!
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