In what may prove to be the last wide theatrical release of his career (what with age, declining commercial results, changing distribution models and #Metoo), Woody Allen goes out, not with a bang, but with the proverbial whimper. A physically beautiful whimper, with a stunning recreation of 1950s Coney Island & Boardwalk, if only the attempt at up-dated Greek Tragedy had the same rejuvenating effect on Allen's writing, and didn't feel forced on the material. Or is it resigned? In his script, Allen refers to playwright Eugene O’Neill, an enthusiastic borrower from the Greeks, but we’re closer to the Arthur Miller of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE: tin-ear dialogue, family sexual dynamics & Psych. 101 storylines. At heart, a love triangle with step-daughter Juno Temple & step-mom Kate Winslet at first unknowingly falling for the same hunky lifeguard (Justin Timberlake*), complicated by Temple’s Mob Boss Ex; Winslet’s gruff husband (Jim Belushi) & pyromaniac kid. Winslet gets the worst of it, her clam-house waitress breaking down from Nervous Nellie to Mad Martha, all in a localized accent so perfect, you never believe it. (Like a forged signature that’s too exact a copy.) Once past an off-putting intro, Belushi is the film’s main surprise, leaning hard on a Ralph Kramden mold stripped of comic veneer for ballast, and finding a living character. But then Woody reels in a pair of WiseGuys from THE SOPRANOS as threatening mob men, pulling us entirely out of the show while, mercifully, providing the film’s sole comic leavening.
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Allen did better mixing up genres & gags in this territory with BROADWAY DANNY ROSE/‘84 , an underappreciated gem.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Relative to Eugene O’Neill, Winslet mentions a Summer Stock gig in THE ICEMAN COMETH. (Really?, that four & a half hour barroom slog in summer stock?) HAMLET and ORPHEUS are also touched upon. Maybe that’s why Winslet’s overripe work brings Anna Magnani's attempt at Tennessee Williams to mind, especially THE FUGITIVE KIND/’60, taken from the play ORPHEUS DESCENDING. And as for the Belushi/Ralph Kramden connection, Jackie Gleason did indeed play O’Neill, winning a Tony Award as Uncle Sid in the musical TAKE ME ALONG, based on AH, WILDERNESS. And, to follow the line to its conclusion, Uncle Sid is an early sketch for Hickey in . . . THE ICEMAN COMETH.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *Meanwhile, check out Justin Timberlake in profile as he shares a birthday pizza with Temple. Suddenly, with careful lighting & angles from great cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, he’s a ringer for late (post-accident) Montgomery Clift. Who'da thunk?
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