Anything Else (2003) Reviews

• Underrated gem!

  RedSoxCoder2007-02-25

  This movie really is an underrated gem. Somehow most critics have become totally unable to accept Woody Allen's work for what it is and compare it only to other movies from the same years. Woody Allen has said many times that he has no interest in looking back to his old work and, in my opinion, it really shows. From someone who has often raved about the 'Radio Days' of his youth and adores prewar Jazz, he has steadily developed into a director who has no trouble catching the modern every day lives of the people around him. Recreating the atmosphere from his older movies would only show the inability to move on, along with the rest of the world. Anything Else is proof of that. It's a modern movie with a typical Woody Allen style dialogue that works on several levels. Between the jokes and witty remarks and often great replies, lie the worries of any young guy or girl that has to learn to deal with life's fears and frustrations. Anything Else also has a really nice atmosphere and a great pace - the movie at almost 2 hours never feels like it's stalling or going nowhere. The story moves forward constantly. Biggs really is the star here and is a perfect Young Woody Allen. Ricci is only a supporting character, but both she and the rest of the cast really make this into a believable, relaxed and enjoyable experience. For those who are willing to learn a little: this movie does make a simple, but very true point about learning to deal with life. Photography, directing, editing and writing is really first class work - nothing less than what you get in other top Woody Allen movies. Beautiful locations, great camera work and typical Woody style jazz really make this into a perfect 10/10. The lack of awards and negative reviews are just like Dobel (Woody Allen) says in this movie: You know....it's just like anything else. Go see it for yourselves!

• Some reviews are so predictable

  jeremy-liebster2005-03-07

  The predictability of the reviews on this database is hilarious. Every Woody Allen film gets...'it's not as good as Annie Hall'. Over and over and over again. As though Woody Allen has committed a heinous crime in making a supposedly lesser film. Just as every Martin Scorsese film gets a run of 'It's not Raging Bull or Goodfellas'. Over and over and over again. I think that sometimes people sit down intent on wallowing in gloom, specifically to compare a film negatively with a director or actor's previous works. Probably the sort of irritating people who go back to the same place on holiday every year and complain that it was cheaper last year, much more fun and friendly and the place has become too commercialised. Quite frankly I don't care if Anything Else is as good as Annie Hall. I loved it. From start to finish I laughed out loud at the fantastic dialogue, and unlike others I thought the acting was superb. Having heard next to nothing about it on release, this was one of the most unexpectedly funny, heart warming and intelligent films I have seen for some time.

• One of the best recent Woody films

  gaonick2006-02-26

  This film is one of Woody's best. Basically is it criticised by people who don't like Woody Allen for being like all the others, or by people that do like him because it's not quite his usual story line. The only weakness is that Jason Biggs is not quite up to the task, and looks a little lacking in confidence in places. Christina Ricci is excellent as ever, and Woody does a great job playing the eccentric old man, a role that is much more appropriate to his age than many he has attempted to play since he became middle aged (20+ years ago!). This is packed with interesting views on life, great jokes (not Woody's usual repetition of the same jokes like the "polymorphously perverse" line) and touching reflections on relationships. Highly recommended.

• Woody lets the young stars take over--to charming effect

  BrianDanaCamp2003-09-15

  Woody Allen steps back from himself in ANYTHING ELSE and turns center stage over to a couple of young protagonists who are allowed to thrash around and make their own mistakes, with only a little kibitzing from the side by Woody. In the process, the film tackles all of the larger issues of life, love, ethics and the loneliness of man in the universe that Woody has grappled with, in varying degrees of clarity, in so many of his earlier films, but does it in a way that charms and tickles the audience and, ultimately, reassures them. While Woody's character has a dark, paranoid streak to him, the film is nowhere near as bitter and acidic (nor as profound) as DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (1997), the last film of Allen's to address these issues head-on. Woody plays a sage/mentor to a young comedy writer who's trying to write a dark, existential novel. The writer, Jerry Falk (played by Jason Biggs of AMERICAN PIE fame), is saddled with a clinging manager (Danny DeVito), who keeps using inappropriate (but amusing) Garment Center metaphors, and is mired in a hopeless relationship with Amanda, a whirlwind of a young woman who sucks people into her life and then treats them badly. Played to perfection by Christina Ricci, Amanda is smart, seductive, and clearly exciting to be around, but is a bundle of deadly neuroses that will take a lifetime to untangle. We see her future self reflected in her narcissistic, childlike mother (Stockard Channing in a wonderful comic supporting performance), who comes to stay with the couple early in the film. It's all about Jerry coming to grips with who he is, what he wants to do, and what it will take for him to get there. And it's Woody, playing a schoolteacher near retirement age who wants to tackle a comedy writing career late in life for himself, who serves as the catalyst for Jerry. Thus, the movie encapsulates, in, perhaps, an overly tidy fashion, the broad advice Woody wants to dispense to the younger members of his audience. While it's occasionally cartoonish and sometimes veers narrowly toward the heavy-handed, it also gives us a more confident and lively Woody, one who is freed from the self-imposed demands of being the romantic lead. Overall, it's a delightful, charming, funny and genuinely touching film which not only makes very good use of its young stars, but also of its writer-director-co-star-turned elder statesman.

• A great comedy based on paranoia and irony

  Gordon-112007-08-08

  This film is a romantic comedy about two young lovers and an older man who happens to be very paranoid. Anything Else is a typical Woody Allen film, where there are a lot of paranoia and irony. It is dialog heavy, which is a good thing because the dialogs are fun and witty. There are so many memorable scenes in this film. An example is that Woody Allen thiks it is necessary to carry a chainsaw because the modern world is infested with crime. Another scene is that Christina Ricci is too scared to have sex and has a panic attack, and yet she allows the doctor to touch her all over and have no panic attack. That scene is just so funny. I hope this film and other recent Woody Allen films, like "Small Time Crooks" and "Hollywood Ending", reach a wider audience.