Woody Allen is on a roll!

I have thoroughly enjoyed his recent movies since the birth of his renaissance with Melinda And Melinda.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is yet another gem of sharply observed human nature - - it's a perfect little play sporting a dream cast.

It's frankly, brilliant.

Woody's direction is so assured and astute, that it plays an unseen character in it's enthralling perspective on the events as they unfold.

YWMATDS is another fabulous episode in the 40+ episode series of Woody Allen movies (imagine the box set) kicking off in 1966 with What's Up, Tiger Lily and continuing lo these 44 years - - he's still got it.

I'm looking forward to seeing this one again!


84 out of 5.





(PS: Don't ever let anyone tell you that Naomi Watts isn't one of the hottest women on the planet.)

Really enjoyed it.

It isn't Allen's best, but it's fun and lighthearted entertainment with some excellent performances. The ending did leave me wanting a little more, but I suppose that's more towards the film's credit than against it.

B+

Minor, but entertaining and well-acted by its extensive ensemble cast. Woody Allen's fourth London-set film opens with a famous quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth: "[Life is a tale] told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing." And so it is. There is the health-and-image-conscious rich man (Anthony Hopkins) who leaves his long-term wife (Gemma Jones) because she, in his estimation, has let herself grow old. There is their daughter (Naomi Watts), who longs for a child and is tired of her anxious husband's (Josh Brolin) inability to complete his second novel and refusal to hold a real job--and there is the beautiful musician (Freida Pinto) who lives in their neighborhood and has caught his eye, and so on and so forth.

Neither as grave and suspenseful as Match Point or as comic as Scoop or last year's Whatever Works, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger lands between two. There are light one-liners interspersed throughout and most connect. And there are a handful of near-intense moments, most involving Brolin's character and a certain manuscript. Though none of the actors included are at their best here, each delivers a fine performance. Watts in particular shines and handles Allen's rapid-fire dialogue well. Overall, Allen's fourth trip to England finds him settled, perhaps even a bit complacent, but still able to write and shoot a nice, small, sophisticated motion picture.

B+

Really enjoyed it, but the ending was fairly unsatisfying and brings it down a notch. Loved Naomi Watts in it. She's always great though.

B (Was going to be a B+ before the ending)

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger feels and acts out just like any other Woody Allen film. It's smart and quirky along with keeping you thinking the entire time. At the same time, a lot of his films have many different storylines going on and some work while others don't. That's how I felt with this film as well. There are some stories (including the Freida Pinto/Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas/Naomi Watts) that work perfectly and keep me glued in while watching. Then there are the stories (such as the Gemma Jones and Anthony Hopkins stories) that are too cliche or repetitive making me want to almost turn off the movie. It is a very up and down film but I did find myself enjoying it, but it could of been a lot better. **1/2

Allen's worst film after Cassandra's Dream. Poorly written, boring and unfunny. Just mediocre all around. Should've focused solely on Lucy Punch. C-

This is way better than The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Ending.

5/10 -> C-

Lazy and uninspired. That's how I would sum up You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. It's a Woody Allen movie, through and through. And that's the problem - he's put out so many movies - some great, some good, some bad; but for the first time it feels like he's content enough just by recycling his previous work and putting out a completely mediocre work that doesn't even try to be better than that.

The best thing about this movie is its title. It's ominous, romantic, mysterious and a lot of other things at the same time. The movie is nothing like that. It's set-up makes it very predictable, the actors seem miscast for the most part...

Not one of Allen's best works, but still a good piece of work with some of his familiar touches. The story isn't quite that developed or effective, but the cast does a good job to make it engaging throughout. And except for the narrative part, which I felt missed the mark, it's quite amusing all together.

B