This movie has been released in Spain ,and it enjoys the strongest critical and boxoffice success for a Woody Allen film for some years in that country.

I hate "Hollywood Ending", but I think that "Anything Else" is one of the most underrated movies in 2003. Based on the critical and boxoffice success in Spain, I think that "Melinda and Melinda" could be the best Woody Allen movie for recent years.

For boxoffice, I hope that this movie would groos more than $10 million in US.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searc ... linda.html

This really is the first Woody Allen film that looked good in a looong time. I actually can't wait to see it, oddly enough.

I kept thinking about how this could easily be his best film in a longgggggggg time when I saw the trailer.


*crosses fingers*

I was just thinking about why this film got released in Spain before the U.S? That seems odd considering the extra work that goes into dubbing and international distribution. I've not heard of it yet, what is it supposed to be about. I have my suspicions from the name of the title, but will hold my tongue.

Stuff like this happens from time to time. Coens' Oh Brother, where art though? (my favorite by Coens) was released in Germany in October 2000, in the USA around December.

Its going to be shown on the Santa Barbara film festival around Jan 28 along with Oldboy

Oldboy rocks. Saw it a couple of months ago.

Can't wait to see Melinda and Melinda.

I was intensely disappointed by Anything Else (though Christina Ricci was good), but I found Hollywood Ending and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion mildly underrated.

I think Will Ferrell's presence in this should gurantee it's his highest-grossing film since at least Everyone Says I Love You or Deconstructing Harry.

I adore Anything Else (8/10 or B+), I'll see this in theaters.

It looks pretty good. It confused me a little bit, but it was funnt nonetheless.

Yep, saw the trailer today and Ferrell was already pulling his weight. This looks like it could be quite good actually.

Its also at 100% over at RT right now, but with only 6 reviews in, that could change.

It is only being released in 1 theater this weekend, however depending on what expansion route it takes I may be able to see it in theaters.

I've heard a couple sites call this Woody Allen's best work since Bullets Over Broadway, which received 7 Oscar nominations (and also which I still haven't seen).

And speaking of Woody, does anybody else love Manhattan?

Bullets over Broadway is excellent. In between then and now the only movie he did I really liked was Mighty Aphrodite, and it wasn't on the same level as Bullets. Bullets has the best casting, and Cusack does an awfully good Woody impersination. They're all great and it won an oscar for best supporting actress I think.

My fave of his is probably still Hanna and Her Sisters.

As usual, comp is timing out for rt, does anyone know how the reviews are coming in there for M&M? Still fresh? How many are in? I'm very excited for this after seeing the trailer.

Melinda and Melinda
10:30 RottenTomatoes Update

Reviews counted: 10
Fresh: 9 Rotten: 1
Average Rating: 7.3/10

Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters and Interiors are probably the *best* movies he's done, if you ask me.

Everyone Says I Love You, Bananas, Manhattan Murder Mystery and Manhattan are top-notch, as well.

You know he's definately done many great ones, and I think he just went through a bad spell after Mighty Aphrodite when he did too many in too short a period of time. I saw Small Time Crooks, and it was still pretty good for a cute little comedy, it just wasn't up to the caliber of his other stuff. I didn't wantch Anything else and only saw bits of Curse of the Jade Scorpion, so I couldn't speak for those. It seems like he's taken a little time off now and it helped. He also had casting trouble I think. He needs his muses and the old group pretty much is done with, so he has been experimenting with new people. I just don't think the pairings have been spectacular. Now it looks like he's gone and cast from scratch all over again (something he never did with Caine, Farrow, Keaton, etc). Lets hope it works, because then he'll hold onto all of them for a few more movies, and the films could really grow again.

It took a bit of a beating at rt, and the last few have come in rotten. Its now at 77% when it started at 100, but there are still only 13 reviews in, and not enough cream of the crop. We'll see and hope.

Today, this movie opens in one theater in New Yrok.


Unlucky, VILLAGE VOICE, NY post and NY daily news give this movie bad reviews......


Lucky, NY times gives this movie positive review.

I would take New York reviews with a grain of salt if I were you. Consider them to be an awful lot like mine...elitist and condescending!

Saw it today. It was pleasant, I unfortunately see where it could have taken the same premesis and been alot smarter. The Melinda and Melinda dual name references the fact two stories about the same women are being told by two different men (one a tragedist and one a comedian). So they both start with the same event, an old highschool friend randomly shows up at an apartment dinner party in Manhattan. Both stories are fine, one being comic and the other tragic, and Woody does an decent job weaving them. The issue I have is that both narrators give "Melinda" a completely different background, and the receiving dinner partiers are also completely different. So at this point, it actually could have been two different "Melindas" and there was no need to really use the same actress. I would have preferred that Woody focus on the absurdity of the situation (absurdity being easily made comic or tragic) and the same set of characters for both, and just seen it play out two different ways (with same characters, background histories, and personalities, etc). See how absurd the minute difference in the way each play out would lead to completely different endings (A tragic one and a happy one). This way, it felt more just like to random stories woven together of different women. The stories themselves were fine, most of the acting was up to par. I give Ferrel my full applause. Never ceases to amaze me how Woody casts someone to actually be, well Woody Allen, in each movie. Cusach has done it as well. The blumbering, stuttering, unhappy, schlemiel. Heh, Will did a fine job, provided most of the comic relief in the movie, but was still ok. A bit over the top, but it was in the "comedy" one, so it worked well. I'm pretty sure this movie, like Sadnler's Punch-Drunk Love, signifies that Will is going to be able to be cast outside of hos own movies (or Stiller's).

Ok. Tough to evaluate, and I have to do a full review, but I have to ponder is I should just approach it as two different stories, or if Woody Allen's emphasis on reading the same situation by two different minds means that he fell short a little. Right now its about a B-.

Bad reviews didn't seem to hurt it too much. It opened with $74,000 in its lone theater.

In limited release area , big name= good opening ("In My Country" is one of the few exception)

In US, I think that "Melinda and Melinda" is a kind of movies that can expect strong numbers in a few select urban areas but wash out everywhere else.

Overseas boxoffice should be better. (This movie was only released in three major country, but has already grossed $10.5 million. Hollywood Ending only grossed $9.7 million and Anything Else only grossed $10.3 million.)

I just don't get Woody Allen. [-X I can't get past his relationship with his daughter.

It got 2 thumbs up from Ebert and Roeper

Do you base your opinion of all movies/literature/art on the artist's biography?