media consumption

Melinda and Melinda

This is a cute little Woody Allen film that has all the earmarks of the classic Woody Allen films, except, well, without Woody Allen. It's set in Mahattan, large chunks of the movie take place at dinner parties and in restaurants, the meaning of life is debated at different points, and one of the main characters is a neurotic, bumbling, sweet guy.

What's that? Yeah, that right, Woody's not in the movie. Instead, his part is played (much more believably, I might add) by Will Ferrell. Oh, and there is also a Allen-esque gimmick to the movie. The opening scene shows two playwrights at dinner arguing over which is a more truthful portrayal of reality, comedy or tragedy. Another of the people at the table puts forth the details of a story he heard, asking the two playwrights to decide whether the story is a comedy or tragedy.

And away we go. The movie proper commences with each writer's vision sharing equal time on the screen, with each writer's interpretation alternating scene by scene.

Like I said, it's a cute movie. Neither story line has a chance to develop properly and most of the characters are no more than caricatures of roles from previous Woody Allen movies, but that's really good enough. The quality of the performances, the writing, and the overall pacing all provide for an enjoyable experience.

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