Movie Notes: Melinda And Melinda

February 10th, 2008

Melinda and Melinda

= 3 stars

Starring: Radha Mitchell, Will Ferrel, Chloe Sevingy
Directed by: Woody Allen

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A recent Woody Allen film, Melinda and Melinda is about 75% enjoyable, 25% close but no cigarette. Keeping with the film’s style, I’ll alternate the bad with the good.

First, the bad: Pretty much every recent Woody Allen film contains an obligatory “Woody Allen” role, usually played by Allen himself, but even in the films he doesn’t appear in, the persona persists. Hobie (Will Ferrel) is the Woody surrogate in Melinda and Melinda, and unfortunately falls into the trap of doing a Woody Allen impersonation, complete with nebbish whining, neurotic fretting, and hand gestures.

What’s good: Some tight, concise writing by Allen, starting with the premise of writers over a nice dinner out imagining a story in which unexpected guest Melinda (Radha Mitchell) arrives at a dinner party. One writer is an unabashed pessimist, and imagines the set-up leading to tragic events that can only end badly: a story full of adultery, tired marriages, lust and love, and music. The comedic optimist takes the same material and creates a lighthearted romantic comedy. Both writers use similar characters and situations but achieve different results and meanings. This is a neat idea for generating material, to keep the audience interested, and for Allen to entertain his own desires for both comedy and drama in one film, as juggled expertly in Crimes and Misdemeanors. Both stories feature strong performances by Radha Mitchell. In one, she’s a chain smoking, drinking, psychotic mess, and in the other, she’s light and breezy.

The “light” story features Hobie falling in love with Melinda and wanting to leave his marriage to Susan (Amanda Peet), but not having the heart, nerve, or guts to do so. The end result is a mish mash of confusion, lying, and sneaking around that is supposed to be alternately funny and heartwarming, with the idea that Hobie and Melinda are “meant to be.” This is typical Woody Allen romantic comedy fluff - which he can write in his sleep.

The “dark” story proves more interesting, as the tragic, suicidal Melinda is taken in by her friends Laurel (Chloe Sevigny) and Jack. Melinda falls for a piano player who begins an affair with Laurel instead. As the inevitable events play out, we’re reminded how those who have everything still they want more, leaving the possibly more deserving to settle for crumbs.

Perhaps it’s my age or mood these days, but I’m continually more intrigued by Allen’s darker side, with its disintegrating marriages and emotional entanglements where people continually keep up appearances and brazenly lie to the people they know in order to protect selfish interests, or because they feel their situations offer them no real choice. Whether or not you find those types of situations tragic or funny depends on whose end of the dialogue you are, and whether or not you believe the quest for “true love” gives one the justification to lie. This is the essence of Melinda and Melinda, as Allen struggles with his inner pessimist and optimist. A bit of arm chair philosophy indeed, and probably not worth obsessing over, but certainly enough for an average evening’s entertainment.

IMDB: Melinda and Melinda
Wikipedia: Melinda and Melinda
Rotten Tomatoes: Melinda and Melinda 52%