Movie Notes: Zelig

June 25th, 2009

= 3 stars

Starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow
Directed by Woody Allen

Synopsis

Documentary profiling Zelig (Woody Allen), a human chameleon, who takes on the personality and appearance of those in his immediate vicinity.

The Good

• Allen returns to the documentary format, first used in Take The Money And Run (there’s a nod to the previous film in the transformation into a Rabbi), but to contemplate the more serious and romantic subjects of ego and personality. The mockumentary style is kept extremely straight and is rarely satirical. The humor lies in the ridiculous of the subject matter instead of Allen’s early slapstick antics. It’s a subtler precursor to the Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Spinal Tap, Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman).
• Very subtle yet effective special effects are used to insert Allen and Farrow into old newsreel footage. Add precursor to Forrest Gump as Zelig travels through history.
• Zelig is a literal embodiment of a person who wants so desperately to fit in, that they lose their own personality. The ramifications of Dr. Eudora (Mia Farrow) falling in love with Zelig — who mimics her — means she is partly falling for herself.

The Bad

• Requires buying into the premise of a chameleon-man and a nostalgia trip through the early twentieth century. If neither subject matter amuses you, there’s nothing else to grab hold of.
• Despite the shortest running time of any Allen movie (79 minutes), it drags as society turns against Zelig.

Conclusion

Introverts everywhere will recognize Zelig’s ability to mold one’s personality to fit present company. That, plus Allen’s further exploration of film techniques and the “mockumentary,” makes Zelig worth a rental.

Next Woody Allen Movie: Broadway Danny Rose
Previous Woody Allen Movie: A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy

IMDB: Zelig
Wikipedia: Zelig
Rotten Tomatoes: Zelig 100%