Movie Notes: Everyone Says I Love You

August 23rd, 2009

= 3 stars

Starring Drew Barrymore, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts
Directed by Woody Allen

Synopsis

Manhattanite husband Bob (Alan Alda) and wife Steffi (Goldie Hawn) deal with romantic tribulations as daughter Skyler (Drew Barrymore) becomes engaged to Holden (Edward Norton). Meanwhile, Steffi’s ex-husband Joe (Woody Allen) has romantic troubles of his own. This is a musical peppered with old classics, and the gimmick: all these famous actors sing the songs.

The Good

• The merging of musical and Allen comedy works well in places, particularly because his cliched characters are one step removed from reality anyhow, that it’s somewhat plausible they could burst out into song, and Manhattan makes a neat musical backdrop. Many of the jokes come from a so-predictable-its-cute place. When Holden hides a wedding ring on Skylar’s dessert, you already know what what comes next.
• The actors-singing-their-own-songs idea has a few revelations: Norton and Hawn are refreshingly solid singers, and one dance between Allen and Hawn holds a few magical surprises.

The Bad

• Allen’s habit of pairing himself romantically with younger actresses leads to a particularly odd pairing even by Allen standards: Julia Roberts. Even by fantastical musical suspension of belief, I couldn’t buy it.
• Most of the musical entertainment is fleshed out by a cast of unknown supporting actors. There is no Gene Kelly, Syd Charisse, Catherine Zeta-Jones, or even lip-synching Audrey Hepburn as anchor, saying “you gotta watch this movie!”. Without great performances, the film pales in comparison to the best musicals and barely works as homage.
• Too many characters: the family is truly extended, with two younger sisters, ex-wives, and even an ex-con. This plus all the singing and dancing means plot is given rather short shrift.

Conclusion

While the pairing of a classic movie musical and a Woody Allen comedy is an interesting idea and initially works well, movie magic ultimately pops up sparingly. Ultimately a mediocre Allen film combined with a mediocre musical, the result is not a better movie. I’d sooner watch Annie Hall and Singing In The Rain back to back.

Next Woody Allen Movie: Deconstructing Harry
Previous Woody Allen Movie: Mighty Aphrodite

IMDB: Everyone Says I Love You
Wikipedia: Everyone Says I Love You
Rotten Tomatoes: Everyone Says I Love You 83%