A recent Woody Allen film, Melinda and Melinda is about 75% enjoyable, 25% close but not cigarette. In the style of the film, I’ll alternate the bad with the good. First, the bad: Pretty much every Woody Allen film as of late has an expected “Woody Allen” role, usually played by Allen himself, but even in films he doesn’t appear in, the persona exists. In Bullets Over Broadway the “Allen role” was played by John Cusak. 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.

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