Writer/director Woody Allen’s most recent romantic comedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is less a singular tale and more a series of tales that weave together into a singular storyline, with characters and events intersecting at various points. This is not unlike the structure of Allen’s Radio Days, though Stranger lacks the same personal touch and narrative polish of that earlier work. Also unlike Radio Days, which takes places in Allen’s home of New York, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is set across the pond in England. While entertaining, I would have preferred if Allen had created a storyline with a tighter plot. Though, when you’re responsible for Annie Hall, I suppose expectations are always going to be high, and longtime fans such as myself will demand a bit more.
While characters and branching points are all over the place in this film, the events are all tied together by the experiences of Helena, played by Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones’ Diary). Helena is recently divorced, after her husband Alfie, played by Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs), refusing to give in to his age, up and leaves her for a much younger woman. Helena begins seeing a psychic as she tries to make sense of life around her. Meanwhile, her daughter, played by Naomi Watts (King Kong) and her writer husband, Josh Brolin (Milk), face struggles of their own. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and Antonio Banderas (Philadelphia) round out the cast.
In particular, the story of Alfie Shepard and his new young wife is positively boring and right from jump street you can imagine where it will end up. Hopkins is serviceable in the role, but watching it I got the feeling his considerable talents were being wasted and he was just going through the motions. Only in one scene, after discovering his new wife’s infidelity, did I get excited when Alfie slips into an angry and slightly menacing tone, one which drew up memories of Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Spoiler alert, no one got eaten here.
Instead I would have preferred better conclusions to Watts’ and Brolin’s story arcs. Not because the ones in the film are bad, but because they are practically non-existent. For those characters the movie just sort of ends, which is perplexing. It also doesn’t help that the chemistry of the cast is way off. Brolin and Pinto are completely mismatched and their interactions were awkward to me. Watts and Banderas seem to be a good match, but they aren’t given enough screen time together to really display what chemistry might exist there.
Awkward casting decisions and dropped plot lines aside, I enjoy the film, which is all the more reason I was hoping for more. There are plenty of the elements of a classic Woody Allen film here; the humor and humility are on display constantly. There is a sense of reality to the characters and situations, though Allen’s famous self-deprecating wit is absent, as is an appearance from the director himself.
In the end, Allen seemed less interested in creating a film and more so in playing out a social experiment designed to investigate how foolish our attempts to create meaning out of life through ruminations and planning are. Entertaining? Most definitely, but don’t be surprised if you’re left wanting more as you watch the credits roll.
Bonus Features
There is a preview for Barney’s Version as well as the original theatrical trailer for You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. This is exceedingly disappointing as this sort of ensemble film with a plot that raises such interesting questions would have been greatly enriched by some actor interviews or even a director commentary. Having the players give their take on theme of the film and their personal beliefs would have been interesting. Plus, the more insight we can get into the comic genius of Woody Allen, the better.
"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" is on sale February 15, 2011 and is rated R. Romantic-Comedy. Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts.
