Hollywood Ending (2002)

It has been said that you should write about what you know. Woody Allen knows movies, having written and directed over 40 films over the last 40 some odd years. Hollywood Ending is a later day entry into that Allen filmography in which he stars as Val, a once famous director now forced into doing commericials in Canada. His ex-wife (played by Tea Leoni) is now marrying a film studio executive (Treat Williams), but she still thinks Val could be a brilliant filmmaker and fights to have him direct her passion project. Of course things go pear shaped with Val becoming psychosomatically blind for the duration of filming. While not the most brilliant of Woody Allen concepts, Hollywood Ending is pleasant film fodder.

There are a handful of things that didn't work or worked against the film being more successful. First of all is the length of the movie. For what should be a madcapped, fast moving walk on the ice comedy, the movie runs almost two hours. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but a tightening/ratcheting up of the antics would have helped. Heck, lose the whole estranged son plot line. It leant nothing to the proceedings, other than a lame positing of it being the source of Val's blindness. Which it wasn't.




Secondly, the bizarre intrusion of product placement in the film. Honestly, New York City landmarks are not product placement. If Woody wants to shoot inside Bemelmans Bar, it is because that is the environment in which they would exist. But you start throwing Pepsi cans onto tables and having characters drink from them, all I can think is how much did that cost? And who had the nerve to force it on Woody? Granted, films aren't cheap, so concessions to commericalism have to be endured. In fact, the last few Allen films haven't even been shot in NYC because it has become too cost restrictive. But c'mon! Pepsi?

Lastly, and perhaps the most elusive problem, is the casting. Woody has generally always had top drawer actors and actresses populating his films, but this one seems just a little flat with two sitcom actresses playing major roles: Tea Leoni (The Naked Truth) and Debra Messing (Will & Grace). The only stand out casting for the male actors is Hollywood icon George Hamilton who has the sense to underplay his scenes and stand out all the better for them. At one point, two characters are having a discussion on the sound stage, but my attention drifts to the background where Hamilton is dozing in a chair. Brilliant! Well, maybe not, but it sure did seem to sum up the energy level of filmmaking with all the hurry up and wait it entails.

Yet, in the end, the films works for me because it still has that tonality of Woody Allen dialogue and his twitchy nervous energy. Frankly, I can't help but like the guy.