The Flicks 1

Went to see Melinda and Melinda last night – the new Woody Allen film. It was interesting, and quite entertaining, but I can’t say I was completely satisfied. The fact that two filmic stories run concurrently and interrupt each other is clever, but ultimately annoying for the viewer, as you naturally prefer one of the stories over the other. The ‘tragedy’ side of the story was better acted, and more intriguing than the ‘comedy’ side, which just seemed silly and contrived. However, S, who saw it with me, found both sides of the story equally appealing, and really enjoyed the whole thing. It was good, and very engaging due to the nature of the breaks to the narrative and the emphasis, by use of the characters discussing the various merits of comedy versus tragedy in the (oddly sepia-toned) New York café, on the whole thing as artifice. It was very self-conscious, and littered with fairy-tale and mythic references, as well as contemporary cultural references, and the knowing use of these techniques made it seem intentionally and none too subtly post-modern.

The script, apart from the hectoring conversations between the two ‘writers’ in the café, was excellent, and crackled along, especially in the comedy version, such as the following exchange between husband and wife:

Hobie: You feel like we don't communicate anymore?
Susan: Of course we communicate. Now can we not talk about it anymore?

It did feel rather disjointed, though that was possibly intentional, but it was also a little over-long too. I always feel a bit patronised when a film hammers it’s point down your throat – in this case, the fact that comedy and tragedy are interchangeable; that elements of the tragic are comic and vice versa – okay, okay, I can hear you Allen. Overall, it was a very entertaining and though-provoking film; I would just have preferred a lighter directorial touch, though maybe that’s something of an oxymoron in the same sentence as ‘Woody Allen’. S is a big fan of his movies and she really liked it, so if you are a devotee, there’s lots to like in Melinda and Melinda (It is worth noting, though, that S also likes musicals, so I don’t know how much faith you’d want to put in her opinion). Really, the whole thing was so self-reflexive and so obviously post-modern that it is bound to end up being discussed on University courses for years to come.