Anything Else

Pretty good movie with Woody Allen's signature neurotic characters.The Protagonist is Jerry Falk, played by (Jason Biggs), chasing a girl named Amanda Chase, played by (Christina Ricci), she is a nightmare that is driving him insane. She plays the role well & is very unsavory & a lightning rod for cringe inducing situations.Contrast our nice guy protagonist with his alter ego, David Dobel (Woody Allen), who is really a double for Falk (Jason Biggs), but he has no problem telling these leaches where to go, while Falk just can't.(Danny DeVito) plays Faulk's inept & annoying manager, Harvey Wexler.(Stockard Channing) plays Amanda Chase's mother & she is the most charming character here, although she is unsavory as well in the end.This movie is about Jerry Faulk learning how to tell all these negative people to get out of his life...Maybe be a little bit like Dobel, but not too much...

This Woody Allen movie nearly didn't make it into my collection of Woody Allen movies, for, after downloading it through a file sharing website, and having watch it the first go, I wasn't too impressed, only to rediscover the movie one year later on a DVD purchased from Amazon.Upon re-evaluation, I found that the movie has its witty moments, and share of laughs, with Woody putting in his usually commendable performances, with Anything Else being no exception, and a storyline that's engrossing enough to keep you entertained.The story revolves around a fledging young writer who suddenly decides to take his work on a serious turn in an attempt at generating a successful career for himself as a writer, his efforts being hampered by a bumbling agent whose ineptitude keeps the writer in the dumps and Woody, playing the role of mentor, advising him to drop the agent and engage in a partnership with him that will take them to Los Angeles; while, he struggles to maintain the sparks in what constitutes an on and off relationship with his ambivalent girlfriend who has a problem binging on food and finds it difficult to engage in intimate relationships that involve sexual intercourse.On the overall, a fine effort by Woody that constitutes a worthwhile watch.

I literally own EVERY movie that Woody Allen has ever made. I think it's like 45 at this point. But I can say without any hyperbole that this movie is in a three way tie for worst film he has ever made. The two stars are SUCH bad actors. It completely ruins the movie before each has finished his/her first sentence.The side story about Woody Allen as a crazy sidekick in the main character's life is a pretty decent typical Woody part. If you want to see just his performance then it might be worth watching this movie (if you are a bigtime fan of Woody on screen). Otherwise, turn and run when someone proposes you watch this.The really strange part is that Woody called this movie out specifically saying that he was pleased with the actors' performances. I don't know how that's possible. But I hated these two.

I am a devoted fan of Woody Allen's movies, and I am prepared to believe his films, even his very best, are not to everyone's tastes. What a predisposition to like Allen's movies buys me is the willingness to give this movie a second chance if it does not appeal to me on first viewing. And, I can honestly say that this movie has one of the very best qualities of any movie, in that it actually improves as you watch it for a second and third time.Since Allen is famous for doing parodies of major dramatic genres, from 1930s German impressionism of `Shadows and Fog' to Renaissance fantasy in `A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy', so my first reaction to this movie was that it too was primarily a parody of modern light comedy, but it is not. The saying about taking coals to Newcastle comes to mind. Another first reaction was that many of the situations seemed a bit improbable. But then, I remembered situations in recent popular comedies where a 13 year old becomes 30 years old overnight, a mother and daughter switch bodies, and a very overweight black professor becomes very trim and obnoxious. All these movies are very funny, but they are also based on literally impossible situations. So what was I complaining about if it seems a bit improbable for a 60 year old high school teacher with a giant vocabulary and a history of psychotic violence is trying to break into the standup comedy joke writing profession.This last description is a sketch of Woody Allen's character in this movie that, unlike almost all of his others where he has a role, is not the lead character. Rather, it supports the lead played by Jason Biggs who shares the spotlight with fellow teenage character specialist, Christina Ricci. Neither of these actors is drawn from Allen's usual pool of actors, since none of his usual late middle aged colleagues would have a chance at playing the 21-year-old characters. I have seen neither Biggs nor Ricci in any of their other movies, but I believe that they succeed very well here at playing largely innocent, unreflective young adults who do not yet have their lives nailed down to a solid foundation.Biggs young gag writer character is being advised in several different directions by his nebbish agent, played with gusto as usual by Danny DeVito, his psychiatrist, and by Allen's character, whose advice usually wins out. The main action of the story is the young man's inability to be alone, leading him to fall in love with the immature siren Christina Ricci character, who is as disorganized with maintaining her emotional attachments as she is in managing her time, money, or mother. Most of the humor is generated by the goings on between these two characters, but great grins are also created by the really terrific performance by Stockard Channing as Ricci's mother.In a sense, Biggs is playing Woody Allen of 40 years ago, as he appears in `Take the Money and Run', but without Allen's psychotic mischieviousness, as when Allen directs a parking driver to violently back into a parked car's headlights. Allen the writer reserves that grim humor for Allen the actor's character, especially when he smashes in the headlights and windshields of a car driven by two very heavily built young men who just stole a parking space from Allan's fire engine red Porsche.`anything else', to my mind, is neither Allen's best or worst comedy, but it may be one of his best which combines comedy with serious, realistic human interaction. There is none of the fantasy hijinks of `Mighty Aphrodite' with its Greek chorus or even the Academy awarded `Annie Hall' with deux ex machina appearances of celebrities from behind movie cutouts. The only unusual device used in this movie is the Biggs' charter speaking directly to the audience, as if the audience was the only character in the room that really understands him. At least, it is the only character who can't talk back.I agree with some other reviewers that Biggs and Ricci are not up to the quality of acting from veterans Channing and DeVito, but I thing their weak acting skills plays into their characters, who are not exactly strong people themselves, except that Biggs manages in the end to resolve his situation and free himself from immediate conflicts, with a little help from Woody's character.As a comedy, this movie is a lot easier to take and to like than the dramatic `Husbands and Wives' or `Crimes and Misdemeanors', but it is more challanging than the comedies with easy gimmicks. Not quite as good as `Annie Hall' or `Manhattan', but well worth the viewing.

Typical Woody Allen film. Amusing, but doesn't really go anywhere. You get Woody Allen's humor and Jason Biggs impersonating Woody Allen - double Woody. Christinna Ricci plays her role kind of aloof. Biggs plays a young man who can't seem to break up with anyone, but finally does so behind Allen's prompting. He has a cheating girlfriend, a worthless manager pressing for a new contract and a therapist that never talks to him. You get an hour and a half whinny pity party before he takes his unstable friend's advice to stand up for his self. This will appeal to those who like a more intellectual type of comedy. One line that I got a kick out of was when Ricci, his live together lover who hasn't had sex with him in six months, chides Biggs about not reading anything into the fact that "Just because I pull away when you touch me" -- hint! hint! Maybe I should give this a 3 1/2 stars.

It's kind of hard not to damn this with faint praise. It's light and fairly funny, in many ways a return the the style of earlier films. With woody to old, Jason Biggs takes on the lead role and does a decent job of it. While woody turns in a supporting roles that is the highlight of the film. There is also great use of New York location shots. But for me it's not quite funny enough, the central performances not quite good enough.OK way to spend an evening in front of the TV.

Ok its not his best, but there are some very good one liners. I loved the scenes in the therapist's room, the patient's narrative on the couch was hilarious- [hey I'm a psychotherapist!]. Definitely worth watching.

despite two very good actors the film was absolute rubbish, didnt even finish it

One purely for Woody Allen fans. Not up to "Play It Again, Sam" - or - "Hannah And Her Sisters", but still terrific.

This Allen movie passed me by unnoticed at the time of release , so I kinda expected it to be a dud . Instead I loved it . Fast paced , funny dialogue with Allen playing one of his more unusual characters .