User reviews

Allegedly the plot was born to prove that believing in anything, no matter how silly and incongruous, makes people happier.

It's been proved many times that people find consolation in anything that gives them hope and in this story we start with the most hopeless case of Helena, a middle-aged, wealthy housewife abandoned by her husband, Alfie.

Helena is not smart and starts seeing Cristal, a clairvoyant, for comfort. At first, Helena desperately wants Alfie back, but slowly, Cristal convinces her that she can do better.

Helena's daughter, Sally is going through the final stages of her marriage with Roy, a nasty piece of work, who having got lucky with his first book, decided to pursue a writing career, which is proving disastrous.

Their fragile balance is shatter respectively by Sally's new boss, a sexy Banderas as Greg and by female neighbour Dia.

A final wheel is set in motion when Alfie, after much grief in the dating world, hooks up with a call girl and decides to marry her. Like way too many before him, Alfie's in for some nasty surprises.

Things don't go much better for Roy and Sally, with the exception of Helena. Having started as the most unhappy and unlikely to straighten her life, thanks to Cristal's bad advice, but most of all, to her own "faith" in Cristal, Helena ends up as the sole winner of some sort.

To prove once more that life is unfair and chance is more important than intelligence. Good movie, albeit depressing.

Anthony Hopkins is always a joy to behold on screen. If you're further into things British and your "Masterpiece Theater" memory is long, you will recognize wife #1 as the incredible "Duchess Of Duke Street" Gemma Jones, making a rare appearance on America's big screen. Like Allen's more recent films, save for the British accents, you could be in any city of urban sophisticates and wannabes. The London settings ultimately don't give the film a deep sense of any place in particular. But as Anglophiles have not been well-served of late Stateside, this release will have to do until some grand historic costume epic sweeps us back into a dark theater. All new Woody Allen comedies are also for those who don't dwell on the director's personal life and still enjoy him as a film-maker of thoughtful,lighter fare. Sure, his earliest films were more ground-breaking and side-splitting, but we've accepted that for eons now. Not an obvious Oscar contender as a whole, many of its performances are indeed worthy of consideration. Sony Pictures Classics' marketing is a good fit for American audiences who see the imprint of a studio's "for select audiences" arm as a modern-day film lovers' "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval -- proclaiming here is a work of cinema, several cuts above the mindless teen romp, action-adventure or horror rampage. Film comedy choices for 40-somethings on up have been bleak of late. As the Oscar race moves into its final quarter lap, a visit with this "Stranger" will brighten things up a bit. My 6 rating is relative to the quality of 2010's domestic crop. It could just as well have been a 5 if there had been more comedies worth $14 since January. But especially for Allen devotees, all is relative, in that sense at least.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) was written and directed by Woody Allen. Even if you didn't know that, you could guess it pretty quickly. In Woody Allen country, nobody stays in a love relationship if someone better comes along.

Alfie Shebritch (Anthony Hopkins) is an older man married to Helena (Gemma Jones). He decides to have a (somewhat late) midlife crisis, finds a bimbo, and leaves his wife.

Meanwhile, their daughter, Sally Channing (Naomi Watts) is leaving her husband Roy (Josh Brolin) because she has fallen in love with Greg (Antonio Banderas).

Meanwhile, Roy . . .

Allen has the clout to surround himself with these fine actors, and his movies--including this one--demonstrate his complete command of the medium. The problem is that he's writing and directing the same romantic comedy over and over.

I saw the movie on DVD and it worked well on the small screen. I think it's worth seeing if you're in the mood for fine actors in a lightweight comedy. If you're in the mood for more than this, find another film.

Woody Allen frequently seems to take his cues from music in molding a story. This time, in YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER he admixes frustrated relationships with lust and a dollop of 'ppychic readings' and comes up with a fun if uneven little film. As usual he surrounds himself with a fine cast of actors who are able to make the most out of Allen's outline for a microscopic examination of human behavior.

Helena Shebritch (Gemma Jones) is consulting 'clairvoyant' Cristal (Pauline Collins) regarding the request for divorce from her gadabout husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) who is courting a hooker named Charmaine (Lucy Punch). Helena and Alfie's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is disgusted with both her parents and is in the midst of coping with her MD educated turned writer's block novelist husband Roy (Josh Brolin). Fed up with their static life Sally seeks and gains employment with art gallerist Greg (Antonio Banderas), and in her need for attention falls in lust with him, despite the fact that he is married and seemingly unavailable until she discovers Greg is having an affair with gallery artist Iris (Anna Friel). Roy spends his days gazing at guitarist Dia (Freida Pinto) who lives across the way in the next apartment. Roy serendipitously comes on a novel (by a comatosed friend) he can 'sell' and with his self worth strengthened he courts Dia who is in an arranged marriage contract. Inappropriate Cristal is the one who oversees all of the derring-do with miscalculated predictions - except for Helena who meets widower Jonathan (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) in a séance oriented lifestyle. By story's end it seems that perhaps Helena will be the only one successful in her 'wish upon a star'.

This may not be one of Woody Allen's best films but it does pose many questions about relationships today and as usual, he has a fine cast to entertain us. If you like Woody Allen, you'll likely enjoy this outing.

Grady Harp

"Well, as Sally told Roy, sometimes the illusions work better than the medicine."

As far as Woody Allen films go, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger isn't out of the ordinary. The story is the usual mixture of completely unpredictable good and bad events, that seem to happen to his characters regardless of whether they deserve them or not. Much like life. Unintended consequences, fate, and the meaninglessness of it all is once again the underlying message, all presented through the lives of the wealthy and discontent. There's less humor than some of his movies, a little more than others, and I think that most fans of Allen's work will find it agreeable, if much less neurotic than something like Annie Hall. 

What does set this apart from some of the director's other work is the cast. Sure, Allen has a history of working with some excellent actors. This is the best cast he's had, in my opinion, primarily because I'm such a fan of Naomi Watts. To see her joined by Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Frieda Pinto, Lucy Punch, Antonio Banderas, Gemma Jones, and others...well, that's quite an ensemble. 

Overall, I was satisfied with You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Allen doesn't stretch himself much with this one, but the cast makes it memorable.

An odd film for Allen, neither an overt comedy or one of his dark serious films (e.g. 'Crimes and Misdemeanors'). This is a 'light' drama, something he hasn't done much. While far from Allen's best work, I felt more warmly towards it than most of the press, especially after a second viewing. Some of the criticisms are valid; the voice over narration feels out of tone with the film, and at times tells us too literally what we already know. Yet, in the current American cinema, how many film-makers are getting to even and try and address the complex subtle questions of grown-up relationships, aging and the fear of death, and the lies we tell ourselves to get through it all? Or deal with the paradox that humans seem to need something to believe in, and yet that same belief can also lead us astray? Or give great older actors like Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones really meaty roles? As long as Allen keeps asking questions, he'll remain a voice worth listening to.

In this story the characters have a tremendous development.

There never seems to be a conflict to resolve in this movie, but the development of the characters makes it endearing because they go through many emotional situations, especially related to love. The film shows us how we do not value the love that we have in front of us, since that is not enough for us, we will always look for something that satisfies us even if we hurt those who love us, although destiny will teach us that our selfishness will end with ourselves. There are some situations that don't have a good ending, but I still think the film has a lot of positive things, like the music it uses, the tremendous acting, the good photography, and the way the direction makes us empathize with the characters, even if they have made a mistake in the past.

It is an enjoyable movie and its good character development, good performances and good direction make this story feel very human.

Greetings again from the darkness. Sound and fury signify nothing. The narrator begins the film by reminding us of Shakespeare's words. I can't decide if this was a confession by Woody Allen when he realized the movie fits that phrase. I have followed Mr. Allen's film career since the early 70's and have learned that sometimes disappointment follows. Of course, there are also times when pure screen magic occurs and that makes the journey worthwhile. Unfortunately, there is no magic here, just sound and faux-fury.

Here is a convoluted recap of the story: Elderly woman Helena (Gemma Jones) is dumped by her doesn't want to admit he's aging husband Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). He tries to be a swinging bachelor and ends up marrying a gold-digging call girl named Charlamaine (Lucy Punch). Helena looks for guidance from Cristal (Pauline Collins),a fortune teller referred by Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts). Sally is married to Roy (Josh Brolin), a morally bankrupt one-hit wonder in the novel-writing business. She works at a very successful art gallery run by Greg (Antonio Banderas). Sally and Roy yell at each other a lot and Sally has eyes for Greg, who instead has eyes for Iris (Anna Friel), a painter Sally discovered. Roy has peeping eyes for Dia (Freida Pinto), whom he can see from his bedroom window.

So, you get the idea. It is actually a set-up that fits perfectly with a Woody Allen film. A madcat story where no one is happy with their life and they each seek proof of their worth. Interesting that they seem to have some security with their current partner, but it's just not enough. The cast is stellar, and London makes the perfect setting. However, nothing really clicks. Manly Josh Brolin just doesn't wear neurosis well. I didn't enjoy watching Naomi Watts yell at people. Anthony Hopkins' character is such a pathetic re-tread that it really annoyed me. Mr. Allen obviously finds Freida Pinto appealing because her character gets perfect lighting and comes across as a victim, despite dumping her fiancé.

Despite all the turns in these sub-plots, only one of the stories really has any finality to it. Now I don't mind endings that leave much to the imagination, but I do get irritated when it appears the filmmaker just lost interest. Even when that filmmaker is Woody Allen.

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER - CATCH IT ( B ) you will meet a tall dark stranger is from Woody Allen. So, we can expect that the humor or pace is going to be nothing like we see on regular basis.

For me in this movie the revelation was Freida Pinto, she was the True Lady in Red. With her skin stone no one can thought that she can look so sexy and glamorous without much make up on? Besides her Lucy Punch was Hilarious & I was laughing my heart out on her scenes. Naomi Watts is a veteran and she was good as always. In other cast Gemma Jones, Anna Friel, Antonio Banderas & Anthony Hopkins were out of their comfort zone and natural.I'm not a fan of Josh Brolin, somehow he always seemed UnFit for the roles.

The whole movie was perfect, weird and funny in woody Allan's way but the Incomplete ending was little disappointing still it's a worth a watch.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

In this painfully derivative Woody Allen drama, we have more couples breaking up than can fit on the screen. But if there is a twist to it all, it starts with the title (there is no tall dark stranger in the movie) and with the ending, which I won't spoil. But I will say, that almost everyone is deeply unhappy at the end, and all because hankering for a glamour and youth in their partners that is, in the movie, clearly unattainable.

When I say derivative, I mean that Allen is covering himself. The types of characters (and actors) and the types of problems (relatioinships) have been worked in these ways many times before in earlier and better Allen movies. If there had been a bit of Allen humor along the way, it might have been more fun and therefore more moving, too. But it remains superficial and disappointing.

I will say the acting is really good (and with several genuine stars in the cast, as Allen still seems to be able to attract). The photography is by legendary Vilmos Zsigmond, who does a standup excellent job, but a long way from "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and other early, gorgeous movies. This turns out to have been his last film, and if you look at his filmography you'll be impressed. (Allen has also attracted some of the truly great cinematographers in his long career.) A final clue to Allen's intentions comes from the bland (downright boring) voice-over all through. It means to suggest a lighthearted look at these people (caught in the sound and the fury). And the music in the background shifts the mood in almost silly ways, announcing that the movie is almost an oversized trifle. Or truffle.

I don't suppose Allen has a quota of movies he has to meet, being beyond that idea and independent, but this movie fills like it's filling a small need, and quickly.

Kind of a low key role for anthony hopkins, twenty years after "lambs". Here, he wants a new start to life, so he divorces his wife of many years, and gets hitched to a pretty young thing. Who is probably is a hooker. And his kids don't approve at all. But their marriage isn't going so well either. Written and directed by woody allen. This one seems to take place in london. And not as much comedy in this one, compared to his other films. There are a couple clever jokes, but they are so subtle and low key, you'll miss them if you aren't paying attention. It's entertaining, but not as good as some of woody's others. Antonio banderas, josh brolin, pauline collins, naomi watts. It's okay, just not his best film. Very average.

If you've seen most of Woody Allen's movies, then you should know that he likes depicting relationships. An example in the 21st century is "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", about a group of acquaintances in London. It's worth seeing.

However, there's one jarring thing, and it happens a lot in Allen's movies: a man with a woman half his age. It's not just that Allen got married to his stepdaughter, it's that he's been showing his lecherous side ever since "Manhattan" (where his character was in a relationship with a teenage girl). Never mind that the characters' relationships smack of those in Allen's god-awful "Everyone Says I Love You" (he would have to try unimaginably hard to make a worse movie than that one).

Anyway, it's okay, not great.

I realize that his many fans feel Allen can do no wrong but this film stands as a mute rebuttal to that point of view.

The low rating reflects not necessarily the production values (which are almost perfect even though the film is horrid) but the blow to "media ecology" that the planet must endure when an artiste WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER wastes talent like it grew on trees.

The "magic" here is that somehow Allen coaxed some of the best actors on the planet to give one of the worst performances of their lives.

Don't know where to start. Brolin, he of the broad facial testosterone markers, plays a simpering wimp. Watts, who almost never looks lost in a role, acts like she would rather be somewhere else. Hopkins and Bandiaras are playing variants of role they have played many times before, which suggests that, if nothing else, you are better off watching those performances, not these.

And the trademark Allen voice-over, an egoistic affectation if ever there was, serves the same role as the Surgeon General's warning on a pack of cigarettes.

The goofy comedian has always been a pessimist. True love has never existed in his films and his couples rarely find happiness together. Despite of this, his films has never been as scary as this.

What started as comedic twists and a taste of the bittersweet life has slowly evolved into a harsh, but tragically honest depiction of life. With You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger the evolution seems to have been perfected.

The goofiness is basically gone and what's left plays like a drama with darkly humorous undertones. But it might just as well play as an horror film. Tragic, raw and beautiful. It's not his best, god knows he has done a lot of great work, but it's by far his most "pure" work to date.

Is delusions the only plays you can find happiness? Is the ideas of love and friendship simply a charade we hide behind? Do we simply get bored of each other? You know there's at least some truth here, but though I'm not ready to accept it all the very thought of it gives me chills.

Conveyed with such fabulous performances, particularly from Gemma Jones, and as is often the case with Allen, one heck of a script, Allen creates the perfect atmosphere. To put it in the simplest way possible - this is pretty close to being the perfect feel bad movie.

This film is about a family of mother, father, daughter and son-in-law, who go through various stages in their lives, creating an ocean of emotions that they have to deal with.

"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" tells the superficially wonderful life of an old man, who feels his life slipping away as he grows old. He leaves his wife, causing her to become neurotic, depending on a clairvoyant to sooth her nerves. Their daughter is trapped in an unhappy marriage, while her husband is dying to prove himself that he is still worthy of something. Given such well developed and convincing backgrounds, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" can only be a great film on character analysis. There is not a moment of boredom, all the characters are attractive and engaging in their own way. In true Woody Allen style, the characters are quirky, yet interesting and adorable. The characters are not as paranoid as in previous films, which is a departure from his usual style. It is still a great effort, and I enjoyed watching it a lot.

From the bed of the psychoanalyst of the fortuneteller glass ball. It is time of budgets for Woody Allen and the New York filmmaker is a bitter budget, just tempered by usual irony, moreover increasingly refined and detached. A comedy mild to tints drop shots on cynicism of our times, where one can only smile of the vicissitudes of the characters who see inevitably fail their projects. Contemporary man remains victim of his presumption and cynical merciless powered by himself. There is no escape for this humanity lost and desolate: wisdom, seems to suggest Woody, is accepting only the seductive power of illusion. And if illusion should be, then better than cheap and free-range of fortuneteller that the most expensive and ostentatious of psychoanalyst.