ianfaepaisley

I wrote the other day that a mediocre Woody Allen comedy is still a good comedy by any other standards (or something like that) and I stand by that, but this is only part comedy. I mean, you wouldn't call Sleeper a sci-fi comedy, it's a normal comedy set in the future, and you wouldn't call Curse of the Jade Scorpion a crime comedy (although it parodies detective films) or Love and Death a historical comedy, they're very witty, mildly absurd, satirical comedy films with different settings.

Anyway, this isn't just a comedy in a different setting, it's a fantasy romance with comic elements, a weak lead character and dependent to a great degree on Americans' views of Paris. The comedy isn't always the main concern, the fantasy setting is a bit stereotyped but there's a twist or two, the romance is romantic enough, suspense is kept up well, Owen Wilson is OK but not a good enough actor to make up for the lack of snappy dialogue, the dullness of the character and being vastly and madly outperformed by a certain Mr Hemingway and a Snr Dali, among others. It seems to my European eyes that this is aimed again at US viewers, rather than just being Allen's personal vision. The 'Americans Abroad' perspective just doesn't work outside the US.

Worth seeing but don't expect to laugh out loud more than 3 times.

It's "generally agreed" that this isn't one of his best films, some even say it's one of his "worst" but that implies that Allen makes bad films, which he doesn't. A below par Allen film is still far more fun than the average comedy, and "Curse..." is highly enjoyable. The cast are great, with the acting and characters keeping the dialogue crisp and sharp, classic Allen. With "Curse" he's more in silly mode (in keeping with 1940s comedies) than going for a soul-searching analysis of the human condition. More of the humour is in dialogue than in monologue compared to a lot of his films. In particular there's some hilariously bitchy exchanges between Allen and an excellent Helen Hunt, and the script is witty enough that you can forgive some of the minor laziness and predictability in the plot development. Some of it, but not all, and that's where this film falls down - great ideas + great talent should equal a great film, but this is merely good.

There is a tragic accident in rural Denmark. Accidents, being accidents, can't be predicted and neither can their consequences. Things escalate, but the question is how far, and why, who'll back down first, and why? At the start of the film the narrator hands out some basic background info about the major characters, so you think you understand them and you probably do to some extent, but stereotypes are a major motif here... As one character says "N***er is just a word we use for anyone who's different. They're people too". Does it matter that there's no black people in the film? Well... A bit of racial prejudice, a bit of class prejudice, some personal grudges, basically plenty of reasons for people to see the worst in each other and excuse whatever they do when caught up in a crowd. Including YOUR reasons - you're maybe an urban liberal judging these provincial types, or a refugee judging those who supposedly welcomed you, or someone who didn't get a lucky break in life judging middle class smart-arses. Scapegoats are always handy, like an excuse for a party. An excellent film, shocking and moving but with delicate and humorous moments, somehow the most poignant and supposedly banal touches seem surreal in the context of general nastiness. And no, provincial Denmark isn't really like this, it's just a film. (Having said that, sometimes I've been the only white person on a bus in London and nobody's even noticed me, but as a dark-haired stranger in the Danish countryside I've been severely stared at on buses). Anyway I digress - stop reading these reviews and watch the film. Now!