I freely admit it. I am not a Woody Allen fan. I know there are legions of people that worship at his altar, but I just do not get the Allen love. That is not to say that I have never seen a good Allen picture. It is to say that I really do not understand the overwhelming passion that people have for his body of work.
For instance, Broadway Danny Rose. Allen predictably casts himself in the central role as a dorky talent manager, who finds himself attempting to reconcile washed-up lounge singer Nick Apollo Forte on the comeback trail with his floozy mistress Mia Farrow, but finds himself mixed up with mobsters.
The biggest problem is that - like many of Allen's films - the premise sounds like it should be a riotous broad comedy and it isn't. The humor is restrained and when it does work only registers a mild smile rather than any generous belly laughs. Part of the problem is that Allen is such an off-putting actor. He yammers on incessantly and comes off as someone who thinks he is funnier than he actually is - although his army of sycophantic fans with no doubt disagree with me. He is not remotely credible in the role of the beleaguered agent. Second, it is inconceivable that a grade-C talent like Forte portrays in this film would be on the comeback trail for any reason. We have nothing invested in Forte's comeback nor in his character in general. He is merely the plot device that sets the wheels of the story in motion and nothing more. We honestly could care less whether he gets reunited with his mistress and whether he is able to perform.
The film itself seems overlong and draggy - padded out even longer by the interjection of annoying clips of a group of real-life has-been performers who sit around a table and reminisce about Allen's character as though he were a legend of some kind. Their reverence of Danny Rose and his misadventures seem incredibly misplaced considering that nothing we see from these reminiscences is especially compelling either dramatically or comically.
The one lone bright spot in the film comes courtesy of an unrecognizable Mia Farrow, who portrays the ditzy platinum blonde mistress with the thick Italian accent. Farrow at leasts seems to be aware that she is in a supposed comedy and plays the role for all its worth. The fact that the role is on the one-note side is not her fault. It is a shame that she has gotten so few chances late in her career to stretch like this because she proves up to the challenge.
For instance, Broadway Danny Rose. Allen predictably casts himself in the central role as a dorky talent manager, who finds himself attempting to reconcile washed-up lounge singer Nick Apollo Forte on the comeback trail with his floozy mistress Mia Farrow, but finds himself mixed up with mobsters.
The biggest problem is that - like many of Allen's films - the premise sounds like it should be a riotous broad comedy and it isn't. The humor is restrained and when it does work only registers a mild smile rather than any generous belly laughs. Part of the problem is that Allen is such an off-putting actor. He yammers on incessantly and comes off as someone who thinks he is funnier than he actually is - although his army of sycophantic fans with no doubt disagree with me. He is not remotely credible in the role of the beleaguered agent. Second, it is inconceivable that a grade-C talent like Forte portrays in this film would be on the comeback trail for any reason. We have nothing invested in Forte's comeback nor in his character in general. He is merely the plot device that sets the wheels of the story in motion and nothing more. We honestly could care less whether he gets reunited with his mistress and whether he is able to perform.
The film itself seems overlong and draggy - padded out even longer by the interjection of annoying clips of a group of real-life has-been performers who sit around a table and reminisce about Allen's character as though he were a legend of some kind. Their reverence of Danny Rose and his misadventures seem incredibly misplaced considering that nothing we see from these reminiscences is especially compelling either dramatically or comically.
The one lone bright spot in the film comes courtesy of an unrecognizable Mia Farrow, who portrays the ditzy platinum blonde mistress with the thick Italian accent. Farrow at leasts seems to be aware that she is in a supposed comedy and plays the role for all its worth. The fact that the role is on the one-note side is not her fault. It is a shame that she has gotten so few chances late in her career to stretch like this because she proves up to the challenge.