oOoBarracuda
I'm ready to admit a struggle in Woody Allen's filmography. I don't know if it was DreamWorks Studios attempt to curtail Woody Allen to more family-friendly fare, or if Allen actually did experience a rough patch in creativity, but the early 2000's so far have been underwhelming. Watching The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Ending back to back, I was most stricken by the seeming lack of direction the two films shared in common. Both films had a plot that just seemed to ebb and flows throughout the film rather than being catapulted through by a witty and strong script as I've grown accustomed to from a Woody Allen film. Hollywood Ending was Woody's 2002 film starring Woody Allen and Téa Leoni as a divorced pair working in the entertainment industry who work together once more for perhaps old times sake or retribution. Val Waxman (Woody Allen) is an Oscar-winning director whose reputation for being difficult having preceded him resulting in his lull in offers for work. Ellie (Téa Leoni) divorced Val 10-years prior after leaving him for a studio head whom she currently works with. Despite their past, Ellie believes that Val is the perfect director for a $60 million project "The City that Never Sleeps". Val has "the city of New York in his D.N.A. and goes to bat for him being considered as the director for the project. Against all odds, Val gets the job despite his dismay that his ex-wife is the one that was pushing for him so intently. The stress of a big film project, working with his ex-wife, and the troubled relationship with his son has resulted in a psycho-sematic case of blindness. Unable to see, Val and those closest to him create an elaborate ruse to hide that fact from the studio heads long enough for him to finish the film. Once Ellie finds out, Val expects her to out him to her studio executive boyfriend immediately, instead, she helps him hide his temporary blindness and the two rekindle their relationship.It's hard to believe one of the greatest American screenwriters is responsible for such a trope as Hollywood Ending. The script was clever in parts but overall suffered from poor pacing and a storyline which left little to engage with. The scene in which Woody was giving his side of an argument with Ellie to be interrupted by the man at the next table was reminiscent of Annie Hall in a beautiful way. Hollywood Ending was tough to get through and may have suffered a bit from being part of my Woody Allen retrospective project. The film probably isn't as bad on its own but watching it against several other Woody Allen films where it seemed like the director never missed left me thoroughly underwhelmed by it.
LiquidPoetry1921
Although there were definitely some funny lines, 'Hollywood Ending' was incredibly boring. Ridiculous slapstick, gags that went on WAY too long, and tedious mundane bits.I know every Woody Allen film can't be as great as his 'Manhattan' or 'Annie Hall', but this movie was simply dreadful. Couldn't wait for it to be over ~ almost unheard of for one his flicks.Gave a very generous 3* out of 10.
R H
There are certain Woody Allen movies that I don't fully appreciate- I don't like when he films in black and white and I'm not a big fan of slapstick comedy. The movies I prefer are the witty, dialogue rich, relationship based, contemporary feasts. I also prefer Allen to star in his own movies, mostly because when he doesn't, the lead character tends to be doing an imitation of Allen. This film, although I wouldn't give it a ten out of ten, certainly featured all of these ingredients.Once again Allen has surrounded himself with an amazing cast of actors who aren't nobodies, but aren't quite superstars. I don't know if he chooses actors based on chemistry, or if that is something that just comes together when one is working for him. Whatever it is, it is on full display throughout Hollywood Ending.Allen, as usual, plays a neurotic, under-appreciated, genius (called Val) with a knack for speech. He's a genuine artist who has been fired one too many times and is therefore stuck working on commercials and other lowbrow jobs. He has a live in girlfriend, an actress played by Debra Messing, who is pretty much just around because Val doesn't like to sleep alone. After getting fired from his last big picture, he is dumped by his then wife, Ellie (Tia Leoni) for the head of a studio, Hal (Treat Williams).As Val is stuck in Canada filming a commercial (that he eventually gets fired from), Ellie is in Hollywood with her new Hal, trying to get him to use Val to direct their newest film. Everyone in attendance agrees that Val is a great director, but no one wants to hire him because of his mental problems. Finally Ellie convinces to Hal to give Val a chance and things begin to look up.The night before filming is about to begin, Val makes an emergency call to Al (Mark Rydell) because he (Val) has suddenly gone blind. Trips to the doctor reveal that there is no brain tumor (as Val had obviously expected), nor are there problems with his eyes. Instead, as his analyst (of course, it is a Woody Allen movie) explains, it is completely psycho-somatic. Pressured by Al, Val decides to not tell anyone else and attempt to direct the movie anyway.Mayhem obviously ensues, as it's never easy to direct a movie without the use of the eyes. Al agrees to be Val's guide, but on the first day is told that he is not allowed to be on the set. Eventually, after many hilarious incidences, the movie gets made.Although the movie comes out horrible and Val is ultimately discovered, happiness does prevail. Life doesn't often have happy endings, so when one happens in a film it tends to feel forced or corny. Not with Woody Allen; maybe it's because so many of his movies do not end sad, or because even some of the films that end happy are also sad, but Mr. Allen sure knows how to make a happy ending out of a mess.Overall, there have been better Woody Allen films and there have been worse. I would rank Hollywood Ending somewhere near the top of his list though. It never ceases to amaze me how Allen has written and directed over 70 films, many of which have the same general plot, and yet he never seems to lose his freshness.
FilmCriticLalitRao
The mark of a good comedy is that audiences must get a healthy dose of Buster Keaton kind of humor.If that is not the case,a film must not be considered a good example of a classic of comedy genre.Woody Allen surely knows how to make films as he has made films which have become an integral part of American cultural landscape.However,it can be said that his magic has not at all worked wonders with "Hollywood Ending",a strange film which was chosen to open Cannes International Film festival 2002.The trouble with "Hollywood Ending" is that one does not know what Woody Allen is trying to portray.The comedy parts are very much dramatic in nature and laughs are few and far between.This is due to the fact that at surface level his film looks like a product of American culture but on deep introspection one finds that Woody Allen has made a film that not only takes American cinema for a ride but also lampoons Hollywood.This is something which was not accepted by audiences all over the world.French people are the only cinema audiences who appreciate such kind of cinema. This is the reason why such a flop American film has been lapped up by Gallic audiences.
