"Deconstructing 'Hollywood'"
by Scott Mantz

"Hollywood Ending"
Woody Allen, Tea Leoni
Directed by Woody Allen

Out of Sight! Woody Allen is blindsided by Treat Williams, Tea Leoni, and Debra Messing in "Hollywood Ending"

You've got to hand it to Woody Allen. After directing some of the greatest films of all time, he's gotten to a point in his career where he can practically make movies with his eyes closed.

With his 33rd film, he does just that...well, sort of. In "Hollywood Ending," Allen plays a washed-up director who tries to make his all-important comeback movie while blind. Sound funny? It is--for a little while anyway, but then this middling, one-joke movie drags on far longer than even Allen's devoted fans may care to endure.

Allen plays Val Waxman, a neurotic, two-time Oscar-winner who hasn't had a hit film in more than a decade. When he gets his chance to return to the big time, he's faced with a dilemma. Should he take the film being offered to him by his ex-wife (Tea Leoni) who dumped him for the studio head (Treat Williams) bankrolling the picture, or should he stay in near-obscurity and continue making TV commercials for peanuts? Out of desperation, he takes the job, but he psychosomatically loses his sight the night before filming is scheduled to begin. How on earth is Val expected to direct a $60 million movie when he can't even see? Even worse, what will happen when someone else finds out? Will everything work out in the end? (With a name like "Hollywood Ending," what do you think?)

Woody Allen's movies have always been an acquired taste, and "Hollywood Ending" is certainly no exception to the rule. Unfortunately, Allen's taste this time around may be a little on the bland side. It's quite obvious that the ultimate New Yorker had a grand ol' time making fun of the movie business (and his place in it), but his inside jokes may be a little too far inside for mainstream moviegoers to get them. In addition, while the slapstick-inducing premise leads to some downright funny moments, they are too sporadic to sustain a film that already runs longer than it should. To that extent, "Hollywood Ending" is a movie that should have ended a lot sooner.

The other problem is that it's becoming increasingly implausible for the 66-year-old Allen to continue having romantic interludes with drop-dead gorgeous actresses who are more than half his age. As it is, the older he gets, the younger his leading ladies get, and it's becoming rather ridiculous (and just a tad bit disturbing). Sure, the same could be said about Michael Douglas or Harrison Ford, but at least they still command enough on-screen charisma to make their romances work. Let's face it, Allen's no spring chicken, and his offbeat romances require bigger leaps of faith with each passing movie.

Fortunately, and as is always the case, Allen surrounds himself with a slew of fine actors who probably would have worked for free to be in one of his films (and judging by his budgets, they probably did). Tea Leoni seems best suited for Allen's spontaneous, off-the-cuff style, and she puts in what is easily her strongest performance since 1996's little-seen "Flirting with Disaster." Treat Williams is also perfectly cast as the slick studio head who Allen reluctantly caters to, while the beautiful Debra Messing steals the show as Allen's ditsy actress-wannabe girlfriend.

Despite its flaws, "Hollywood Ending" still passes for a typical Woody Allen film, complete with rambling dialogue, stinging one-liners, and golden age music for the soundtrack. It's not "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," or "Hannah and Her Sisters," but die-hard fans who were even remotely entertained by the somewhat amusing, but ultimately forgettable "Small Time Crooks" or "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" will be happy to know that some things never change.

Even so, here's hoping that Allen opens his eyes the next time around.

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