Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19491 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-02-14
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

DVD Description
A contemporary romantic comedy set in New York city about the relationship between an older guy and his younger protege.

Synopsis
Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci star as a mismatched couple in Woody Allen's funny and well-made romantic comedy ANYTHING ELSE. Biggs plays Jerry Falk, a young comedy writer looking to make it big, while Ricci is Amanda, a self-absorbed free spirit whom men go wild for. They fall for each other instantly near the beginning of the film, then spend the rest of the movie trying to work out their very complex and complicated relationship, especially after her mother (Stockard Channing) moves in to their small apartment to live with them. With echoes of such classic Allen fare as ANNIE HALL, ANYTHING ELSE is a lighthearted look at young love in the Big Apple. Allen himself stars as David Dobel, an older comedy writer who mentors Jerry, often on walks through Central Park, but it seems that Dobel has a bit of an anger management problem. Once again, New York City is virtually a character unto itself, as Allen includes scenes in such Gotham places as the Village Vanguard jazz club, Isabella's restaurant, Roosevelt Island, Sheepshead Bay, and the Quad Cinema. Good supporting work is turned in by Danny DeVito as Falk's manager. The soundtrack includes songs by Billie Holiday, Ravi Shankar, Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Moby, and Diana Krall, who appears in the film.

Customer Reviews

Almost as good as his earlier, funnier ones
Despite the fact that many of the best one-liners sound very similar to those in Annie Hall, this is undoubtedly Allen's best film for many years. The storyline is good, as is the acting, with Jason Biggs playing a role Allen would have excelled at a few years ago. Allen himself appears to be playing an alter-ego of himself; the angst-ridden, paranoid hypochondriac of his early films taken to new extremes. The cinematography is amazing, with the shots of New York equal to those in Manhattan and the scenes in Central Park as beautiful as A Midsummer Night's Sex comedy. Good to see the master back on form!

Anything Else - a review
Not vintage Woody Allen but a pretty good one nevertheless.In this film Allen takes a supporting role only leaving Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci to carry the film which they do in fine form.I guess Biggs does try to parody Allen in a way but still manages to turn in a good performance though.There are all the usual Allen trademarks here including some great New York locations and even the lovely Diana Krall gets a cameo playing live at the village vanguard.
Not the best Allen by any means but still pretty darn good.

See Just About "Anything Else" By Allen First
Amongst Woody Allen's later films there are those that are immediately attractive (Everyone Says I Love You, Manhattan, Husbands and Wives), those that are thorny but rewarding (Match Point, Crimes and Misdemeanours, Celebrity, Another Woman) and those that are total misfires. I'm a fan of Allen's, but this film falls into the final category. While the cover claims it as a "romantic comedy" it isn't especially romantic (being about a relationship that has effectively broken down) and - despite some heavy-handed comedy from Allen - isn't particularly funny either.

Melinda & Melinda isn't a great movie by any means, but at least it is technically interesting, which is an excuse that one cannot make for this rather bland narrative, which is directed efficiently but without much evident engagement. There are scenes that one might count as exceptions - a neat split screen on a telephone call that overpopulates an already crowded apartment, and an almost riotous scene in a restaurant during which Allen does some neat "business" with a glass of water - but they are few & far between. Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci struggle to hold up the film in the interim, and Stockard Channing gives an unduly theatrical performance in a minor role. Danny DeVito extracts as much as comedy as possible playing a character whom Allen might easily have taken for himself, but the ensemble cast is certainly below par by the standard of the director's better work.

If you simply must see every Allen film available, then feel free to give this one a shot; it isn't dire, but that's about the highest recommendation that I could give it.