By: debbie lynn elias
I have never been a Woody Allen fan. Although as a film critic I appreciate the content and quality of his work, with few exceptions, Allen films have typically not been to my taste; that is until YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER. Light, fun, entertaining. Well executed and dazzling performances – particularly from Gemma Jones and Lucy Punch. Impeccably detailed characters that develop and change with wonderful arcs and interactions. And above all, some very very funny situations that just fuel the comedic fire.
After 40 years of marriage, Alfie and Helena have gone their separate ways thanks to Alfie’s late-blooming mid-life crisis (in his 60’s), a fear of aging and an eye for the younger ladies or, as Helena puts it has had “his teeth whitened and his skin darkened” determined to lure some little fox into his new lair. Quite well off financially, even after paying Helena handsomely with the divorce, Alfie still has enough cash to flash for a flashy car and hi-tech apartment with enough leftover for baubles and bling for the ladies, particularly the lovely Charmaine, a high end prostitute whom Alfie courts thanks to his money and Viagra.
Helena on the other hand, more or less suddenly abandoned by Alfie, as opposed to a slow death of the marriage, is mentally and emotionally out to lunch from the shock and trauma. As if mourning death itself, Helena is a basket case and seeks counsel from Cristal, a local psychic in whom Helena puts her complete and utter faith and trust. Believing Cristal’s word to be gospel, Helena embraces the idea of past lives (including Cleopatra) and future romance with “a tall dark stranger.” Cristal also seems to have incredible insight into the lives of Helena’s daughter, Sally, and her ne’er do well wannabe writer husband Roy, insight which Helena never fails to impart on the couple.
Ah, Sally and Roy. Once a couple madly in love, their marriage – and bank account – have dwindled to disrepair. Sally yearns to have a child. Roy does not. Roy, who graduated from medical school, vows to never practice medicine but wants to be a famous writer. Having written one book that had a modicum of success, he has been toiling over a follow-up read but having little success or positive feedback from his publisher. And Helena, whom Roy despises, has been supporting the two, giving her license to call and visit Sally unannounced on a daily basis. But the financial strain and dependency has also forced Sally back into the work force. Using her education and background in art and art history, Sally nails a job as an assistant to one of the best art dealers in London. And he’s not bad to look at either. Roy, on the other hand, turns his attentions to a woman in red who lives across the courtyard and practices his voyeuristic tendencies in earnest, watching her every move.
Sir Anthony Hopkins is perfection as Alfie. Although he loves comedy and is quite adept at it, he is not the person that comes to mind when one is thinking comedy. Too bad, because he is superb. Following Woody Allen’s mantra of “don’t try to be funny”, Hopkins is the epitome of tortured comedy as a man suffering with false illusions of youth and love, all of which come back to bite him in the butt. Having experienced his own minor form of mid-life crisis some years back, Hopkins easily related to Alfie (but for the part of leaving one’s wife for a younger woman) and Alfie’s obsession with exercise, diet, sexual gratification and appreciation for pretty girls. But it’s the intelligence that Hopkins brings to Alfie that really drives the part home, giving Alfie a pitiable head-shaking-in-knowing-disbelief empathetic quality.
It’s easy to see why Oscar buzz started for Gemma Jones with the very first screening. Probably best known to most as Bridget Jones’ mother or as Madame Pomfrey in the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter, as Helena, Jones comes to the forefront in the most notable and exceptional performance of her film career. Helena could have been a complete over-the-top farse, but under Jones’ skilled hand, the end result is a character that is endearing, warm, entertaining, innocent, naive and ever so ditsy but with an unwitting knowledge and wisdom that belies the visual and physical impression of a geographically challenged flitting butterfly. Controlled yet freely expressive, Jones is a breath of fresh air, lifting the story and film with an enjoyable breezy ease. Already a well written character, her performance, right down to mannerisms and costuming sets a tone that while on the surface is comic madness, is actually texturally layered with emotional nuance, flourishing despite all the insanity. Jones is a joy to behold.
Exciting for Jones is that when she first read the script, “I saw that I got a romantic attachment, I thought, ‘Ooh, that’s nice. I wonder what actor is going to play him. And then I heard that Antonio Banderas was going to be in the film, I thought ‘Ooooh, maybe Antonio is going to be my love interest.’ So when my love interest appeared on the set, I was slightly surprised. [Roger Ashton- Griffiths] is a sweet man but not quite what I envisioned.”
Packing a real punch and stealing every scene is Lucy Punch with her performance as Charmaine. When one meets Punch in real life, she is charming, engaging, hysterically funny and beautiful. On screen, she allows costume and make-up to go to exaggerated extremes belieing her natural beauty but creating an indelible impression. Described by Hopkins as a “powerhouse”, with impeccable timing and exuberant energy, her one liners – many of which she improvised – are zingers rivaling some of the best comedic efforts of the golden age of Hollywood. “I like to improvise. I was coming up with some crazy stuff.” Having now witnessed the one-two comedic punch packed by Lucy Punch, it’s difficult to believe that Nicole Kidman was originally cast in the role.
It’s not often that one gets a chance to relish a performance where the character is a real scumbag, but with Josh Brolin taking charge, it is with utter glee that I watched Roy’s true colors unfurl and the ultimate comeuppance that he so deservingly earned. Loutish and slovenly, just looking at Brolin gives one disdain for Roy. And then as dialogue progresses and emotions run high between he, Jones and Naomi Watt’s Sally, the look fits the persona and a true villain appears. Although described by Jones as a “lovely guy, very generous to work with and very experienced, I felt it upped my game, as you watch Brolin’s work, you beg for justice and can’t help but wonder how Allen will reconcile the flaws of Roy and then joyously, the plot reveals Roy’s ultimate fate. The chemistry between Brolin and Naomi Watts is electrifying and explosive which is brilliantly countered with Brolin exuding a smarmy charm when paired with the lady in red, Frieda Pinto.
Written and directed by Allen, YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER deals with dark sobering subjects like adultery, aging, jealousy, divorce, but does so in a wryly comic, playful manner. The tone is light and breezy, never getting bogged down by issues and always rising above them and even distracting you from the darkness of the subject matter. Comedy is kept in the foreground, not the background. You can’t help but laugh and smile throughout the film. Creating characters and situations that are relatable to each of us, Allen has something that can fire a spark in everyone. Interestingly, the characters are all very single-minded. Everything is “me, me, me” which provides ample room for foibles and comedic irony to blossom. It also provides a basis for character growth and change, something that, gratefully, we see with each one getting their just desserts or riches (depending on their conduct). Spouses are treated as disposable items which allows for some interesting emotional scenarios, contributing to the ultimate outcome for all. As seems to be in all Allen films, because the film is written by him, much of the dialogue sounds like him and while the actors do their best to “make the words their own”, with few exceptions, come off sounding like Allen – particularly Antonio Banderas.
According to Jones, Allen is “very very open to you making [the part] your own. Of course, the script was in an American idiom and the danger is that all the characters sound a bit like Woody. He’s very keen that you adapt to make it your own within a fairly strong framework. But he’s not precious about his text which is a great relief.”
Visually, the film has a quaintness to it that is endearing, thanks due to Allen’s own stylized single shot, single scene intricately choreographed lensing that is made even more intimate through the work of cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmund which highlights the close set construction and Jim Clay’s production design. Visual aesthetic is warm and inviting yet when appropriate, reflects tacky opulence or the energy of youth and activity.
Beatric Pasztor’s costuming is key here and never moreso than with Gemma Jones’ Helena. Working together with Pasztor, initially they “didn’t have a clear idea” of a look for Helena, but Allen took them aside and said, ‘I like gloves and I like hats and think Blanche DuBois’, which were just three fantastic little notes. So we went away and came back with [a new look]. It was an assemblage of some quite tatty clothes, really. But assembling them together, we did get this rather lovely picture of someone who had these things in her wardrobe for years.”
A voice over narrative is a welcome asset as it handily sets the stage and identifies the players, although once those tasks were accomplished, the narration could have ended and it would not have detracted from the story and characters before us. As with all Allen films, music is key, and here, appropriately mood setting and entertaining.
A mature woman whose husband has left her for a woman one-third his age, a child that’s died, a daughter who’s irritated by her mother, a lazy philandering son-in-law who hates his mother-in-law, sniping, fighting, screaming, yelling, drinking, cheating. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it. And as eloquently opined by Gemma Jones, “Somehow through Woody’s prism, [YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER] is touching and funny and I hope people will come out smiling.”
Helena – Gemma Jones
Alfie – Sir Anthony Hopkins
Sally – Naomi Watts
Roy – Josh Brolin
Charmaine – Lucy Punch
Dia – Frieda Pinto
Written and directed by Woody Allen.
