Anything Else in Perspective

In his recent talk with Douglas McGrath, Woody Allen said "there was a lot of me" in Anything Else. In the context of the interview, Allen was not saying the film was autobiographical--the omnipresent claim of the lazy critic--but that the film approximated his view of life, an important distinction.

GSF believes that Anything Else is Allen's best film this decade. Yes, better than Match Point. Yes, better than Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It was coolly received by critics, but one critic--we can't remember which one (Roger Ebert?)--intelligently remarked that Anything Else would have received a great reception were it a film by an up and coming director, rather than the old master. Sometimes it's only Woody Allen who can't get away with making a "Woody Allen film."

When we posted the McGrath interview we wrote, "In GSF's opinion it's Allen's best film this decade, and one sure to receive higher marks in retrospective. If you're looking for a little fun, try watching Annie Hall and Anything Else back to back."

Thematically, Annie Hall and Anything Else share an approach to the world, and the characters of Alvy Singer, Jerry Faulk and David Dobel are kindred spirits. Life is understood through the joke that best expresses their predicament, and the jokes are more insightful than any philosophic prattle or some clinical tome on death and dying. Annie Hall and Anything Else are framed by the jokes of their respective opening sequences. But there is more than this, the films share plenty of apparent superficial similarities between characters, plot and dialogue. Who knows Allen's intent, but these things are indisputably there. The similarities are so frequent that there are a few scenes in which when one must assume Allen has become his own plagiarist.

Woody Allen's films frequently pay homage to the titans of European cinema, whether Bergman, Truffaut or Fellini. But while Anything Else contains a subtle tribute to The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, it is mostly content to pay tribute to a titan of American cinema: Woody Allen.

At this point, we're tempted to roll out a column of bullets matching the films point by point, but we'll resist the spoilers and let you chase them down.

Maybe its analysis paralysis, but we're not the only ones who've noticed this strikingly obvious connection. Tony Nigor of Flak Magazine offers up a worthwhile perspective that can't help but see the two films standing in the light of the other. While we aren't convinced that Nigor's reading is spot-on, it does see the parallel clearly. Once you've read Nigor, que up Annie Hall and Anything Else for a private screening.

Interview Magazine, Woody Allen

Douglas McGrath, who co-wrote Bullets Over Broadway, has contributed a fairly good conversation with Woody Allen to Interview. It veers into tiresome retread at points, but on the whole it's worthwhile.

DM: I guess what I’m asking, though, is if there is one of your films that tells us the most about your philosophy of life? If someone couldn’t meet you and wanted to know what Woody is really like or what gives us the most sense of his worldview—his fears, his optimisms, his anxieties, his hopes—is there one film that kind of best sums that up?
WA: Well, to date—if it’s just that—I would probably say Anything Else [2003].
DM: Really?
WA: Yeah. You’d get it in a more abstract way in Purple Rose, because clearly I do believe that reality is dreadful and that you are forced to choose it in the end or go crazy, but that it kills you. So that film does sum up a great feeling that I have about life—I mean a large feeling that I have about it. But in terms of just me personally as a kind of wretched little complaining vantz, I think you would see that in Anything Else. There’s a lot of me in there.
DM: Very interesting. You’re full of surprises.
WA: Well, it is me. I’m not saying that Anything Else is my best film, though I didn’t think it was a bad film at all—I think that one is better than many films of mine that were more successful. I won’t say that it’s never the case, but very often there’s no correlation between the quality of one’s work artistically and its commercial success. Everybody knows that.

Curious about Anything Else. In GSF's opinion it's Allen's best film this decade, and one sure to receive higher marks in retrospective. If you're looking for a little fun, try watching Annie Hall and Anything Else back to back. Why is this fun? You'll see. We hope to write more about Anything Else in the coming weeks.