​FILMS

irrational man

2015 review number 121:

Irrational Man: (Drama): 62 out of 100: This is Woody Allen being serious. If you are attracted to his humorous one-liners, then you won't be hearing many of them here. There's even more talking than the usual Woody Allen movie. That's because both main characters act as the narrators. They simply never shut up! Sometimes less is more, which Allen fails to heed here with all the dialogue and narration taking place.

 

Joaquin Phoenix plays Abe, a tormented philosophy professor in existential crisis. Life has no meaning until he embarks on a relationship with one of his students, Jill (Emma Stone). She has a boyfriend, Roy (Jamie Blackley), but is not ready to commit long-term to him. Upon hearing a conversation in a diner about a judge who refuses a mother custody of her children, Roy commits an act which will have repercussions on his relationship with Jill.

 

Phoenix does depressed well and he manages to showcase his character's deficiencies here. There is one scene where he plays Russian roulette which will have you grimacing and sharing the pain he is suffering. Phoenix's chemistry with Stone is what drives the movie forward. Stone is becoming Allen's muse and she shows why as she can deliver his lines with aplomb. The only problem with the dialogue is that there's too much of it and the non-stop narration doesn't help. There are sections of the movie where silence would have been more beneficial. Posey's character could have been further explored as she is the seductress but there's little room for her when this is basically a two-character performance.

 

Allen usually employs as an all-star cast in his movies. Beyond those three listed cast members, there really isn't anyone else of note. This probably shows that it is a personal movie of Allen's, even though he didn't commit an act that his central character was involved in. It simply might be those inner demons that Allen wants to release. It's what he might like to do if he could get away with it.

 

As usual, Allen incorporates plenty of songs from yesteryear in his soundtrack. There's one jazz piece that is on high rotation but extremely worth listening to. His directing style is as solid as usual with long takes on characters when they are speaking. It's just a shame that a lot of what they have to say in this movie is waffle which might result in a loss of interest. It's not until the dastardly act is committed when things become more interesting.

 

This is not the best Woody Allen movie but there are still enough interesting moments to maintain interest. An inferior Allen movie is still better than plenty of Hollywood tripe that is dished out. I'm still an Allen fan even though Irrational Man held more promise than the final results have shown.

 

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey

(95 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse language, sex scene and adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP8mPkyBntw (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Thursday 20th August, 2015)

 

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