Rating: 
Summary: Not like Anything Else
Review: First of all, the 5 is for the film, not the DVD. How can I give five stars to a DVD with no extras? Remember the days that we bought movies because they were good, not because they had Richard Shickel commentaries...(I mean, isn't there a better critic?). The film is excellent, it's my favorite Woody Allen film in recent years. I mean, I love Sweet and Lowdown and most of the 90s run...but there's something about this film. Jason Biggs does an excellent job playing a young neurotic...essentially Woody. For those who never noticed, most characters in a Woody Allen film are playing Woody Allen. Biggs does such a good job that has been cast in the next Allen film to come. Ricci is sexy and lovable despite the major flaws in her character. Danny Devito....oh man. Don't be discouraged by the terrible cover art. "It's like a man walking down the street in a new suit. Then suddenly, he sees another man wearing a better suit. Now he doesn't like the suit he has on anymore." - DeVito
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This movie is HORRIBLE!!! The only reason I bought this movie was becuase Jason Biggs is in it. I've a lot of movies with Jason Biggs in it and none were more worse than this. I feel bad that Jason had star in such a boring movie. The movie moves incredibly slow. There's not really even a plot to this movie. If I could I wouldn't even give this movie 1 star! I'd give this movie NO STARS!!! When this movie came out, I was so excited and I thought it was going to be funny and interesting, but when I saw it, I felt the complete opposite. I'm telling you that think twice before seeing this movie, it is something absolutely NOT to be excited about. For who think different or can't really decide to buy this movie, I SUGGEST STRONGLY THAT YOU RENT IT FIRST!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, RENT it first, I promise you won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Suprisingly neoteric ......
Review: Here we have yet another offering from our number one existentialist in hollywood.
Filled with quirky and extremely irritating, (even perverse characters}, the film offers up some good laughs.
Is it as good as earlier Woody Allen films? I'll be honest, Manhatten Murder Mystery is the only other film which I have viewed but judging by the reviews I would say that it is a safe guess that this is not the case. However, this is a fresh and unique little comedy that will offer a moment of shade from the banality that seems to haunt comedies at the present.
Like the recent works of Wes Anderson, this is a comedy more in the greek sense, operating with the understanding that comedy is essentially trajedy. I loved this film.
Give it a chance.
Rating: 
Summary: This dvd is not in DTS OR 5.1 what the!
Review: This "OK" movie is limited from the start in it's lack of good sound, and directing quality. The movie, though on dvd, is not in any other sound format then MONO, YeS MONO. Woody Allen failes to take this movie seriously from the start.And goes on and on & on & on. Like most Woody movies it could benifit from a new up to date Director! Ricci tries hard to bring the movie up from crap and does somewhat.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but familiar
Review: This movie is an entertaining but not especially notable entry in the illustrious career of Woody Allen. It differs most notably to prior Allen romantic comedies in that he has put another, younger star in the spotlight. Jason Biggs plays Gerry, a young comedian who is having problems in both his career and love life. He lives with a woman named Amanda (Christina Ricci) who is, at best, ambivalent towards him. He confides in an older man, a schoolteacher named Dobel (Woody Allen). The conversations between Gerry and Dobel seem mainly like excuses for Allen to get in his familiar one-liners. Dobel is a frustrated comedian with decidedly paranoid tendencies; at one point he buys Gerry an assault rifle, a periscope and other survival gear for protection. Neither Gerry nor Amanda are especially memorable characters. Biggs seems more like a generic, if insecure, twenty-something than the kind of neurotic urban intellectual usually prominent in Allen films. Ricci's character Amanda seems to exist mainly to frustrate and confuse Gerry and it's not apparent why he bothers with her. As in most Allen films, there are some nice, albeit insulated scenes of New York City (there are never any crowds or traffic). This review may make the film sound worse than it is. I actually found it quite entertaining. Many of these criticisms are based on having seen so many of Allen's great films, compared to which this seems like a watered-down rehashing. All the same, it is an enjoyable and sometimes funny romantic comedy.
Rating:
Summary: "There was something compelling about your apathy."
Review: In "Anything else"--a Woody Allen film, Jason Biggs plays Jerry Falk--a comedy writer based in New York. Falk lives with Amanda (Christina Ricci), and while Falk is enthralled with Amanda, it's obvious that the couple have serious problems. Amanda is unreliable and flakey, but Falk finds excuses for Amanda's behaviour. Paula (Stockard Channing), Amanda's out-of-control mother moves in. Falk's agent is Harvey (Danny Devito)--who's as greedy as he is incompetent. Falk finds excuses for Harvey too. Falk has a pattern of absorbing outrages. Enter... David Dobel (Woody Allen)--another comedy writer (and teacher). Dobel and Falk immediately strike up an easy friendship. With Dobel, Falk finds that he has a confidant, friend, and mentor. Finally, Falk can express himself to someone who is interested. "Anything Else" does not compare to Woody Allen's best films "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Purple Rose of Cairo", etc., but, nonetheless, this is vintage Woody Allen--perceptive & humorous. The film's biggest failing is in the casting of Jason Biggs as the comedy writer. He is the foil to Woody's peculiar, eccentric worldly wisdom, but the Falk character is not quite believable somehow. I kept seeing Edward Burns in this role. Christina Ricci was great as Falk's self-centered, pretentious girlfriend, and Stockard Channing ( a very talented comedienne) was amazing as Amanda's ridiculously demanding mother. Channing and Ricci made a very believable mother-and daughter team. The character of David Dobel was fascinating, and I would have to say that he is responsible for the 5 star rating. David Dobel's dialogue was always hilariously surprising. So for Woody Allen fans, I recommend "Anything Else." It's good to see Woody back again--displacedhuman.
Rating:
Summary: MANHATTEN JUNIOR
Review: Jason Briggs stuttering monotonous delivery of lines gets tiresome. Christina Ricci's flirting lead lady isn't revealed as anything but a superficial portrayal of what amounts to a not very interesting person. Anything else? Yes, Stockard Channing. as the Mom with a nightclub act is a far more involved character and is wasted to a comedic relief position. When Woody Allen isn't on screen as the cynical mentor of comedy writer Briggs, the weak knees of it seem about to bust. Danny DeVito as the kid's dependent agent is also a welcome relief from the dull young cast. I can't help but expect more from Woody Allen.
Rating:
Summary: I'd rather watch anything else other than "Anything Else."
Review: Well, folks, watching this movie will illustrate what happens to a once-great comedic filmmaker when they've been surrounded with nothing but yes-men/women for the past 40 years. And this is coming from someone who loves Woody Allen and keeps giving his latest films a chance despite being repeatedly let down. As is the problem with many recent Woody outings, every single character talks like Woody Allen. No one sounds like a real person, everyone speaks as if they're reciting (flat) Allen dialogue. Also, everyone has the same interests, regardless of their age and/or vocation. These interests, of course, are Allen's interests. The protagonists are very young twentysomethings, one of whom is a struggling actress, the other a struggling comedy writer. They give books by Satre to each other as gifts and declare that CDs' sound quality ruin the experience of listening to their favorite artists like Billie Holiday (never mind the fact that vinyl LPs have been dormant as a popular format for so long that most of these young adults would probably have never heard an LP of Holiday even once in their lives). This isn't to say that a young twentysomething couldn't be an avid reader of existential literature and jazz purist, but a whole film full of them is pushing it. It would all be forgivable if the jokes were funny... they're not. Their limp and, many times, seemingly devoid of punchlines. The actors try to sell the material, however. Danny DeVito fares the best of anyone and Ricci does pretty well, Unfortunately, with Jason Biggs (the star of this film, mind you), Allen has found his most wooden, ill-at-ease leading man. It's staggering to see how completely Woody has lost it. He has laid cinematic turd after cinematic turd on the public for so many films now. "Hollywood Ending" was a good idea done horribly. "Curse of the Jade Scorpion," being a tribute to '30s and '40s screwball comedies, should've been the perfect genre for Woody to work in and, yet, it was dreary and unfunny. "Small Time Crooks" was somewhat amusing but a far cry from classic Allen. The last time Woody got it together to make a good film, in this writer's opinion, was "Sweet and Lowdown," due in no small part to Sean Penn & Samantha Morton's terrific turns. While watching "Anything Else," one cannot help but reflect on how many times Allen has visited the same formula with far, far greater success. One is tempted to call this "Annie Hall" lite but that would be an insult to "Annie Hall." As much as it breaks my heart to say it, someone should really tell Allen to stop making movies. But, he's Woody and people will continue to let him make movies. And he will continue to have the pick of any actor he desires. And, I will probably continue to sit down to his latest offering and shake my head in sad disbelief at how far he has declined. I just hope to be rewarded with something better than this dull, laughless crap. I hope, I don't expect.
Rating:
Summary: Woody Allen's Finest Hour
Review: Call me crazy; my view is, most likely, an autonomous one. I believe that this is Woody Allen's finest film ("Take the Money and Run" is a close second). For the first time, Allen crafts an emotionally shattering and verisimilar work of art---something that he always dreamed of doing. ANYTHING ELSE hits the bone. It appears to tell the truth---even if it does not actually do so---about an aspect of sexual relations between young men and women. Christina Ricci plays a sexually and emotionally unavailable young actress. Jason Biggs (in his only good performance to date) is the younger version of Allen, a comedy writer who is subjected to the whims and charms of Ricci's character. Their relationship is a sadomasochistic one and is doomed to failure. Bigg's character is truly the victim. The humor takes some of the edge off, casting the seriousness of the film into sharp relief; it makes the material more palatable, but this is still one bitter pill. This film should be watched alongside THE SHAPE OF THINGS; this film, however, has the advantage of being funny. Allen always wanted to be regarded as a serious filmmaker. If there is any justice in the world, because of ANYTHING ELSE, he will be.
Rating:
Summary: Woody Allen Returns
Review: This is a classic Woody Allen film in the best sense. A masterfully crafted movie that references his "earlier funny films" of the 70's. The characters talk and act like people from the 70's. Indeed the two main characters would once have been played by Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, and seem to be playing them down to their speech patterns. Woody Allen appears in the film as an enormously entertaining mentor/muse to Jason Bigg's character. Woody's eccentric intellectual neurotic seems even more unique in today's dumbed down cinematic world. Christina Ricci is great as the worlds worst girlfriend. Many truths of life are revealed humorously. Allen is at the height of his talent thus far. This film is for fans of Annie Hall and the like.
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