Everyone Says I Love You

Rating:
Summary: Very pleasant nostalgia-fest
Review: It's difficult to know what to make of the modern musical, something that has suddenly become a whole lot more popular given the success of movies such as Moulin Rouge and Chicago. Everyone Says I Love You is a musical of a different kind, evoking the same style of the musicals of the 30's and 40's to produce a nostalgic look back not only at such movies but also at the way they treated love and comedy.

Allen plays a guy who can't find a suitable partner until his daughter's spying at the psychiatrist allows him to recreate all of Julia Roberts' fantasies. Alongside that we have his ex-wife's (Hawn) typically disfunctional family with daughter Barrymore leaving fiancé Norton for ex-con Roth whilst other daughter Portman is infatuated with a boy across town. All the while husband Alda is trying to keep a tight reign over his children's exploits. So basically there's plenty of room fo broad farcical comedy, most of which is very effectively done, although typically most of this comes from a sterling cast's excellent performances. Barrymore is as illuminous as ever when we see her choking on her own wedding ring. Norton adds another diverse role to his already formidable resumé of fantastic turns. Hawn, Alda and Allen play their respective parts to perfection, managing to subtly suggest the strains that children and work have on their personal lives whilst still portraying plenty of comedy. It's also more than interesting to see Natalie Portman in a role post-Leon but pre-Star Wars.

If this doesn't click quite as well as it maybe should it's probably because the musical has become such a spectacular event in recent years to make Allen's film virtually incomparable to something as passionate as Moulin Rouge. At the end of the day this is just a diversion, but it's a very pleasing diversion whilst it lasts and the cast really do fire on all cannons.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasant affair
Review: Woody Allen's foray into the musical genre is charming, whimsical and makes for delightful entertainment. Though some have complained that Woody didn't use professional singers, I think such an objection rather misses the point: The use of clearly untrained singers has an endearing effect; it binds us to the characters in many ways, for they are ordinary people like us, not artificial Broadway types. It draws attention to the blurriness between art and life, fantasy and reality, as all of Woody's films do.

Overall, it must be admitted that Everyone Says I Love You is really no more than a pleasant diversion. The characters are too shallow to engage us in the profound way that Woody's other characters do. Nevertheless, it is worth a look from time to time.

Rating:
Summary: Woody-stock?
Review: Another whimsical Woody Allen. This time, he trots out another of his semi plot-less epics set in and around upper-crust Manhattan where everybody's lives are perpetually under threat of not being happy enough. Joe (Allen) loved but divorced Steffi (Goldie Hawn). Steffi re-married Bob, here played by Alan Alda as another of the guys who is either stealing or has stolen love from Woody's alter ego (he nabbed Mia Farrow in "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and remained a wife-grasping presence in "Manhattan Murder Mystery"). This time, Allen's on better terms with his extended and disrupted family, which treats him much as the favorite, if befuddled Uncle. The teenage children of this privileged family conspire with their like-privileged and private-school-educated friends to find love for Allen's pathetic Joe. Quickly, they settle on Julia Roberts, who receives psychotherapy from the mother of one of these conspirators. Having an inner window into Roberts' characters' deepest desires allows Joe a romantic opportunity he can't turn down. Meanwhile, Steffi's eldest daughter, Skylar (Drew Barrymore) is engaged to the ernest and loving, if boring Holden (Ed Burns). Although they share love, Skylar can't help looking elsewhere. Meanwhile, Skylar's brother, Scott (Lukas Haas) has suddenly developed into a prudish, right-wing conservative, countering the typically left-wing attitudes of just about everybody else in the surrounding parsec of upper Manhattan. The efforts of Bob and Steffi to make themselves better liberals by rehabilitating a convicted criminal throw their family into comedic chaos when that criminal is revealed to be played by Tim Roth.

Oh yeah, this is also the Woody Allen movie where everybody sings. Much of the music is clearly patterned on Allen's love for old films and musicals, and tilts to the whimsical. The plot is light, but the characters are game. Because there's little more story than the interactions and duets of the characters, the film is somewhat open-ended. Still, the film is something of a love song for Manhattan as seen through children (who keep things rolling with their romantic plotting). The film ends with Hawn and Allen dancing along the Seine - Steffi flying through the air because the laws of gravity have been suspended for her as they have been for the plot.

Rating:
Summary: Sublime, delightful, utterly charming
Review: Who woulda thought the Woodman could do something like this? Even as recently as 1996,when this film came out, Woody still had major chops, as witnessed by this perfect musical. This is a sublime blend of whimsy, romance, and wit. It's hard not to say that when you see a roomful of ghosts singing and rhumbaing to "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think"), or when a hospital staff and crippled patients sing and dance about love, marriage, and parenthood.

It's also touching to see Tim Roth as a tough escaped convict sing a love song to Drew Barrymore; the juxtaposition of these two opposites brings out the feeling much more than a singing citizen ever could have. And Woody and Goldie's flight-filled romantic rendition of "I'm Through With Love" on the banks of the Seine is utterly charming, making the heart float as lightly as Goldie does during her dancing.

Woody evokes Groucho Marx in an ensemble dance number about Captain Spalding (sung in French, no less!), and individually, when talking to Goldie, complete with glasses, eyebrows, and mustache--and he does a more than passing fair version of Mr. Marx himself.

One subplot about a girl in her twenties going through six or seven boyfriends in the course of the film is a hoot, and there's even a tinge of political satire as well--in the shape of a Young Republican who undergoes a magical transformation.

This will make you smile all the way through. If only Woody had the panache now that he showed so well in this film. This one's superb Woody Allen.

Rating:
Summary: Diverting, fun, and wonderfully shallow
Review: Woody Allen courts Julia Roberts. (I wonder if Woody writes his own dialogue these days or just chalks it in and improvises. Maybe he gives a signal to the other actor(s) that it's their turn.) Yes, I am eating my heart out, but believe it or not-and I swear this is true and Julia Roberts herself will vouch for this-she was once courted by an orangutang. True story. You could look it up. It was a PBS special. I'm serious. You think I could make up something like this? She even held a baby orangutang in her arms and he...well, let's just say he wasn't wearing a diaper. I kid you not.

Anyway, this is a kind of satirical take off on Broadway musicals, but half on the square. It features a lot of show tunes and dance numbers, some beautifully choreographed. Goldie sings, Alan Alda sings, Julia sings and of course Woody sings. (Drew is dubbed, I understand). Ed Norton also sings, but the difference is, he's actually good. Goldie Hawn is the mom, Woody is her ex and Alan Alda is her current. They are all rich and privileged and spend their time in places like New York and Paris and Venice. Goldie is a flaming, bleeding heart liberal who thinks that prisons ought to have a cuisine at least, and Alda is an establishment lawyer and doctrinaire liberal. His son consequently devours the National Review and is a member of the National Rifle Association, and thinks that welfare mothers ought to get a job, etc. Woody Allen is Woody Allen of course. I haven't seen one of his films in decades, but watching him put the moves on Julia brings back memories. You almost believe it. In fact, you DO believe it. And lament.

Tim Roth plays an ex-con, just released from prison, invited to a family dinner by Goldie. (Extended family dinners involving kids and grandparents and eccentric relatives stirred by light-hearted family politics are a staple of the Woody Allen canon, as I recall.) Roth's "animal" magnetism, and his "interesting" kiss entice Drew away from her intended (at least temporarily). The story is narrated by Woody and Goldie's daughter (Natalie Portman, I presume), who finds herself falling in and out of puppy love with the regularity of the rising sun. Everything is played as a light satire of the intended audience, a technique perfected by Oscar Wilde in his play, The Importance of Being Earnest over a century ago. In a sense Woody Allen's effort amounts to a gentle massage of psyche of the New York liberal establishment.

Some highlights: The Marx Brothers song and dance number done en francaise near the Seine in Paris allowing Woody to do a fine Groucho impersonation; Drew's peach satin dress; Julia jogging in Venice; the intensive care unit choreography; mannequins coming to life in song and dance..

All in all, there's some cute fun had with Broadway show traditions, people breaking into song at odd moments, mostly standards from the pre-rock and roll era, e.g., "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "Making Whoopie," (yes, that is where Whoopie Goldberg got her moniker), and the beautiful "I'm Through with Love," (sung not badly by Goldie Hawn), a few good gags, a cute cast--enough of interest to divert one after an afternoon of hard-core shopping at Neiman-Marcus and Sak's Fifth Avenue.

Rating:
Summary: Nearly Perfect.
Review: This is a Woody Allen Romantic Musical Comedy, so I expected it to be a little more serious or have darker humor. Something like Pennies from Heaven. But it was much more like the classic musical which hasn't been made in a while but should have been.
The romances may seem trite and not very well explained, and they are and I think that's intentional. There are some Allen touches, like the analyst, and the shaky relationships, but everything works out. Like in Astaire and Rogers film where their down on their luck, they stick through it and it eventually works out. A musical should entertain first and foremost, and this one did that wonderfully. My favorite part is the dancing ghosts singing "Enjoy Yourself" or Ed Norton singing " My Baby Just Cares for Me" at the ring store.
The only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is some of the actors have weak voices and are weak dancers. But if you're not a musical theatre nut and can get past that, it's a great movie.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best ever.
Review: Nothing can make you laugh so hard and melt your heart so tenderly than this Woody Allen musical comedy. If you ever happen to fall in love with the beauty of New York, Venice and Paris, you'll get hooked even more. The casting was perfect, everyone gave his or her best performance: Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Julia Roberts, Natasha Lyonne, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Tim Roth, Natalie Portman, Gaby Hoffman... (actually Drew did not sing, in case you wondered, but most other actors did and did quite well). The last scene was absolutely heartwarming. A must-see.

Rating:
Summary: Let¿s Sing Love
Review: When people are very happy or sad, they do weird things. This is what happens in this Woddy Allen movie: they sing. People in 'Eveyone Says I Love You' sing to show their happiness to the world; or to get over with their sadness. And, boy, how good this sing is.

The plot --as if there were one -- follows the ups and downs in love life of a New York family and their friends during the period of one year. The story is narrated by Dj, one of the members of this family. She shows us her stepsister who is about to marry an yuppie, but follows for an ex-con; her daddy who lives in Paris and cannot commit himself for too long, despite falling in love all the time; her mother and stepfater who have an apparently perfect marriage; her two little sisters who falls for the same kid; and she herself loves every new boy she meets. And that is how things go.

The film takes place mostly in New York City, which is beautifully shot through the course of the four seasons in one year. Part of the action trips to Paris and Venice, which are also so beautiful that makes this film a present for the eyes --and, of course, for the ears. And so does the cast, that includes Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Nathalie Portman, Drew Barrymore, Edward Norton, Tim Roth, Nathasha Lyonne and, of course, Woody Allen.

New York has never been so musical. Everybody sings and dance everywhere -- even the corpse in a funeral. That's why the film is so sunny -- even though when the snow is falling -- and funny. Mocking with the musicals in general, made Allen not to be commited to make a 'serious' movie. Many times characters stop doing whatever they are doing in order to start singing, very out of the blue. And definitely, this is where lies most of the charm of the film.

The songs themselves are a show. Allen had the ideia of giving a new groove to old romantic musics. So you may have heard it before, but not in this way. They perfectly match every scene they are in. Virtually, the entire cast sings -- barring Drew Barrimore whose songs were sang by an amateur singer in order to not be so different from the others. Of course, the most strange moment is when Woddy Allen sings -- we have to addimit: he doesn't have a tenor's voice--, but he deliveries very fine.

All in all, 'Everyone Says I Love You' is a declaration of love to Love. The songs express many different ways of love and loving. You will smille and laugh. And I dare you to sit still and not sing and dance along.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone says find actors who can sing!
Review: As a film musical fan, nothing would be please me more than to bring this genre back. But when Broadway is jammed packed with killer singer dancers, why star people who can't sing or dance in a musical? This just puts more nails in the musical's coffin.

This musical isn't charming, witty and represents Woody at his worst. Watch his brilliant Bullets Over Broadway instead.

Rating:
Summary: The Best All Star Cast
Review: Woody Allen was always a funny guy, everyone has always loved Julia, the public has viewed Drew forever, and the others started here, some I don't know who they are. All in all a great very funny movie, If Woody Allen wasn't in it I wouldn't like it. Grandpa was the funniest, before he died, and after. I laughed forever watching him. The only bad thing is its too musical. A must see for Woody Allen fans.