esrosedotblog

SKETCH

Woody Allen is a blocked author. All of his success has come from using his life experience in thinly veiled humorous short stories. Not a way to win love and friendship.

But, it is a way to build a film with lots of sketch comedy. Short, mostly hilarious, vignettes with star cameo appearances (Tobey Maguire, Robin Williams, Richard Benjamin, Stanley Tucci) standing in for the fictional writer. Billy Crystal, Bob Balaban, Kirstie Alley, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Shue are key players. The rest of the film is also chuck full of walk-ons by people who we have seen over the years in Allen films.

Deconstructing Harry (1997) is filled with Allen's patented jokes but adds a level of vulgarity and smuttiness which we do not usually see in his work. Some of it seems over the top; but that is the deal with vulgarity. Its goal is to go beyond the accepted limits.

I liked this Best NYTimes 1176 Film and will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

BTW

I passed on a BestFilm that I had already seen; Dead Man Walking. I thought that I could handle it a second time but when that time came, I realized that once was enough. It is a splendid film and way too hard to watch just now. I will give it an unseen 4 out of Netflix5 based on my memory of it the first time (and only) time out.