Anything Else

Reviewed by David Spielman

for Reel Movie Critic

HHH

Jason Biggs Jerry Falk

Christina Ricci Amanda

Woody Allen David Dobel

Stockard Channing Paula

Directed by Woody Allen. A romantic comedy. Rated R (for a scene of drug use and some sexual references). DreamWorks. Running time: 108 minutes.

A younger Woody

Put together a struggling comedy writer named Jerry (Jason Biggs), a difficult actress named Amanda (Christina Ricci), and an atheist schoolteacher named Dobel (Woody Allen), who is sensitive to the Jewish religion and what do you get? A story, just like "Anything Else" of course!

Thankfully, in this case though - Woody isn't one of the love interests. He's the friend and newly appointed comedy writing partner to love-struck Jerry - who's facing a midlife crisis at the ripe age of 21. But Jerry's got more than just a frustrating girlfriend on his hands - he has to deal with her Broadway hopeful mother, Paula (Stockard Channing), an agent who only has one client, Harvey (Danny Devito), and a psychiatrist who refuses to speak.

The great thing about Allen and his new film is that Woody sticks to his winning formula - great one-liners, beautiful New York photography, and a jazzy soundtrack. Much better than last year's "Hollywood Ending," this film is as entertaining as "Small Time Crooks" or "Curse of the Jade Scorpion."

The cast of the film is fantastic. Wisely stepping down to a supporting role, Allen is hilarious as the wisecracking and knowledgeable David Dobel. Also surprising about the main cast is their age - Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs? Well, I'm happy to report Biggs has graduated from "American Pie" to portraying a younger version of Woody Allen. His clumsy mannerisms are reminiscent of Allen's earlier work, clearly indicating Biggs as a comedic talent to behold. It's great to see Ricci branching out from some smaller films into the role of Jerry's girlfriend - but it's too bad that her character is so annoying that we wouldn't mind not seeing as much of her in the film. Coming off a string of flops, Devito is back on mark and Channing, fresh off a stint on "The West Wing," is absolutely hilarious as Amanda's young at heart mother.

What I admire most about Allen, whether his film is a critical success or not - is that he consistently puts out fresh material every year. Even as he nears 70, Allen still has the wit that has kept him cranking out movies for the past 40 years.

While "Anything Else" may not be "Manhattan" or "Annie Hall," it will satisfy any faithful Allen fan as a solid two hours of entertainment. The jokes are funny, the Manhattan setting is flawless, and to tell you the truth - this film beats the heck out of any other silly comedy out there right now. If you need a break after all the explosions, swordfights, and machines that dominated the screens this summer and you feel like you deserve some time to just relax and get a few laughs - this is the film for you. Could you want anything else?