Melinda and Melinda
Life can be a comedy or a tragedy, it all depends on how you look at it.
This latest offering from the legendary Woody Allen tells two different stories, literally stories, as the film's opening is a restaurant table where four intellectuals are talking over wine. One of them is a comedian, another a more sombre writer, but both are told the simple true story of when a dinner party was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a woman named Melinda who needed help. The comedian and the other chap both latch on to the possibilities of this story, and in an intellectual battle tell there own versions of what could follow, hence the two Melinda's.
The film effortlessly switches between these two storylines, easily distinguishable by their different characters and settings; the only commonality is Melinda, played by Radha Mitchell. In the happy story Melinda has just moved in to a flat below a couple; where he is Hobie, a failing actor (Ferrel) and she is a director (Peet) trying to raise money for her new film. They are throwing a dinner party to persuade an investor to put money up for the film, when Melinda stumbles in having taken too many sleeping pills. Somewhere in the process of helping her recover Hobie falls for her, whilst his wife decides on just the right dentist to pair her up with.
The other plotline begins with Lee (Miller), a struggling actor throwing a dinner party with his wife Laurel (Sevigny), to try and impress a director into giving him a role. Things go well until Melinda, a childhood friend of Laurel, turns up unannounced and needing a place to stay. Having broken up with her husband and lost the custody of her children she is feeling a tad suicidal. The story continues with her friend's attempts to get her life back on track, and the introduction of a glimmer of hope, piano player Ellis Moonsong (Ejiofor).
Somehow, the comedy and tragedy elements are both genuine and do not interfere with each other. Yet, far more than just a plain comedy or tragedy, this film has something to say about how we see life, demonstrated superbly by the two Melinda storylines.
It's funny, it's sad and it's clever.
Nick Grills
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Screenings of this film:
2005/2006 Autumn Term – (35mm) |