Everyone Says I Love You
|
Our Price: $44.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $29.95 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Everyone Says I Love You
Movie Review: Woody Allen - A Brilliant Song and Dance Man!
Summary: 5 Stars
It has been some time since I have paid attention to Woody Allen, so running into his 1996 musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You on cable left me wondering what else I may have been missing from the increasingly marginalized director. "I Love You" fits neatly within Allen's well established adult comedy arcs and, surprisingly enough, the classic architecture of the great MGM musicals of the last century. I have to acknowledge up-front that this film contains so many elements that I personally dislike (e.g. recent-vintage Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore just to scratch the surface) that to consider it a great film by any measure still shocks me - and yet, it is.
In the case of Allen, maybe the definition of true genius is the ability to accumulate plaudits and accolades by the insistent greatness of his work despite the deep misgivings of his audience that his personal conduct should land him in the miscreant hall of fame rather than on any awards podium.
The construction of ESILY is vintage Allen - an omniscient look at the deep dysfunction of stereotypical Upper East Side Manhattanites whose gilded socioeconomic stature does little to immunize them against a litany of self-destructive tendencies and limousine liberal hypocrisies that are his signature.
At the heart of the film is a screwball comedy that takes full advantage of a brilliant screenplay. Although Alan Alda and Goldie Hawn show little chemistry as the husband/wife tandem that are planning a merger/marriage of their daughter to one of New York's most prominent families, the film achieves lift-off only when Hawn champions the cause of a recently released felon whom she believes has been falsely incarcerated - allowing the bleeding heart hi-jinx to really build momentum (and sing.) And of course it wouldn't be a Woody Allen film if his well-trodden neurotic New Yawker schlep-meister persona didn't make an appearance in the guise of Hawn's ex-husband, who to the envy of men everywhere becomes involved in a star-crossed (and rediculously improbable) romance with Julia Roberts - to the writer/director go the spoils I suppose.
The brilliance of the film is that instead of simply running through the screenplay by rote, Allen has the characters spontaneously and inexplicably break into skillfully choreographed "big musical" numbers that would have Gene Kelly nodding in appreciation... who knew that Edward Norton could sing or dance. The smile here is not that the numbers are so good (they are) but that they occur in hilariously discordant settings (the hospital sequence is well worth your time all by itself.) popping up frequently enough to blend away the story-line lulls - they are funny as hell and almost provoke a sympathetic end-note for Allen and his sadly neglected gem of a film. As an aside, ESILY does not shortchange on the gorgeous exteriors (New York and Paris) for which Allen is synonymous.
Without playing spoiler, my only recommendation is that you find this movie and enjoy it. It is a very unexpected pleasure.
Movie Review: Everyone might not exactly love this film, but I do!
Summary: 5 Stars
Can I just say that I was 12 years old when I first saw this film, and had no remote idea as to who Woody Allen even was? After viewing this delight of a movie, I completely fell in love with his style and wit, and I quickly rented his other works such as "Manhattan", "Annie Hall", and "Celebrity". Some were good, some were mediocre, and some were just plain boring. But none of them were like "Everyone Says I Love You".Famous for his all-star casts, "Everyone" starts off with - what else? - a couple: Drew Barrymore as the charming Skylar and Edward Norton as the neurotic, albeit determined Holden. Shot in a grainy, peculiar style reminiscent of the 1960s and '70s musicals, the film quickly establshes itself as a romantic musical comedy, and you know you are headed for a magical ride when the mannequins displayed in the posh store windows start singing along with the principal actors.
Narrated by the wonderful up-and-coming actress Natasha Lyonne (in one of her first roles!), the film's plot mainly revolves around a not-so-average Park Avenue family. Kind of a "Brady Bunch" for the Manhattanite crowd, the family is both dysfunctional, peculiar, and wildly entertaining. Goldie Hawn plays the liberal mother, married to Alan Aldas, the charming stepfather, and then there's their barrel full of kids. Some, like Drew and Natasha's characters, are from Goldie's previous marriage to Woody's character, a writer living in Paris. Others, like Lucas Haas, Gaby Hoffmann, and Natalie Portman, are children of Hawn's current marriage. And of course, there is the wandering, cranky Grandpa and the foreign dictator of a maid. Playing the part of Drew's fiancee is the sweet Norton. Julia Roberts also makes an appearance as Allen's dream lover. Of course, he knows everything about her from his daughter, who regularly listens in on her therapy sessions.
"Everyone Says I Love You" features a strong cast, solid performances (an especially great one by Tim Roth, who shows up as a hilarious felon eager for Drew's affection), and wonderful, nostalgic songs from the '30s and '40s (think Marx Brothers). As always, Allen's loving relationship with NYC shines through, and scenes filmed in Venice and Paris are breathtaking. Did I mention this film is magical? Expect singing ghosts, a levitating Goldie Hawn, and a Marx fest at the end. Don't let the weirdness dissuade you - it takes awhile to get into, but the end result is satisfying. If only all films could be as creative and dazzling as this one.
Movie Review: Lets Sing Love
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: I smiled during the whole film!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, allow me to say that I am not a Woody Allen fan. I find his screen persona to be whiny, scatter-brained, and somewhat grating on the nerves. And he seems to use the same persona in film after film after film. I don't think I've really enjoyed any of the few Woody Allen films I've seen.That being said, also allow me to say that this film was one of my favorite films of the last ten years. From the very first song until the song-and-dance at the end, I couldn't stop smiling. The film was utterly delightful and harkened back to the golden days of the movie musical, where the fun and the the spirit of the musical were more important than big budget stereophonic extravaganzas. Woody Allen uses a whole batch of classic-if-somewhat-forgotten tunes to complement his light and fluffy love story. Practically everyone in the movie is given a chance to sing (except Drew Barrymore, who was dubbed). Some are better than others, but the overall effect is quite magical. My favorite tune was the simple ballad that Alan Alda sings to Goldie Hawn during their characters' anniversary. It was touching and just quite romantic. And it's quite amusing (in a good way) to watch Edward Norton(!) and Tim Roth(! ) sing. This is easily one of the best musicals to come out in an extremely long time. As for Woody Allen, he plays...Woody Allen, but for once, I didn't mind at all. I was simply too enthralled by the spell his film was casting over me.
As for the DVD, the transfer is quite acceptable. The picture looks good, and the sound, while monophonic, is crystal clear. Unfortunately, the DVD doesn't have an extras at all (typical of the early Disney DVDs). If the lack of extras doesn't bother you, and you love musicals as much as I do, then by all means get "Everyone Says I Love You" and you'll thank me!
Movie Review: Woody Does it Again
Summary: 5 Stars
Maybe it's just because I'm a Woody Allen fan. Maybe it's because it was a Sunday night and I was in the mood for a good, original, non-Hollywood-run-of-the-mill movie. Maybe it's just because good movies are hard to come by so when I see something on the TV guide menu that says "Woody Allen Movie", I stop and check it out.
Whatever the reason, I loved this movie. I loved that Woody Allen combined his usual genius humor with an even larger stroke of originality by making this movie also a musical. I loved the movie's whimpsical expression of the trials and tribulations of the cast through music. I loved the quirky and perfectly chosen cast comprised of some of my favorite actors and actresses: a younger, pre-'Closer' Natalie Portman (and Julia Roberts), an exuberant Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton, and, of course, the incomprable Natasha Lyonne.
The story lines were the usual Woody Allen: funny, relateable, and interspersed with the classic Allen neuroses. The musical performances (several performed by the actors themselves) were originally offbeat in a way that only Woody can do, and right up my street- fun, endearing gershwin/ellington/cole porter-esque familiar melodies that even the most hardened ear can appreciate. They had me singing and tapping my feet right along with the cast. I laughed especially hard in the 'taxi cab scene' as well as 'the kitchen scene' where Natalie Portman swears off love, both scenes in which Woody's comedic use of the musical genre were particularly spot on.
What can I say- I have a soft spot for Woody Allen's movies and this movie hit that spot. I wish there were more movies like this in Hollywood. Woody Allen rocks.