Radio Days
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Movie Reviews of Radio Days
Movie Review: Bittersweet Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
The best thing about Woody Allen is his ability to build a movie on episodic material and subplots, without the need for an overarching plot. "Radio Days" is told in anecdotal vignettes, which relate to Allen's memories of radio in the 1940s. These vignettes are seamlessly interwoven, and through them, we come to get a feel for how and where Allen grew up.Where he grew up was Rockaway, Queens, and -- having been there dozens of times, visiting from my own Brooklyn -- Allen's actual use of the neighborhood locations really places this movie not only in place, but time, as Rockaway Beach has changed so little since the 1940s.
Most memorable are the actors which comprise the ensemble cast: Seth Green plays a young Allen, casted as "Joe"; Julie Kavner and Jeff Tucker play his always bickering parents; Diane Wiest plays his old-maid aunt, Bea. But Mia Farrow as aspiring radio personality Sally White steals the show with her Canarsie accent "Hawk, I heyuh da cannons raw. Is it da king approachin'?" and later blossoms into a radio gossip show hostess, a la Hedda Hopper, replete with a proper Anglicized accent to boot.
Living now in an age when many social critics blame television for driving the American family apart, Allen paints a portrait of a time when it was radio which drew families closer together; all his favorite childhood memories having some connection to a radio program or song, and it is this connection which Allen memorializes, suggesting a time that was not so much more innocent, but one that was more dramatic, classier and less jaded.
DP Carlo diPalma's beautiful use of primary colors and editor Susan Morse's perfectly-timed montage flesh out a gorgeous visual counterpart to the soundtrack, which is brimming over with jazz, big bands, cop dramas, boy crooners, game shows and torch song sirens.
"Radio Days" is, along with "Crimes and Misdemeanors" the closest Allen came to making a perfect movie.
Movie Review: Cinematic radio
Summary: 5 Stars
"Radio Days" is, I think, one of Allen's best films. It tones down on the the sometimes annoying slapstick of his earliest films without completely eliminating it (for example, the scene with the rabbi in which the young Woody gets slapped by all and sundry). It masterfully manages to keep the viewer's attention even though the film is a series of vignettes rather than a plotted narrative. It evokes a sense of nostalgia and love for the everyday aspects of family life--it's the rare viewer who walks away without genuinely liking Aunt Bea, the Carmen Miranda-dancing cousin, Woody and his parents, and the rest of the clan. Finally, the film is an artistic tour de force in that it manages to capture a radio-like quality cinematically. The vignettes are like the radio pieces they celebrate: short, dramatic, funny, poignant, sometimes hammy and over-dramatic (intentionally, by the way), sometimes seemingly spontaneous and fresh. It's really quite remarkable.
What intrigues me about a film like "Radio Days"--or Fellini's "Amarcord," which Allen claims (unbelievably) wasn't an inspiration for his own film--is how intensely the evocation of a "simpler" past rings with audiences (including me). The past, after all, was never as simple or innocent as nostalgia makes it, and most of us intellectually realize this. So what do we find so appealing about such obviously false depictions? Is it escapism? A longing for lost innocence? A wish to connect with something that might've been but wasn't? I dunno. But I'm glad that there are films like "Radio Days" to fill that need, however we explain it, to be nostalgic.
Movie Review: Woody Knows His Audience
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for zany slap-stick thrills and rib-cracking laughter, then this is not the entertainment for you. If, however, you want to take a humorous stroll down memory lane or share a stroll with your parents or grandparents, then this is a wonderful film to do it with. The story really plods along with no real aim, just a lot of subplots that loosely tie in together, but that is part of the craft of this film. Much like Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" Woody Allen describes life as a boy in the early/mid 20th Century and narrates the film from the first person perspective. It is, in effect, his childhood autobiography. There are plenty of old radio advertisements for previous generations to quote and musical tunes for them to recollect and sing along with. I recently viewed the DVD with an older lady who did this very thing and smiled throughout the duration of the movie. A few times I could see tears welling up as she smiled and recalled her own childhood. I was able to relate to some of it, as it helped me recall memories of my grandparents and even some of my own shinanigans as a youngster. It also appealed to me immensely as a fan of Comedy and Drama. This is not typical Woody Allen fare but, as with any of his stories, it is directed at a specific audience. In that regard Woody has accomplished his goal in flying colors. This is a must-see film for nostalgic types and history buffs; a show to be shared with family and friends.Movie Review: One of Woody's Most Underrated Films
Summary: 5 Stars
One of Woody Allen's most underrated outings, "Radio Days" is a tremendously funny film which depicts the grip that radio had on America during World War II. While void of an actual plot, "Radio Days" succeeds as a series of vignettes involving a loud, comical New York family whose lives are enlightened by an array of music, sporting events and soap operas which reach their home by way of static-filled airwaves. Long before TV and the Internet, radio was the only source of popular culture in many American homes. Family members who fought constantly (And boy do they fight in "Radio Days"!), always found time to bond around the big radio cabinet in the kitchen or living room. In typical Allen fashion, the dialogue and characters are delightfully over the top. The cast -- Michael Tucker, Julie Kavener, Seth Green, Mia Farrow -- are stellar and perfectly suited for the outrageous script. The real charm of the film is Allen's witty take on War-era radio shows. Everything from Superheroes to a radio ventriloquist (think about it...) are spoofed in way that only Woody can spoof. Of course, classic songs from the 1940's gloriously re-reate the romance and charm of a bygone era. While "Radio Days" may not be as "important" as "Annie Hall" or "Manhattan", it is a wonderfully entertaining film which bares all the trademarks of a Woody Allen classic.Movie Review: Very Nice Piece Of Nostalgia
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for the normal amount of big laughs from a Woody Allen film, then you will be disappointed here. It's not that kind of film.
I was anything but disappointed, but I knew what the film was all about before I saw it. Actually, what drew me to it was that I had read where this was a wonderful visual film, filled with rich colors and great set designs. It did not let me down. This is a great visual tribute to the 1940s, to be exact from 1938 to 1944. A real treat for the eyes.
The story centers around a Jewish family in Queens and the importance that radio shows had in that day-and-age. Also profiled in here are some of those radio performers.
It does have laughs but not as many as the normal Allen movie because the idea of this is simply to be a nostalgic piece, mainly Allen's tribute to his own family days of growing up, what it was like around his house.
It was interesting to see Seth Green playing Woody as a youngster with flaming red hair. The most interesting person, however, was Diane Wiest who played a man-chasing sister-in-law. The film gives you a real flavor of the period, of New York and of a Jewish family.
Overall, it's simply a nice film....and gorgeous to look at. Sometimes I think some of Allen's work is overrated but, boy, here is one that is definitely underrated.