Writer/director Woody Allen's latest "dramedy" Irrational Man features clever noir-ish sensibilities, some sharp dialogue, and fine performances. Yet somehow it's a largely forgettable affair.
The story follows a burnt-out philosophy professor named Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) as he takes a new position at a small Rhode Island university. After seeking self-worth in the arms of an adulterous colleague (Parker Posey) and a precocious student (Emma Stone), Abe finally realizes that he must commit one existential act to turn his twisted perspective around.
This late in Woody's career, audiences should know what they're in for with any of his films. Enjoyment depends almost entirely on how one appreciates his style. For me, I've always thought Allen had a singular skill for writing repartee. The characters all talk very fast and typically muse about life's deeper meaning. In Irrational Man, this tactic establishes a great pace for the narrative and makes for interesting conversations between the characters. In fact, at times it feels like the film moves almost too fast for its own good. I found myself struggling to piece together how certain scenes connected to one another. Some jokes even whizzed by so quickly I had to rely on the giggly couple sitting behind me to cue my own laughter.
The story also takes a long time to get going. Allen doesn't get to the crux of the plot until at least 30 minutes in, but again, it's the lively dialogue that keeps those first 30 minutes engaging.
Aside from well-written speech, the characters themselves really aren't that interesting. Abe evolves a bit over the course of the film, but he really just changes from a depressed shithead to a delusional or, dare I say, an "irrational" one. Stone's character Jill acts as his "femme fatale" of sorts, as she ropes Abe into a relationship he originally rebuffs and also unwittingly sets him on the path to commit his life-changing act. In the end though, Jill seems to take nothing from her schoolgirl infatuation with Abe. She initially falls for how complicated he seems but once she learns the truth about Abe, and following their climactic encounter at the piano studio, her life goes back to exactly the way it was when the film began. That's not to say Phoenix and Stone don't give their all, though. The film is practically worth seeing for the two of them alone.
(As a side note, I know it's popular these days for up-and-coming storytellers to try and craft complex characters for actors of color, and it's easy to get upset over the lack of diversity in most Hollywood productions. One should rarely, if ever, expect to see involvement from any persons of color in a Woody Allen movie. I counted one Asian-American woman and one African-American man, but if I had blinked I would've missed their screen time. I realize that the story takes place in preppy Newport, Rhode Island, but this is about as whitewashed a production as I've ever seen. If that kind of thing offends you, then you've been warned.)
No matter how you scratch it, though, Allen remains one of America's finest auteurs of original cinematic storytelling. That has to be worth something.
PROS:
-Fine performances from Phoenix and Stone
-Noir approach
-Sharp dialogue...
CONS:
-...but often moves too fast for its own good
-Bland characters
-Whitewashing
C+
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