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HOLLYWOOD ENDING Send This Review to a Friend
There was once a report about a blind movie censor. In his rib-tickling, inventive new spoof of filmmaking, Woody Allen goes one better. He plays a director who goes psychosomatically blind but still shoots his film while trying to keep his affliction a secret. The ploy offers a chance for some uproariously funny slapstick as the director fakes it with the aid of a Chinese cameraman and a Chinese interpreter.
As usual, Allen's film thrives on casting judgment. The setup in the screenplay, written by Allen, has Woody playing Val, a has-been director who is a bundle of neuroses, recycled from the well-known Allen screen persona. His ex-wife Ellie, played by Tea Leoni is now involved with Hal, a hot-shot Hollywood producer portrayed by Treat Williams, and she goes to bat for her ex, getting him an assignment to make a movie in New York against Hal's better judgment. Of course, Val is terribly jealous of Hal, as he still carries a torch for Ellie, who on the surface has written Val off romantically, but has hidden feelings for him too.
There's plenty of room here for spoofing relationships that are supposed to remain on a pure business level without emotions getting in the way, and by extension, having fun with the whole complexity of making a movie, including profits, egos and artsy direction versus commercial success. Since Allen knows the terrain so thoroughly, he has come up with a sophisticated, on-target script with plenty of in-jokes as well as humor that anyone can appreciate. George Hamilton, looking very George Hamilton, is one of the producers, and Val's agent is Mark Rydell, with attendant cracks about ethics. Lu Yu is solemnly funny as the cameraman hired on Vals's demand, and Barney Cheng has priceless moments as the interpreter who is right out of New York University.
It's no surprise that Woody is perfect as the director, but the real coup here is Tea Leoni. She not only is a terrific looker; she is a great comedic leading lady, mainly because she plays everything straight, yet is masterly with her comic timing, acting rhythms in synch with everyone else and understanding of what's funny and what's romantic. Yes, those who object--I'm not one of them-- to Woody as an older man being the object of affection on the part of younger women still can be irritated. Leoni is a beauty, and Val also has a pretty, young but vacuous girlfriend with whom he has been cavorting, an aspiring actress named Lori, played with just the right ditsy, demanding tone by attractive Debra Messing.
Allen once said that a comedy shouldn't be any more than 88 minutes long. He has violated his judgment here but shouldn't have. "Hollywood Ending" needs to be shorter, as it begins to sag in its latter part. The script contains a whole portion involving Val's estranged son, a stereotyped rebel gone punk, apparently there to explain some of Val's psychological unhappiness that leads to his psychosomatic blindness, and that entails trying to work out the relationship in the plot. Although there are gags connected with the son, the result is to encumber the film with what would be better left on the cutting room floor. There are enough other reasons for Val's psychosomatic blindness.
Fortunately, there's also some very funny stuff in the latter part of the film to retrieve the right comic level, including a great kicker involving the movie disaster that Val has produced. The good looking film, enhanced as usual by Allen's choice of music, was shot by Wedigo von Schultzendorff and designed by Santo Loquasto.
Now that we've had a blind director, what's next? A blind movie critic? Metaphorically speaking, of course. A DreamWorks Pictures release.
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