I found it odd that while I remembered the name of this
movie there was little about it that I recalled. Not just the story or those
involved but I didn’t recall much notice of the movie even coming out. Little
more than the title. After watching it I found that even stranger since this
was easily one of the most accessible Woody Allen films I’d ever seen. Perhaps
it was due to the fact people expected one thing from him and this didn’t fit
that mold. The end result was a pleasant surprise.
Diane Keaton is Carol Lipton, a homemaker who dreams of
opening her own restaurant (she took a cooking class after all). Carol is
married to Larry (Allen), a book editor at Harper. Their son is about to
graduate and the couple have fallen into the marriage slump, that time when a
couple feels they have no focus once the common bond of child rearing is gone.
One night they have a chance encounter with their new
neighbors, Paul and Lillian House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen). The elderly
couple invite them in for coffee to get acquainted. Paul shows off his stamp
collection to Larry while Lillian shows the treadmill she uses to Carol. After
leaving Carol worries that she and Larry are becoming that old couple, like the
one they just met.
The next day when they get home Carol and Larry find that
Lillian has died as her body is taken from the apartment. A few days later
Carol suspects something is up because Paul just doesn’t seem to act like a man
who has just lost his wife. When she hears his door open and Paul leaving home
at 1AM soon after she begins to investigate just what happened, going so far as
break into his apartment.
When Larry tells her she’s losing her mind she takes her
case to their mutual friend Ted (Alan Alda). Recently divorced Larry has
commented that Ted always seemed to have a thing for Carol which she denies.
With each scene it becomes obvious that Larry was right. Ted and Carol begin
tracking down clues she found in Paul’s apartment, discovering a potential
young lover as well as a twist most won’t see coming.
Larry, in the meantime, is working with an author named
Marcia Fox (Anjelica Huston) on her new book. He learns she played poker to
make ends meet at one time and the two plan to meet for lunch so she can teach
him how to play better. It’s a flirtation on her part but a nerve racking
meeting for Larry who still loves Carol. Seeing the chance to take care of two
issues at once, he sets Marcia up on a date with Ted.
As the movie progresses the real question involved is was
there actually a murder here or is it all in Carol’s mind? Was she so bored
with her life, so worried that she would have nothing left that she turned the
innocent death of a woman from a heart attack into a murder most foul? Or has
she stumbled on to what could be the perfect murder?
It may all sound serious but the movie is more of a
screwball comedy than it may appear. Both Keaton and Allen tend to play on the
stereotypes they’ve played before in previous Allen films. Allen is all nerves
and flutters, his neurosis on full display for all around to see. Keaton is the
woman who wants to seem in control but at the same time is a bit scatterbrained
at times. They are a match made in Heaven even if they don’t recognize it.
The flirtations both experience while dealing with their own
issues with each other are played as comical rather than salacious. Both might
enjoy the fact that someone is flirting with them but at their core they love
one another and have no intention of parting ways.
It is the murder, or at least the potential of their having
been a murder, that brings them closer together while at the same time late in
the film nearly tears them apart. The jealousies Larry has towards Ted early on
are mirrored by Carols later when she thinks he’s attracted to Marcia. As with
the minor issues they both have and the similarities in behavior, their
jealousies show how alike they are.
What makes a stand out performance in a film is the
believability of the actors in the roles they are playing. Those that are bad
you find yourself knowing they are acting in each scene. Those that are good
you watch and lose yourself in the performance, never realizing until the final
credits that you weren’t watching a slice of life but a performance. All
involved here present that second form of acting. The only one that seems to
play it too far over the top is perhaps Allen. Having seen the same nebbish
style character as he’s played for years in one more movie doesn’t make the
character any more convincing.
It might seem like the movie is a thriller but in reality
there is a lot of comedy involved here. Not just in the situations involved but
the dialogue between characters as well. It’s better not to share those moments
and allow the viewer to enjoy them as they come along. But there are plenty of
moments to smile or laugh at here.
There is also a nice homage if you will to director Orson
Welles that Allen as director of the film includes. Paul owns several movie
theaters that play vintage films. At the climax of this film the movie LADY
FROM SHANGHAI is on the big screen showing the sequence of Welles in the
mystery house sliding down the curving slide. This is juxtaposed with the
action taking place in the film there behind the screen, a stage covered with
old mirrors as two adversaries confront one another. It works incredibly well.
Allen fans will want to add this to their collection. If
you’re not an Allen fan give it a watch anyway, it’s a nice comedy/whodunit
that will entertain you from start to finish. Twilight Time is releasing the film
and as always have done a great job of offering it in pristine condition. Their
usual extras of a music & effects track and the theatrical trailer are on
hand as well. As with all of their other releases this is limited to just 3,000
copies so if you want your Allen collection to be complete pick one up soon.
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