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In the 90s, Woody Allen was said among film critics to be somewhat exhausted and repetitive. While this is far from the whole truth about Allen's work, the comedy Anything Else is proof that there is some truth to it. When I started watching the film, I realized after a while that I had seen the film about three years ago, but I had completely erased it from my memory. And even then, I couldn't remember what would happen in the next few minutes. Actually, the film was, in a way, new to me. Allen naturally maintains a certain, not exactly low, standard, so he won't disappoint his fans and can capture the attention of a first-time viewer. However, it largely relies on the style and motifs that he has used many times before in better execution. The film is traditionally based on dialogues, some of which elicit a smile from the audience but do not linger in one's memory, and on a quality cast, led this time by Christina Ricci. However, the film lacks a more prominent dramatic plot and a more impactful point. Last but not least, Anything Else is evidence that Allen is a better director than an actor in his old age. Overall impression: 60%. (2009.01.17)

A little more Annie Hall, a little less Danny Rose from Broadway, then a little more... Yes, it's true that plot-wise, Anything Else is not one of Allen's most original efforts, but who cares when the film is so good to watch, when there are scenes as funny as the one with the rifle, the moving of the piano and the phone call, when 108 minutes passes like 80 minutes? I was also pleased with the exciting cast. Especially now I mean Jason Biggs, who seemed completely natural and he perfectly played a character that Woody Allen would have played himself twenty or thirty years ago. Christina Ricci was cute, Danny DeVito was absolutely flawless thanks to the restaurant scene and Allen (in an irresistible role of a paranoid nutcase) was hilarious again. There you go. (2014.08.03)