None of the songs were written for the musical. Most of them were written, in fact, in the era of the thirties musicals, such as the title song (from the Marx Brothers film Horse Feathers). The big gimmick of the film was that the cast did all of their own singing. And with the possible exception of Goldie Hawn, none of the cast members is known for singing.
The singing is pretty good, though. Alan Alda has a fine voice: it's probably in the genes (his father Robert was in the original cast of Guys and Dolls). Edward Norton and Tim Roth are passable. Who knows how terrible Drew Barrymore is: she was the only one of the cast to be dubbed. Julia Roberts and Woody probably earn the lowest marks, but they are aware of their musical weaknesses and sing very quietly.
The film is one of the funniest of Woody's post-Interior films. Of course, the humorous verbal bits are there, but here, Woody's best gags are visual. One bit, involving Woody, a camera, and a pair of tourists, reminded me of Woody's funniest early films like Sleeper and Bananas. Plus, he fully exploits the humor of people suddenly breaking into song and dance.
Most of the musical set pieces are exploited for purely comic effect, including song-and-dance numbers in a hospital, in a funeral home with dancing ghosts, and a chorus line of Grouchos singing "Hooray for Captain Spalding" in French. One number, at least, is magical. Goldie Hawn, as Woody's ex-wife, sings, dances, and flies spectacularly on the banks of the Seine. True to Astaire tradition, Woody doesn't break up the scene into numberous short shots, but films it as one continuous shot.
The plot is basically that of Hannah and Her Sisters, minus the sisters. I would double the length of this review by trying to recount it, so I won't. I'll only note that, though the cast is fine, many of them seem playing Woody Allen types. Julia Roberts seems to be imitating Mia Farrow, while Norton, Barrymore and Natasha Lyonne are imitating Woody. Alda has now been in enough of Woody's film to make a type of his own (neo-Tony Roberts). Having Lyonne, as a flighty teenager narrating the film is sometimes cutesy and annoying, but probably the best way to handle the plot.
Carlo Di Palma's cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. The scene on the Seine is a masterpiece of color and light, while the interior scenes are fully the equal of Gordon Willis. The actors are universally strong, if a trifle miscast. I imagine Goldie Hawn in the Julia Roberts role (I know about Woody's proclivities and everything, but still, Julia is a tad young to be his amour) and Diane Keaton in the Goldie role. It's also fun to see Alda and David Ogden Stiers (Hawkeye and Winchester) together again.
This film's humor is sometimes silly but never cheap. It may be minor Woody, but it is first-rate minor Woody.
Postscript: who is the idiot who gave this film an "R" rating? The use of a single word makes this film rated "R", despite the fact that there is no sex, no nudity, no violence, and no other language that can't be used on television. Might I say that the #$#$&*^ who made the ratings decision is totally *&#^^# in the head.
Three stars
Copyright 1997 by Dale G. Abersold
