Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
**** (out of 4)
Remarkable documentary taking a look at the life and career of Woody Allen who just this year scored the biggest hit of his career. This documentary is pretty much the perfect timing as there's never been a time where Allen has been so popular in terms of a general audience so hopefully this film will have fans of MIDNIGHT IN Paris checking out some of his other work. Clocking in at 191-minutes, this mammoth documentary starts off covering Allen as a child and then moving to his first few writing jobs and then it's off to the TV, the stage and finally the movies. With such a large running time it's easy to say that this thing pretty much covers everything with only a few acting-only films like SCENES FROM A MALL not getting mentioned. I think this is an incredibly important film because as Allen fans know he's not a fan of "extras" so his films pretty much get released without the fan getting to know much but this documentary allows Allen to comment on most of the movies but we also get some nice behind the scenes footage, promotional interviews and all new interviews with the man himself. I think another major thing is that we get to hear from the majority of his actors with the one exception being Mia Farrow. Just about everyone else that you'd want to hear from are on hand including Diane Keaton who shares some great stories. The controversy about the Farrow situation and HUSBANDS AND WIVES is looked at in an open manor and this includes Allen talking about it. Some of his lesser quality films are mentioned as well but if you've seen the documentary WOODY ALLEN: A LIFE IN FILM then you already know that the director hates most of his movies so it's funny hearing him constantly put himself and his talent down. The documentary also gives us some insight with an interview from his sister and mother. One of the most interesting aspects of the film has Allen taking us to his hometown where he walks around pointing out his first home, his movie theater and various other places that eventually inspired bits and pieces of his movies. Fans of Allen are certainly going to enjoy every second of this documentary and if you're unfamiliar with him I think it's going to perfectly explain why the man is so special.
**** (out of 4)
Remarkable documentary taking a look at the life and career of Woody Allen who just this year scored the biggest hit of his career. This documentary is pretty much the perfect timing as there's never been a time where Allen has been so popular in terms of a general audience so hopefully this film will have fans of MIDNIGHT IN Paris checking out some of his other work. Clocking in at 191-minutes, this mammoth documentary starts off covering Allen as a child and then moving to his first few writing jobs and then it's off to the TV, the stage and finally the movies. With such a large running time it's easy to say that this thing pretty much covers everything with only a few acting-only films like SCENES FROM A MALL not getting mentioned. I think this is an incredibly important film because as Allen fans know he's not a fan of "extras" so his films pretty much get released without the fan getting to know much but this documentary allows Allen to comment on most of the movies but we also get some nice behind the scenes footage, promotional interviews and all new interviews with the man himself. I think another major thing is that we get to hear from the majority of his actors with the one exception being Mia Farrow. Just about everyone else that you'd want to hear from are on hand including Diane Keaton who shares some great stories. The controversy about the Farrow situation and HUSBANDS AND WIVES is looked at in an open manor and this includes Allen talking about it. Some of his lesser quality films are mentioned as well but if you've seen the documentary WOODY ALLEN: A LIFE IN FILM then you already know that the director hates most of his movies so it's funny hearing him constantly put himself and his talent down. The documentary also gives us some insight with an interview from his sister and mother. One of the most interesting aspects of the film has Allen taking us to his hometown where he walks around pointing out his first home, his movie theater and various other places that eventually inspired bits and pieces of his movies. Fans of Allen are certainly going to enjoy every second of this documentary and if you're unfamiliar with him I think it's going to perfectly explain why the man is so special.