The film consists of four parallel stories that take place in Rome. Each story is a criticism of the entertainment industry. Likewise the total movie is a criticism in that it which incorporates an over abundance of Italian music and formulaic plots. Allen also adds his frequent themes of sex, love, death, and culture.
In one tale celebrity status is spoofed as an ordinary man suddenly is famous for being famous.
In another tale we see a Hollywood actress have an affair with her friend's boyfriend. This was classic Allen as Alec Baldwin plays the voice of intellect and reason within all of our heads, the one we ignore when a woman becomes a possible conquest.
A third tale includes Allen himself as a retired producer with bad ideas, but has convinced himself he is simply ahead of his time.
The fourth tale involves a small town woman almost seduced by a celebrity, while her husband attempts to pass off a prostitute as his wife.
While the stories ran parallel, they were connected through the use of sound track and common style, as if to say, all movies about Italy are the same. I feel the film would have been better if Allen had left off that fourth story and spent more time on the other three. The episode with Ellen Page and Jesse Eisenberg with Alec Baldwin was my favorite and I wish they had stretched that one out. That was more of the old classic Woody Allen that I love. Perhaps if I was familiar with "The Decameron" I would have liked this film more.
Parental Guide: 1 F-bomb (thank you Ellen); no nudity. Implied sex and sex talk.
In one tale celebrity status is spoofed as an ordinary man suddenly is famous for being famous.
In another tale we see a Hollywood actress have an affair with her friend's boyfriend. This was classic Allen as Alec Baldwin plays the voice of intellect and reason within all of our heads, the one we ignore when a woman becomes a possible conquest.
A third tale includes Allen himself as a retired producer with bad ideas, but has convinced himself he is simply ahead of his time.
The fourth tale involves a small town woman almost seduced by a celebrity, while her husband attempts to pass off a prostitute as his wife.
While the stories ran parallel, they were connected through the use of sound track and common style, as if to say, all movies about Italy are the same. I feel the film would have been better if Allen had left off that fourth story and spent more time on the other three. The episode with Ellen Page and Jesse Eisenberg with Alec Baldwin was my favorite and I wish they had stretched that one out. That was more of the old classic Woody Allen that I love. Perhaps if I was familiar with "The Decameron" I would have liked this film more.
Parental Guide: 1 F-bomb (thank you Ellen); no nudity. Implied sex and sex talk.