You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Bitter pill for all hesitant dreamers. Woody this time turns a slightly pessimistic idea into a screenplay full of people trying to be happy, but with all the hesitation, every decision they make seems wrong. And despite their futile efforts, it is also sadly selfish. (27.12.2010)

I personally divide Allen's filmography into four periods: the lively comedic beginnings, when Woody utilized his stand-up comedy experience, a more serious era, when he dropped the clownish facade and attempted to delve into psychological dramas and complex characters, and the audience subsequently rewarded him with indifference. Then came Allen's golden creative period, framed by The Purple Rose of Cairo and symbolically concluded with Hollywood Ending. During this time, I could have given around 4 stars to his films every time, and Woody brought me joy with every new piece. Since 2002, he has been in a period where it is difficult to find a unifying element and generalizing assessment cannot be used. I have had a love-hate relationship with Allen since then. Sometimes he can surprise me, and for example, I rank Match Point and Cassandra's Dream very highly among his works. However, there are also titles where I shrug my shoulders and say, "Well, you've made your regular yearly film again, but I've already seen this, albeit better, in pale blue from you several times. You're getting a little tiresome, despite all your merits." The above perfectly applies to You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Similar Woody films quickly fade from my memory and leave nothing behind. This time, Woody surprisingly stumbled in an area that is traditionally his strong suit - casting. Sir Anthony Hopkins as Allen's alter ego doesn't work, and I also consider Josh Brolin's casting a misstep, as he suits different genres and characters. This is a case of a film that is teeming with famous names and faces, but the end result is lackluster. I consider this comedy as evidence of a trend where Woody increasingly relies on templates, flattens them, and presents banalities. Overall impression: 45%. (15.04.2015)

I quite like Woody Allen because he has a gift for writing clever and witty dialogue, often in a film with a good plot. That didn't happen this time and everything really depends on how good the actors are. They are good, but you may not care about their fates and it's not that funny. (04.07.2017)