You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

If you asked me, I would claim to be a Woody Allen fan.  I'll admit I've only seen a handful of the 46 titles of which IMDB lists him director, but I've found all of them to be enjoyable.  You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger was no exception.

The movie opens with the typical Woody Allen intro, black and white stylized credits and a voice over narrative, introducing us to our characters.  It doesn't take long before we learn each of the character's faults.  

We have:

Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) - An older gentleman who suffers a sort of 'late-life' crisis, divorces his wife and marries a prostitute.

Helena (Gemma Jones) - Alfie's ex-wife, who, at the recommendation of her daughter, turns to a "psychic fortune teller" for comfort.

Sally (Naomi Watts) - Alfie and Helena's daughter, who has to rely on her mother to help her pay the bills for her and her husband, and wants to begin a family, something Roy will have nothing to do with.

Roy (Josh Brolin) - Sally's husband, one hit wonder novelist, chauffeur, and a guy with a "nothing but brown" wardrobe for what seemed to be the entire movie.  Roy falls in love with a women he sees out of his window.

First off, Roy.  I didn't like Roy.  I don't think anyone liked Roy.  I don't know how Sally liked Roy.  The film showed sweet scenes of the two when they first met and fell in love, but I can't comprehend how Sally made it past three months with this guy.  He was an emotional wreck, didn't bring in enough money to even remotely contribute to their bills, and seemed to show no interest whatsoever in their relationship.  I won't spoil the ending for all of you, but I must admit I quite enjoyed Roy's finale.  If the goal was for him to play a moron, then Josh Brolin should get an Oscar, because I was more than convinced.

Anyone watching the movie would have realized that Alfie's relationship with his "wife" was doomed from the beginning.  Hopkins gives a solid performance, and one of my favorite scenes from the film is Alfie sitting awkward watching his wristwatch, counting down the minutes till his little blue pill kicks in.

Sally is an interesting character.  Most of her plot line revolves around her failed marriage with Roy, and her feelings for her boss, Greg (Antonio Banderas).  I felt the most sympathy for Sally, because I felt her choices were the least "offensive". The majority of her actions were made with good intentions, and by the time she considered an affair, we had been shown enough of Roy's behavior that I felt the need to encourage her.  

Helena has the distinction of being the only character with a truly positive outcome.  I had trouble suspending my disbelief with her character, however.  It was difficult to me that she could have lived to her age with a set of beliefs, and suddenly take up sch a genuine faith in the "fortune teller".

Overall, I think my favorite thing about this film was the ending.  I appreciate Woody Allen for giving us a film that gives the characters the endings that they earned, without giving us a deus ex machina happy ending.  I recommend it for viewing, especially if you are a fan of recent Woody Allen work.

The score: 8 out of 10.