Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

As Good As It Gets

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Woody Allen always promises so much, with most of his his movies having such really great concepts, that they make most directors seem trivial. Unfortunately, probably because he feels compelled to put out a movie per year whether the script or production merit it, Woody Allen often falls way short of his promise. Even when he actually delivers a fine movie like "Midnight in Paris' it feels like with another few months honing the script would have made it into a much better film might even put him on the same plane as his beloved Bergman. In Hollywood Ending, which has the imaginative premise of a blind director, an idea which could have produced something brilliant handled by an in-form Woody falls shrorer than ever due to a half-baked script with some classic lines, but far too few, but mostly due to Woody's unconvincing portrayal of a blind person. While often a great lead in his films, here he is seen time after time talking in the opposite direction of the person he is supposed to be conversing with, which would make sense if he was deaf as well as blind, but just looks totally unconvincing here. Coupled with a so-so script and no really strong supporting roles this made for his weakest effort of all time. As usual the score is wonderful, but there isn't much else to recommend it.

I'm ready to admit a struggle in Woody Allen's filmography. I don't know if it was DreamWorks Studios attempt to curtail Woody Allen to more family-friendly fare, or if Allen actually did experience a rough patch in creativity, but the early 2000's so far have been underwhelming. Watching The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Ending back to back, I was most stricken by the seeming lack of direction the two films shared in common. Both films had a plot that just seemed to ebb and flows throughout the film rather than being catapulted through by a witty and strong script as I've grown accustomed to from a Woody Allen film. Hollywood Ending was Woody's 2002 film starring Woody Allen and Téa Leoni as a divorced pair working in the entertainment industry who work together once more for perhaps old times sake or retribution. Val Waxman (Woody Allen) is an Oscar-winning director whose reputation for being difficult having preceded him resulting in his lull in offers for work. Ellie (Téa Leoni) divorced Val 10-years prior after leaving him for a studio head whom she currently works with. Despite their past, Ellie believes that Val is the perfect director for a $60 million project "The City that Never Sleeps". Val has "the city of New York in his D.N.A. and goes to bat for him being considered as the director for the project. Against all odds, Val gets the job despite his dismay that his ex-wife is the one that was pushing for him so intently. The stress of a big film project, working with his ex-wife, and the troubled relationship with his son has resulted in a psycho-sematic case of blindness. Unable to see, Val and those closest to him create an elaborate ruse to hide that fact from the studio heads long enough for him to finish the film. Once Ellie finds out, Val expects her to out him to her studio executive boyfriend immediately, instead, she helps him hide his temporary blindness and the two rekindle their relationship.It's hard to believe one of the greatest American screenwriters is responsible for such a trope as Hollywood Ending. The script was clever in parts but overall suffered from poor pacing and a storyline which left little to engage with. The scene in which Woody was giving his side of an argument with Ellie to be interrupted by the man at the next table was reminiscent of Annie Hall in a beautiful way. Hollywood Ending was tough to get through and may have suffered a bit from being part of my Woody Allen retrospective project. The film probably isn't as bad on its own but watching it against several other Woody Allen films where it seemed like the director never missed left me thoroughly underwhelmed by it.

For Woody Allen fans - this is one of the last ones with him acting so it is worth a watch. Unfortunately it's one of his weaker pictures. There are some laugh out loud moments esp his scene with Tea Leoni in the bar. The hypochondria isn't that funny. The main premise is interesting psychosomatic blindness but wears thin after a while. The supporting cast is not well utilized. Everyone is made to talk in that Woody Allen way. Tiffany Thiessen has such a small part. George Hamilton just a few lines. The Chinese cameraman and interpreter are quite funny at first. But overall it still is worth a watch for the pleasant neat storyline and the laughs in between. Just isn't that funny after all.

A pretty weak one-note joke film from Woody Allen during a period where he made a string of some of his most mediocre movies. It's not as bad as the following year's woeful "Anything Else," perhaps the very worst film he's ever made, but it's close.Allen plays a Hollywood director who's struck with a case of temporary blindness. You can imagine the kinds of jokes that ensue. Allen's reliance on vaudevillian humor had stopped being charming by this point and was just anachronistic. But no worries -- two years later he would experience a creative reboot and give us "Match Point," one of his best films and enough to erase movies like "Hollywood Ending" from our memories.Grade: C-