A Disappointing Continuation

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I really live some of Woody Allen's films, which are laugh out funny, or great. Others I really don't like. They are talkative, and boring if you're not in the mood.Mighty Aphrodite is a mixed blessing. The best are just great, but I'm afraid to say I think the film sometimes loses grip. It's a typical Allen film, with the annoyingly talkative Allen interrupting the women in his life, and this has a drive that many loves.I've got a trouble with the start, which is dull. The Greek choir in the beginning feels quasi cultural, and too often it takes over. Then the film loses momentum, even if there sometimes are funny parts. The plot is good, and Mira Sorvino went away with an Oscar for her role as the hooker. Some scenes are hilarious, and Allen at his bestI'll end the review with one of the great lines from the film, from Linda Ash: - You didn't want a blow job, so the least thing I could do was buying you a tie!If you want to check out Allen's best, they are "Loved and death", "Small time crooks", "Annie Hall" and "Match point".

Sportswriter Lenny Weinrib (Allen) and his wife (Bonham-Carter) adopt a baby from an anonymous mother. After a few years pass, Lenny starts to wonder about the woman. Curiosity quickly gets the better of him, so he steals files from the adoption agency and sets out to find her. Lenny is dismayed, maybe even terrified, to find that Linda (Sorvino,) the mother, is a beautiful $200-an-hour prostitute. So that he can fashion the proper mother-son reunion and save himself from what fate seems to have in store, he determines to 'reform' Linda. Interwoven throughout the story is a Greek chorus (including F. Murray Abraham and Olympia Dukakis,) who add their own unique take on the proceedings.I've always preferred Woody Allen's comedies over his dramas. This one is probably one of my favorites. This film is a great example of Woody Allen showing no interest in convincing his audience into swallowing down some serious morals. It's light, fluffy, shamelessly sentimental and does not suffer a bit because of it. The plot is generally an uplifting tale of changing ones life for the better, and intertwined with this is some of Woody Allen's best humor. There are many entertaining characters, especially Mira Sorvino's prostitute and Michael Rapaport's dim-witted boxer, Kevin.The stand-out here is Mira Sorvino. She is absolutely enthralling, with her ditsy nature and confidence masking a timid vulnerability, all of which earned her a well deserved Oscar. Linda could have been an over the top, cartoonish character, Pygmalion on crack. But under the careful direction of Allen, Sorvino gives the best performance of her career so far, and one of the funniest performances ever.

A cute, solid Woody Allen comedy that's not as good as many of the comedies that came before but is worlds better than many that came after.Allen plays a sports writer who goes searching for the mother of his adopted son, only to find that she's a prostitute. Played by Mira Sorvino, this character is one of Allen's most delightful creations, a Judy Holliday with a foul mouth. In fact, this is one of Allen's raunchier movies, but it's also one of his sweetest. Sorvino walks a tightrope between dingy and heartbreaking that deservedly won her an Oscar.Allen uses a Greek chorus to comment on the action throughout the film, populated with famous actors like Olympia Dukakis, F. Murray Abraham and Jack Warden. It's a typical Allen gimmick, but it wears thin after a while.Grade: A-

Woody Allen and his latest younger wife (this time played by stick of chalk Helena Bonham Carter) decide to adopt a newborn baby boy. As the child grows Woody becomes curious to find out who the real mother is and eventually tracks her down as a scatterbrained hooker and porn star (Mira Sorvino). I've tried watching this several times now and its got some laughs and charm, but it's still not amongst Allen's better comedies for me. I think Sorvino's prostitute character is initially ingratiating when she appears on the scene, but her schtick wears thin quickly. This obviously put-on performance was unworthy of the Oscar she received. And once Woody discovers her there's not much else of interest that can be done with the story. But the biggest turn-off of all is the damn cringe-worthy Greek chorus which pops up every so often to chant and sing the narration of what's transpiring in the movie, with F. Murray Abraham as the painted leader who visits Allen from time to time to counsel him, a la Bogart in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM. Utterly unnecessary. **1/2 out of ****