hyped garbage

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Woody Allen's latest is a typical foray into 50's Americana, the adulterous affair gone wrong. Justin Timberlake, an astute & well rounded lifeguard narrates the proceedings as he engages a love affair w/Kate Winslet whose marriage is on the rocks from James Belushi & his now estranged daughter, Juno Temple, comes into Coney Island on the lam from her mobster husband. Being too much of a good thing, Allen hedges his bets by telegraphing much of the story beats too soon & writing his characters too on the nose (an affectation that occasionally confounds viewers since his creations reflect too much of his interests rather than stepping out from their bubble organically). A solid miss but the gorgeous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro is worth a viewing.

Allusions to O'Neill and Hamlet, the mood of inevitable tragedy, well acted and well presented. A worthy evening's entertainment.

This wasn't for me. It was filmed nicely; however, I found the acting poor and wooden and the dialogue forced. It was also a tad dull. I'm writing this review while watching the dvd lol. 5/10 for me.

I've been a huge Woody Allen fan since the Annie Hall days. Some of his films are great, some just so-so. I thought this would be one of the latter, but was very pleasantly surprised. I'm sure if Woody hadn't been caught up in the accusations against him that this film would have been nominated for many awards, particularly Kate Winslet, who gives an incredible performance. What surprised me most about the film was Jim Belushi. I had no idea he was a serious actor, but he was very, very good. The weakest was Justin Timberlake, who I think is usually a good actor. He just didn't seem to fit in this very well. Watch the lightning in this film. It's really incredible as it fades very gradually in an out during a scene. Fantastic cinematography. This is one of those "heavy family dramas" about the disappointments of one's life. And for those of us of a certain age, it can really hit home.