It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

maybe, not the best. but nice. and good opportunity to meet a soft Allen, using a spring mixture of flavors and cinnamon and honey. great cat. and a story like a large puzzle. more important than compare it with the other pieces from the filmography it is to enjoy it. only enjoy. because, without be great, it is a honest film. and this is not a small virtue. it represents the occasion to see great actors making a fine job. and, not the last, an ironic view about the contemporary sins is always an useful choice. so, a Woody Allen. special. refreshing. and seductive but not using the classic recipes.

I must admit, I found this Woody Allen comedy a surprisingly depressing film. Whereas in things like "Match Point" and "Blue Jasmine" his observations on human frailty were tempered by empathy for his characters, here he is less forgiving.Set in London, the story begins as Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) and Helena (Gemma Jones), split up. He attempts to recapture his lost youth with exercise, new clothes and a woman less than half his age while Helena is left adrift to seek counsel with a fortune-teller. The breakup affects their daughter, Sally (Naomi Watts), whose marriage to struggling writer Roy (Josh Brolin) is also going through a rough patch. Their lives seem in a fluid state and before the end, all the relationships fall apart and new ones form, although nearly all are thwarted in some way or other.There is angst all the way through this story. Woody Allen has a great ear for angst, but it's usually balanced with tremendous wit. However, I don't think the muse settled all that well on "I See a Tall Dark Stranger", and the stress he applies to his characters reveals merely self-obsession all round.Naomi Watts is someone who can breath life into any script, but I think Allen leaves her a bit stranded on this one. Usually we can sense when he is leading up to a punch line, we are used to the rhythm of his best works, but opportunities are lost here – the humour has a harder edge and the real zingers are missing.Part of the reason could be the narration. It has worked well in some of Woody Allen's films, however, in this one it actually takes the place of what probably should have been sharper exchanges between the characters.The tale is told in a wry manner, or maybe that should be a cynical one. The choice of music is light, which emphasises the irony that comes thick and fast especially at the end. If there are insights in the script, it is that people can be spiteful, and turn nasty when they don't get their own way.Over the decades, Woody Allen's films have run the gamut from brilliant to blah and not everyone will agree on which ones are which. For me, although it holds your attention, "I See a Tall Dark Stranger" is just too negative to be called a really enjoyable experience.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)Simply put, not Woody Allen's best. But it has lots of the trademarks of Allen's films, especially from this late period, and sometimes this one seems about to shine, either in humor or in pathos.It's not quite a roaring comedy, nor a farce, nor a true straight drama. A number of major characters are in relationships that are falling apart or beginning again, often (of course) with infidelity. So Anthony Hopkins plays a wealthy old man who refuses to be old, so he begins working out, popping performance pills, and sleeping with a prostitute (though he apparently thinks she's just a nice actress). And so he leaves his wife. Then there's his wife and her need to start over. There's the prostitute who naturally isn't satisfied with sex with an elderly chap (everything is very British--it's set in London).And that's just one group. An important second group of characters include a couple of writers (their manuscripts become an important small subplot) and their loves. Including the scintillating young woman across the courtyard who practices cello in her window. You might think this is a parody of a dream (I laughed out loud when it first happened because I was sure he was making a joke), but it's taken seriously. In fact, the guy watching her (one of the writers) is a true jerk, and seems to succeed as a jerk. No joke there, either.Etc. It could easily have been a delicious interplay of contemporary characters facing romantic crossed-wires. But the timing is a hair off, the dialog sometimes obvious or sometimes too familiar (like we've seen it before not just in life, but in a Woody Allen movie). There are some touching scenes, and the best parts of the movie are probably the serious ones, but you can't extract those beautiful five minute segments from the more contrived and strained whole.A final clue to Allen's intentions comes from the bland (downright boring) voice-over at the start and end. It means to suggest a lighthearted look at these people (caught in the sound and the fury). And the music in the background shifts the mood in almost silly ways, announcing that the movie is almost an oversized trifle. Or truffle.Too bad. Allen is his brilliant best when he mixes up humor and tragedy, and he's great at both. I'm glad he tried. If you love Allen, you should see this and give it a chance. If you don't know his movies or know you don't like them, give some of the great ones another chance. The list is long.

In London, poor Helena (Gemma Jones) has been jilted by her husband of 40 years, Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). What's it all about Alfie, Helena wants to know! Turth is, Alf had a bit of a late mid-life crisis, complete with a fast new car, body building and visits to a tanning salon. In tears, Helena goes to see a local seer, who predicts a better future for her. At the same time, Alf goes after a looker of a hooker, Charmaine (Lucy Punch), paying her to be his exclusive galpal. Moving on, Alfie's and Helena's daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is hitting some rough spots in her marriage to writer Roy (Josh Brolin). Although Roy has a medical degree, he insists on a career as an author but, since his first book took off, he's had nothing but failures hence forth. This obligates Sally to go to work, even though she longs for a child. With a background in art, Sal finds work at a gallery run by the suave, handsome Greg (Antonio Banderas). Since she proves to be an invaluable assistant, Greg is quite pleased AND does happen to mention on occasion that his marriage is unfulfilling. Huh. Roy, too, has curveballs thrown in his direction, when a lovely guitar player, Dia (Frieda Pinto) is visible in an apartment the writer can see from his own abode. On top of that, Roy reads the manuscript of a fellow poker player and realizes the book is a winner, far better than his own current project. Thus, when the pokerpal is in a car wreck and goes into a coma, with little hope of recovery, can Roy do the unthinkable and filch the book? Dear Woody, as I have often stated, one of your biggest admirers lives in Toledo, Ohio, of all places. As such, this movie, though not your loftiest film, is bursting with small pleasures and smiles. First, the cast is terrific, each and every one of them. Punch, especially, is very funny, buying fur coats while Hopkins' bank account gets greatly reduced. As can be expected, the London setting is lovely while the costume designer should get a bouquet of roses, everyone looks fantastic! As stated, little things mean a lot in Allen's world, so a moment where Roy, in Dia's apartment, looks back and is captivated by Sally in the apartment NOW across the way is very special. Ditto to the marvelous guitar pieces played throughout the movie, too. Unique, too, is the script and direction, quite fine, that Allen offers here, after making film after film after film. Therefore, if you are a fan, you must get your hands on this one, too. Likewise, if its your first Allen film, you will just be opening the jewel box of his cinematic efforts and you should seek out the rest.