Intermission: Allen expands character through 'Anything Else'

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

With "Anything Else," Woody Allen's 33rd feature film as writer/director, he has turned yet another corner in a career that dates back to writing jokes for comedians and his own stand-up act in the 1960s. He seems to have rediscovered, or again pay attention to, his brilliant ear for dialogue and the interactions between characters that seem like real people rather than actors.

In his best films "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," and "Broadway Danny Rose" Allen's dialogue was as good as any on film. Being a lover and student of film himself, Allen has also played with the medium in some extraordinary ways. "Zelig" precursed "Forest Gump" by many years and had more shots of the hero in famous situations than "Gump" did, while employing older technology to achieve the now easy-to-produce effect. "The Purple Rose of Cairo" had characters from a movie and those in "real life" interacting. "Interiors" was a tribute to director Ingmar Bergman, a hero of Allen's.

"Anything Else" is closer to "Annie Hall" than any of his other films, but rather than being the romantic lead, Allen is the wise and possibly entirely mad mentor to his younger alter ego, played by Jason Biggs.

Allen's character, David Dobel, is a would-be comedy writer, a teacher and, while being a devout atheist, he also gets very upset at anything remotely anti-Semitic. Those who love Allen for his whining, his obsessions with life and love, and especially his obsessions with death, will absolutely love Dobel. Viewers who find Allen annoying for the same reasons will surely find the character impossible to take. As one of the former, I laughed harder at Dobel and his intense, insightful ruminations than I have at an Allen character in a long time.

Having avoided the "American Pie" series of films, I was fairly unfamiliar with Jason Biggs, who plays Allen's new-found young friend, Jerry Falk. He does a credible job, and Christina Ricci, whom I've enjoyed in everything she's done, is on the money as Amanda, the female lead. Allen has always been able to write great roles for women (notably Diane Keaton as Annie Hall) and Amanda is one of his finest. Amanda is not as sympathetic or endearing as Annie, but one to be reckoned with.

Jerry and Dobel meet when they are both trying to get work writing for a new comedian. Dobel has no manager and Jerry is signed to a guy named Harvey (Danny DeVito), who would be a lot more at home in the garment district than in show business. The animosity between Dobel and Harvey is apparent from the start.

Dobel likes Jerry and Jerry feels the same, to an extent.

Jerry likes having someone to talk to, as he's been having trouble with his love/obsession, Amanda. They haven't made love in six months, and recently, Amanda's mother Stockard Channing in another strong female role comes to live with them in their already crowded apartment. She rents a piano as well, to prepare for her nightclub act, which is more of a pipe (or booze and pills) dream than reality.

Upon meeting Amanda, Dobel immediately tells Jerry that she's cheating on him. "I can tell by her eyes," he proclaims. He tells Jerry there's only one thing to do: Follow her and find out. Of course, Jerry does.

Dobel has his own problems, and in one scene gets mad and physically violent. It's an uncharacteristic scene for an Allen creation and one that sets the tone for the new on-screen Woody.

Dobel says he has a job lined up for himself and Jerry in Los Angeles. Dobel's quitting his job as a teacher. He says Jerry needs to make a clean break with Amanda, and all of the other clutter in his life (like Harvey) and move with him to L.A.

Fans of Allen will remember that Los Angeles (in fact, anywhere other than New York City) has always been treated like a pariah in his films. To see him urge a move to the West Coast is another startling change. And Dobel drives in this movie. Allen's characters, most memorably Alvy Singer in "Annie Hall," have usually had problems with driving. So, while maintaining the best (or worst for those who don't like Allen) of his classic characteristics, Allen has broadened his character and seems to have entered a new on-screen era.

It's sort of strange how DreamWorks is marketing this film. The Woody Allen angle has been downplayed to the point of almost no mention of him directing, writing and starring. Instead, they seem to be playing up the Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci angle. At least that strategy ensured the film opened in Springfield the same day it opened on the coasts. There have been times when his films never made it here at all.

"Anything Else" is classic Woody Allen and I enjoyed every minute of it. Even maybe especially the whining, the neuroses and the obsessions.