"Anything Else" is an extremely quirky, character-driven film and Woody Allen's funny voice shines through. But don't be fooled by the commercials. This movie isn't a typical chick-flicky romantic comedy. It is a deep movie that I am not sure I entirely understand. But hey, the characters were good. And isn't that what really matters?
I sympathized with Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs), the poor guy, stuck in a terrible relationship with the extremely dislikeable and utterly evil Amanda (Christina Ricci). Both actors play their parts well and display emotional depth. David Dobel (Woody Allen) is quite funny as Jerry's Jiminy Cricket-like partner, and helps Jerry more than his silent shrink and useless manager.
I felt that a lot of the jokes in "Anything Else," many about Jewish oddities and vocabulary-infused intellectual, philosophical and social commentary, went over my head. But don't worry; many jokes are still funny to those of us who aren't walking Torahs or textbooks. Strangely, Allen sprinkles Holocaust jabs throughout "Anything Else," and while they didn't offend me, they could be offensive to others.
As far as supporting actors, Danny Devito has a few funny moments as Jerry's manager, but Jimmy Fallon's talent is barely tapped in his role as one of Jerry's friends.
This is not a good 'first date' movie as it is about a strange and dilapidated relationship, which would make for a very awkward time.
Overall this movie was very good, but it did not have enough explosions and nudity. I'm kidding. It is an eccentric and deep movie that was funny, however, it would not be fair to call it was a fun movie. See this film if you want to do some laughing and thinking. Doing "Anything Else" would be silly.
