With the Cannes Film Festival just a few weeks away, Woody Allen seems to be in full promo mode. Just last week, the cast and logline for his next film, the romantic comedy “Midnight In Paris” was revealed. Today, a clip, photos and further plot details have made their way online, casting a peek behind the curtain of Allen’s “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger,” set to premiere Out Of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Until now, a fairly tight lid has been kept on the film which in addition to stars Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, and Anna Friel. What little was known, was that Brolin was cast in the “Woody Allen” role as a writer who has an extramarital affair. In an interview with BlackBook, Watts reveals a few more details saying, “…[Brolin] is a writer and things aren’t going well for him and our relationship. I want a baby and he doesn’t. There’s one twist in it that I don’t want to go into, but he’s trying to try to find a way to start his second book. He’s written one and he’s kind of scared of being a flash in the pan. I’m like, ‘Okay, if you’re not going to give me a baby, I’m going to get my career back. I need something in my life.’ I’ve got this mother who is sort of crazy and into the whole New Age-y thing. She can’t stand my husband because, basically, we’re living off her money. Everyone’s doing mean things to one another. There’s no massive plot.”
Before too much is made of the “no massive plot” comment, that seems pretty standard fare. Allen’s films have never been particularly plot heavy and, as per usual with his ensemble films, do hinge more on character interactions driving the story. Thematically, it seems to be in Allen’s usual wheelhouse of martial discord and artists trying to balance personal fulfillment and popular success.
Our first look at the film is below, and again, it all seems to be standard for, for Allen. In the walking and talking clip, a nervous/nebbish Antonio Banderas asks the married Naomi Watts out on a date to the opera. Perhaps that’s the “tall, dark stranger” Watts is told she’ll meet via the crystal ball in the pic above? Perhaps. Anyways, the clip itself is solid, if unremarkable.
But don’t let the word “standard” fool you. Allen has crafted a fairly remarkable career in revisiting more or less the same thematic territory time and again. With each, he still manages to offer new observations and fresh insights and in a cinematic world that is increasingly shifting toward brand marketed “products,” its always comforting to see the lights come down and Allen’s name in Windsor-EF Elongated hit the screen.
“You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger” will hit theaters this fall via Sony Pictures Classics.
