At this point in his career, moviegoers know Woody Allen more for his notoriety than his ability to make good films. Let’s face it: Allen’s late-career period has been waning since at least 2017’s “Wonder Wheel,” but arguably earlier than that. And at age 87, that comes as no surprise.
But according to World Of Reel, at least Allen still has his wits about him regarding the sheer glut of the MCU. Like so many other Hollywood greats, the writer-director isn’t a fan of Marvel Studios or their business model, for the same reasons as other outspoken auteurs of his generation like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and the late William Friedkin.
Allen commented on Marvel movies during a Q&A of his latest film “Coup de Chance” in Portugal last week. “I’m only theoretically fed up with Marvel movies because I’ve never seen any,” he said during a round of questions post-screening. “I don’t like those budgets, it’s an industry that has nothing to do with cinema as an art form.” So, not as eloquently stated as Scorsese’s editorial at the New York Times four years ago, but the same gist.
It makes sense that both octogenarian filmmakers and their cohorts feel the same about the MCU and how its products transformed the industry over the past two decades. But the backlash against superhero movies also inundates younger directors like David Fincher, Jane Campion, James Gray, Bong Joon-ho, and many more. And the industry has listened to those criticisms. Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that his company would veer away from the excessive release model of Marvel projects. That’s due to more muted critical reception, less box office returns for recent films, and the general exhaustion everyone has toward these projects. So Allen’s words are just another voice in a large choir who’s “fed up” with the superhero movie.
As for Allen’s latest, “Coup de Chance” premiered on the Lido at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month to mixed critical reception. The film, A French-UK co-production, hits French theaters in late September, but it still needs a scheduled US theatrical release. “Coup de Chance” follows a love triangle after a Parisian wife runs into an old classmate by chance and throws her happy married life off-kilter. So, while Allen may not like the MCU formula, that synopsis proved he’s still more or less following his.
Read The Playlist’s review of “Coup de Chance” here, and stay tuned for news on its US release.
