Anything Else (2003)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

In any relationship, one person always does the heavy lifting

Plot:

A contemporary romantic comedy set in New York city about the relationship between an older guy and his younger protege. The older guy guides the younger through a messy and hilarious love story.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | New York City | Sex | Love At First Sight | Teacher

Cast

Woody Allen	...	David Dobel
Jason Biggs	...	Jerry Falk
Fisher Stevens	...	Manager
Anthony Arkin	...	Pip's Comic
Danny DeVito	...	Harvey Wexler
Christina Ricci	...	Amanda Chase
KaDee Strickland	...	Brooke
Jimmy Fallon	...	Bob
Diana Krall	...	Herself
William Hill	...	Psychiatrist
Stockard Channing	...	Paula Chase
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Movie Theater Patron
Kenneth Edelson	...	Hotel Desk Clerk
David Conrad	...	Dr. Phil Reed
Joseph Lyle Taylor	...	Bill

Also Known As:

Anything else, la vie et tout le reste (France)
La vie et tout le reste (France)
Woody Allen Spring Project 2002 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of drug use and some sexual references.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (Mono) | Dolby Digital (Mono) | SDDS (Mono)

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Iceland:12 | France:U | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

When Woody Allen cast 'Jason Biggs', he was under the impression that Biggs was Jewish. During filming, Allen began talking to Biggs about the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. Biggs did not know what to say and told Allen that he was in fact a Catholic. Allen said at the Venice Film Festival, "I saw him in that pie movie (American Pie) and I thought he was a Jew."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Falk types on his laptop computer, the number of (enlarged) typed lines alternates between at least five or six in close-up and just two or three at a distance.

Quotes:

Psychiatrist: Tell me about your dream. The Cleveland Indians all got jobs at Toys R Us?
Jerry Falk: Yeah. So what can it possibly mean? Look, I can't keep wasting my hour here describing lunatic dreams. I have a date with Amanda. I can't keep running around town on the sly and live like this. Amanda can handle it, but I need help. What do I do? I have to extricate myself from Brooke. It'll break her heart. She wants to marry me.
Psychiatrist: What comes to mind about the Cleveland Indians?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Ring Two (2005)

Soundtrack:

I Can't Get Started

Underrated gem!

This movie really is an underrated gem. Somehow most critics have become totally unable to accept Woody Allen's work for what it is and compare it only to other movies from the same years.

Woody Allen has said many times that he has no interest in looking back to his old work and, in my opinion, it really shows. From someone who has often raved about the 'Radio Days' of his youth and adores prewar Jazz, he has steadily developed into a director who has no trouble catching the modern every day lives of the people around him. Recreating the atmosphere from his older movies would only show the inability to move on, along with the rest of the world.

Anything Else is proof of that. It's a modern movie with a typical Woody Allen style dialogue that works on several levels. Between the jokes and witty remarks and often great replies, lie the worries of any young guy or girl that has to learn to deal with life's fears and frustrations. Anything Else also has a really nice atmosphere and a great pace - the movie at almost 2 hours never feels like it's stalling or going nowhere. The story moves forward constantly. Biggs really is the star here and is a perfect Young Woody Allen. Ricci is only a supporting character, but both she and the rest of the cast really make this into a believable, relaxed and enjoyable experience.

For those who are willing to learn a little: this movie does make a simple, but very true point about learning to deal with life.

Photography, directing, editing and writing is really first class work - nothing less than what you get in other top Woody Allen movies. Beautiful locations, great camera work and typical Woody style jazz really make this into a perfect 10/10.

The lack of awards and negative reviews are just like Dobel (Woody Allen) says in this movie: You know....it's just like anything else.

Go see it for yourselves!