Deconstructing Harry (1997)
Seen on 26 December 1997 for $8 with Wendy and Tony G. at the Paramus Picture Show, of all places.
Well, I should say right off that bat that despite two major objections, I really enjoyed this movie. I should also add that there is so much going on that I almost feel like I ought to see it a second time.
*Deconstructing Harry* blurs the lines between the real lives of writer Harry Block (Woody Allen) and the people in his life, and the characters in his stories that are based on them. So, the pill-popping, sex-obsessed Harry Block is also glimpsed in Bob, Ken (Richard Benjamin), Harvey (Tobey Maguire), Paul (Stanley Tucci), and Mel (Robin Williams).
Harry has a few ex-wives and ex-girlfriends who cannot deal with him and his obsession with sex. His latest book details how he cheated on his wife with her sister, and the latter shows up at his house ready to shoot him for his thinly disguised portrayal of his betrayals. He has also been invited to his alma mater, and--getting desperate--he winds up inviting Cookie (Hazelle Goodman) to accompany him, just as she is. Mind you, she is the prostitute dressed in a two-piece pink leather outfit who the night before Harry ordered to tie him up, beat him, and give him a blowjob. Along the way, he brings an old friend, and his son. Throughout this diegesis are flashes from his works of fiction, and flashbacks to Harry's real life, and his imagination.
All of this could be a frightening mish-mash, but Woody Allen has managed to pull it all together rather well. This format also allows him to bring out some hilarious and fantastic moments. Robin Williams is the actor who is literally out of focus (a wonderful cinematic effect) and expects his family to adjust to the distortion he has become. Joan, the psychiatrist, has a hilarious scene in which she constantly leaves a patient so she can yell at Harry in the next room for cheating on her. The visit to Ha Harry's orthodox Jewish sister and brother-in-law. Two older women who share a "dark secret" at a 1976 Bar Mitzvah reception with a Star Wars theme. There are many funny moments in *Deconstructing Harry* that make it worth seeing.
The performances are also very memorable, especially the womens'. Actresses as disparate as Judy Davis and Kirstie Alley and Demi Moore really stand out. The women suffer the brunt of Harry's behavior, and that makes them a lot more interesting than the men.
The denouement of *Deconstructing Harry* does not measure up to the movie, but that's okay, since the journey is more illuminating than the destination. Also, the use of really hateful, foul language (the "C word" is used more than once) is really beneath someone as smart as Woody Allen. While it amplifies the misogyny of Harry, that misogyny is evident without it. Some people would say it's brave of him to use this sort of language, but I think it's an offensive easy way out.
My other main objection is the heralding of the wonderful event--that Woody has finally given a major role to a black actor. Hazelle Goodman is absolutely hilarious, but she is playing the prostitute, Cookie! That the "first major role for an black actor" in a Woody Allen movie is that of a prostitute is insulting and a stereotype. A black actor could just as easily have played one of Harry's friends in this movie, and been just as important. Allen is often criticized that there are no black people in his movies. The defense has been that the social class he depicts don't have any interaction with blacks (which is hard to believe); so the only one that gets this new status is a hooker?
Overall, *Deconstructing Harry* is the strongest movie Allen has put out in years. The familiar themes of relationships, self-discovery, self-hating Jews, atheism, are all here and are very entertaining. It's hard not to disconnect Allen's movies from his real life, but either way, it's an enjoyable, intelligent romp.
Written and directed by Woody Allen cinematography by Carlo Di Palma, and production design by Santo Loquasto.
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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