One of the strangest ironies in the history of entertainment is the popularity of the movie musical during the Depression era. At a time when much of America was unemployed, teetering on the edge of destitution, filmgoers flocked to see lavish fantasies about ultra-wealthy sophisticates who, when they tired of their New York penthouses, would fly off to look for love on the Riviera or to peruse the Parisian fashion houses for some new styles. With "Everyone Says I Love You," writer-director Woody Allen attempts the Herculean task of reviving this kind of escapist cinema in contemporary terms.
Allen has put his own twist on the musical genre, however, by casting actors who are not exactly renowned for their singing: Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Tim Roth, etc. As these stars valiantly try to deliver such standards as "I'm Through With Love" and "Just You, Just Me," it becomes apparent Allen's stunt serves a purpose by humanizing characters who often seem closer to being stereotypes than real people. They may be living large and running wild, but at heart these are just everyday folks who can't carry a tune any better than most of us.
At the center of "Everyone" is an Upper East Side family headed up by softhearted activist Steffi (Hawn) and her second husband Bob (Alan Alda). Steffi's daughter Skylar (Drew Barrymore) is preparing for her upcoming marriage to lawyer Holden (Edward Norton), but she's also tempted by a charming ex-con (Roth). Meanwhile, Steffi's other daughter DJ (Natasha Lyonne) succumbs to passion with a gondolier while touring Venice with her dad Joe (Allen). She's not the only one swept away by the romance of the canals: Joe has become obsessed with fellow vacationer Von (Roberts) and schemes to win her over.
It's the kind of material that would have seemed effervescent 60 years ago, with RKO producing and Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton and Lucille Ball starring. But in Allen's sweaty palms, "Everyone" often strains itself trying to entertain. Even when the movie hits its mark, you're usually aware of how much work it took to get there.
Allen's own performance is particularly unsteady and sometimes downright squirm-inducing. Now past 60, he continues his tradition of pursuing babes. But while his romances with Mariel Hemingway in "Manhattan" (1979) and Juliette Lewis in "Husbands and Wives" (1992) could have been dismissed as typical mid-life flings, his courtship of the sparkling Roberts invites snickers about whether he's robbing the cradle or she's robbing the grave. Allen's script actually forces Roberts at one point to describe him as "sexy and magical"; that she delivers the line without choking proves she's an underrated actress. Poor Roberts is also called upon to sing "All My Life," which proves to be a severe trial for her. On the other hand, Hawn, Alda, Norton and Roth seem to take to this kind of froth quite naturally. Norton is particularly winning as he romps through a jewelry store to the tune of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and attempts to surprise Skylar with an engagement ring hidden inside her meal at a chic eatery.
Interestingly, considering the movie's desire to go for big effects, its best moments are its quieter ones, such as the truly hilarious resolution of the conflict between liberals Steffi and Bob and their ultraconservative son (Lukas Haas) or the genuinely sweet unresolved relationship between Joe and Steffi, which is unfortunately ignored until the last minutes of the film.
It should also be noted the movie's ridiculously harsh R-rating derives from one word, used as a joke. The rest of "Everyone Says I Love You" is every bit as wholesome and squeaky clean as any given Ruby Keeler vehicle. James Sanford
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews