Movie Review: Irrational Man

IRRATIONAL MAN

Written & Directed by: Woody Allen

Produced by: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Edward Walson

Starring: Jamie Blackley, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Emma Stone
C-

Woody Allen’s latest film Irrational Man should have been a tour de force with the powerhouse cast behind his 45th feature film. But even Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey couldn’t save the film, which puts a twist on the tired, college professor overcoming a midlife crisis with the help of two beautiful women plot line. W

The idea is there, as Phoenix portrays Abe Lucas, a radical philosophy professor who has a bad reputation and is in a downward spiral of depression when he accepts a job at a hermetic New England college town. He is an alcoholic, a loner and a cynic. He is a cliché. But his presence at the university sends the women on campus into a frenzy of lust and intrigue. As Rita (Posey), an unhappily married professor who is looking for any escape she can find, and Jill (Stone), a promising student who develops a crush on the new mysterious professor, do whatever they can to seduce Abe.

The first half of the movie lacks any from of transition from scene to scene and seems rushed and choppy. The entire mood of the movie changes when Abe and Jill overhear a woman at a diner complaining about a crooked judge who is ruining her life in the form of a custody battle. In some twisted form of heroism and self-entitlement, Abe decides to murder the judge. The remainder of film, centers around him planning the perfect murder and the women still trying to get his attention.

Irrational Man disappoints on many levels. The first being that the characters aren’t developed enough for any form of sympathy or compassion from the audience. Of course there were funny moments that received a few chuckles from the audience, but it wasn’t enough. Posey, who got the least amount of screen time is the only character that is placed in reality. This is sad, being that both Rita and Stone are relying on the men in their lives to find happiness or excitement. Not all women need a man to save them from the mundane.

The film, which revolves around what is morally and ethically right, fails on presenting a new look at these philosophies. It’s an insult to the audience to assume we need blatant explanations, either through dialogue or voiceovers, about what the movie is trying to say. It’s as if Allen created a live action Philosophy for Dummies.

It’s not all bad though. Irrational Man never lost my interest. The twist in the plot was something unexpected and creative, and the cast did a phenomenal job of portraying the less than developed characters.

Go see Irrational Man at the matinee, or wait until it comes out on DVD.

Irrational man opens in Denver on Friday, July 31 at the Landmark Esquire.