Hollywood Ending
Cast
Val Waxman-----Woody Allen
Ellie-----T�a Leoni
Al-----Mark Rydell
Hal-----Treat Williams
Lori-----Debra Messing
Director-----Woody Allen
Comedy-Val Waxman is a 60-odd year old director who hasn't made a decent movie in ten years. After returning from Alaska for a commercial, he gets a call from Galaxie Pictures, where his ex-wife Ellie and fianc� Hal work to make a movie. Val reluctantly accepts (since Hal is on the picture) and his live in girlfriend Lori begs Val to let her in the movie. Val's agent Al is with him every step of the way-including when Val gets psychosamatic blindness! Val trusts Al to keep his secret. But when Al isn't allowed to get into the set, Val must find some other help while trying to cope with Hal
Rater #1
Has not seen Movie
Rater #2
7/10. In Woody Allen's most recent movie Hollywood Ending that seems more
like his older films, he plays aging director Val Waxman. He hasn't
had a decent offer in ten years, when he was on the top of his game.
While in Canada shooting a deodorant commercial, executives from
Galaxie Pictures think that he'd be the best to direct their new big-
budget blockbuster, The City That Never Sleeps.
When Val gets back from Canada, his live-in "girlfriend" Lori (Debra
Messing) begs him to take the film so she can be in it. Lori doesn't
really seem to like Val that much; she only wants to be in some of
his movies. Val seems ecstatic. Until he finds out who he's working
for.
His ex-wife Ellie (T�a Leoni) and her new fiancee Hal Yeager (Treat
Williams). Val's agent Al Hack (Mark Rydell) begs him to take the
job, and he reluctantly does. But, after the first day, Val gets
psychosomatic blindness (why not?). He trusts Al with the secret, but
when Al can't stay on the set all the time, Val needs help. Fast.
Allen is in top form here, doing better than his more recent (The
Curse of the Jade Scorpion is what I have in mind). His comedy is
mainly one-liners, and most of them are really funny. I saw it for
the second time, and it obviously isn't as funny as the first, but I
did do a lot of ha!s. You can't remember all the jokes told, so some
can still hit you.
The classic music that Allen puts into all his movies doesn't seem
like it would fit in the 2002 Hollywood, but somehow it does. It
brings out the somewhat noir-ish mood that is involved somehow. The
script is sometimes too packed with jokes, and it would seem that
Allen is trying to win back his 70s and 80s audience.
Incidentally, the major plot of the movie deals with Allen's own
life. He was big in the 70s and 80s (Annie Hall, Hannah and her
Sisters, etc.) but now is trying to win back the success he had
before. Of course, Allen is still popular, but doesn't bring back all
of everything he had before.
Everyone played nicely with each other during acting. Even though the
age difference between Allen and Leoni, I still believed that it did
happen. Allen looks older and is maybe slowing down. Who knows?
Hollywood Ending, which produces what the title says, is a funny saga
and spoof of Hollywood gone wrong.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie
Rated PG-13 for some drug references and sexual material.
Running time: 114 minutes
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