Woody Allen is a great storyteller. Did I know what was going to happen? No, I had no idea and when each of the four different stories paused, I eagerly awaited for it to pick up again.
There are surprise storytelling methods, from strangers on the street narrating the story to Alec Baldwin's character being sort of a ghost-advisor to Jesse Eisenberg's character who might be just a younger version of himself.
There are also visuals I'll remember like the guy in the shower on stage or the knife-wielding woman. My favorite line had to be the one about "the spineless jellyfish."
You could tell each part was fun to play for all the actors. Right away, you get to see Woody Allen nervous on a plane. Woody Allen was my favorite character in the film. I was definitely happy to see him back in one of his own movies. Roberto Benigni got to have a major freak out at the end. Alison Pill was good as Woody's daughter and I rooted for her when she stuck up for her dad.
I would not have cast Greta Gerwig, Jesse Eisenberg, and Ellen Page in the parts that they played. I didn't believe in Greta and Jesse's relationship, nor in Ellen as the seductress. I would have preferred seeing a trio more like Brie Larson, Paul Dano, and Mila Kunis.
I need to read the screenplay to review all the artsy references Ellen Page's character name-dropped to impress Jesse's character. I think Rilke is the only one I caught.
My parents even took my husband and I out for Italian food afterward in the spirit of the movie--which oddly enough had no pasta or gelato shots in it like they do in "Eat, Pray, Love." I hope I make it to Rome one day soon.
