Hollywood Ending

Woody Allen’s new bi-coastal comedy (take a guess at which big city curries his favor) concerns a tired and temperamental filmmaker who’s on the verge of a big comeback until chronic neuroses, friction with his ex-wife, and disdain for Hollywood convention render him blind as a bat. Any vague parallels to the writer-director’s real life are less entertaining than the movie itself, which wrings some surprisingly big laughs out of Allen’s usual hapless foibles and connect-the-punchlines pacing. It’s not just that old-fashioned, non-fart-related laughs are back in vogue, either. While the chemistry between protagonist Val Waxman (Allen) and his estranged ex (Tia Leoni) could use a little more kick, both Debra Messing and George Hamilton (she of TV’s Will & Grace, he of infomercials and the infamous perma-tan) offer lots of fun. It’s certainly an improvement over last year’s dire Curse of the Jade Scorpion, though not altogether as charming as 2000’s Small Time Crooks. If Allen’s loving ode to New York City at this year’s Academy Awards felt strangely like a prelude to an honorary Oscar, it’s at least reassuring to see that he’s still earning his own legend with smart, silly, relevant pictures about smart, silly, resilient people who somehow manage to put up with him.