SummaryOn a small town college campus, a philosophy professor in existential crisis gives his life new purpose when he enters into a relationship with his student.
SummaryOn a small town college campus, a philosophy professor in existential crisis gives his life new purpose when he enters into a relationship with his student.
Allen's dialogue is witty, his plotting zings along with forward momentum in all the right places, and his observation of elastic moral principles in flux is both mischievous and unsettling, yielding a tasty final-act Hitchcockian twist.
Phoenix is perfectly cast as the ethically problematic Abe, whose novel approach to lifting himself out of an existential funk lends the story its suspense.
WOW ! What an EXHILARATING ride ! Thank you Woody for one of your absolutely finest films; up there with Match Point, Manhattan Murder Mysteries, Small Time Crooks, Manhattan, Shadows and Fog, Radio Days, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and- yes- Broadway Danny Rose !………Woody Allen when he‘s at home and reading Stendhal and Graham Greene……Having read the reviews I walked in expecting very little but I left the theatre having seen one of the most powerful, superbly acted and brilliantly directed films I have ever seen !
“Irrational Man” is a sort of Zen Master’s punch in the head. A “film noir” to rival Billy Wilder’s masterpiece Double Indemnity, Welles’ Touch of Evil or Carol Reeds‘ The Third **** what an amazing cast ! From the opening scene to the final shot this movie grabs you and fascinates you and has you eagerly anticipating the next plot twist. Both Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix grace this film with performances that can only be termed “jaw-dropping”; their talent defying you to sit back and say “well, it’s just a movie”, they COMMAND your attention every moment. What an amazing film ! What a gem!…..This is why people keep going to movies.
At an obvious crossroads in his life, Woody Allen has been thinking about guilt, morality, consciousness and the limitations of the intellect. I wish he had done it in a more entertaining and satisfying film than Irrational Man.
Allen isn’t completely on autopilot here. There are a couple of sharp, sting-in-the-tail twists near the end, and Phoenix is at least interesting. But Irrational Man would be lesser Woody even if we hadn’t seen most of it before.
Ms. Stone is a consistent delight, whether thanks to or in spite of the script’s flirtations with self-parody. But Irrational Man isn’t funny either. It’s a Woody Allen film that the next one will make us forget.
It is not merely a bad film. It is a collection of notes for a film that never quite evolved to the rough draft stage, much less cohered into a finished movie. That makes it more dispiriting than other notorious Woody Allen misfires.
Irrational Man is so clumsily staged and lethargically paced that it makes such clunkers as “Small Time Crooks” and “Cassandra’s Dream” look like minor classics.
"Irrational Man" delivers some great dialogues and captivating performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, with an old time classic, Woody Allen, twist at the end. Although it doesn't break any new ground, at the director's filmography.
If Match Point hadn't existed, maybe Irrational Man would be considered differently; however, Match Point does exist, and Irrational Man is essentially a translation of it from British country clubs to American college campuses. The moral dilemma (including the importance of chance) is autoreferential and a hallmark of Woody Allen's take on life. It maybe would be fair to assume Irrational Man to be the solidification point of the director's career, a sort of "this is what I do" stated in capital letters.
This being said, Irrational Man isn't despicable: what it lacks is a few adjustments to make Abe's dilemma and resolution clearer and perhaps more humour. It is essentially driven by Joaquin Phoenix's and Emma Stone's performances, without a doubt the proof they are good, if not great, actors. The dialogue is cultivated and relentless as you'd expect from Woody Allen - it's just not as funny or cynical.
One would do Irrational Man a dishonour to review it in light of Allen's past films and therefore downing its rating. It's not his best, but it's more pleasant and more insightful than so many more.
It's amazing how Woody Allentown gets away with taking other people's stories, and getting undeserved praise as a writer/director. "Blue Jasmine" was an update of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Names Desire." "Midnight in Paris" used quotes from the Lost Generation's words and writings as the screenplay. "Magic in the Moonlight" combined the lives of famous magicians, Harry Houdini and Chung Ling Soo. And now we have "Irrational Man" which resembles the premise of Michael Douglas' "Star Chamber," except the characters are less likable. I don't understand how women would fall for Joaquin Phoenix's character. Yet, it's amazing what Joaquin does with an unlikable character. He made the character interesting and intriguing, instead of the whiny way his character was written. Some day, Joaquin wil win an Oscar. But not for this movie.
Blando, sciapo e banale. Trama negativamente semplice e **** mal scritti soprattutto nella dimensione delle interazioni tra loro. Eventi spesso casuali che costringono a chiedersi "ma perché è successo?" Con tentativi forzati di rimanere memorabile nei suoi momenti più intensi ma che risulta solamente un opera con punti dii incoerenza e superficialità.
Emma Stone's character is just a mix of those in "Magic in the Moonlight" and "Birdman." Her predictability really bothered me while watching the movie. Making it even harder to watch, she and Joaquin Phoenix have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, which would have helped make it a bit more believable considering the plot. I got so distracted and uninterested, what was supposed to be an interesting end just didn't move me at all. I guess I'm not a Woody Allen fan...