Husbands and Wives

There is something both exhilarating and false about the pseudo-cinema verité style of director-writer Woody Allen's relationship dramedy. Contrived, overlapping dialogue, faltering improvisations, jump cuts, and whirling cinematography all give an attentive viewer a dose of both visual and mental whiplash and a sense that everyone in this movie is trying too hard. You can see the actors straining to be "in the moment" as they consciously interrupt each other while at the same time remembering to stick to the objective of each scene. Some performances rise above the noise. Judy Davis' neurotic and condescending Sally is impressive, if a little wearing. Allen, as prolific and thoughtful as he has been over a career spanning decades, does not wear well in this instance. His "insights" now seem banal -- recognizing that married couples must compromise, that no one's perfect, and that sexual longings are universal but not necessarily beneficial when acted upon. Allen still comes up with some great lines. He chides his friend for moving in with a woman he thinks of as a bimbo, adding, "It's like your IQ suddenly went into remission." But overall, it's difficult to root for anyone here, as the characters are mostly over-privileged, self-absorbed preeners who congratulate themselves for their taste and refinement and lament how tough their lives are to psychiatrists and each other.