Irrational Man – Film Review by Frances Winston

Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey

In cinemas September 11th

Even the most ardent Woody Allen fan will admit that his work has been a bit hit and miss for the past few years. For every Blue Jasmine (which borrowed heavily from A Streetcar Named Desire) there has been a Match Point meaning that you never quite know what to expect from the one time enfant terrible of American cinema.

One thing that you are assured of with an Allen movie is that it will pose some moral question in a rather wordy way and this is no exception. Phoenix is Abe Lucas a once brilliant but now disillusioned philosophy professor whose reputation precedes him.

Having moved to the small-town New England college campus of Braylin he becomes close to one of his students Jill (Stone). While sitting in a diner the pair overhear a woman lamenting the fact that she is about to lose custody of her children thanks to an unethical judge and Abe realises that his life’s mission is to make her life better by killing the judge in question. Plotting what he believes to be the perfect crime since he has no connection to the victim he is injected with a new joie de vie and completely reinvigorated by the actual act. But his plan goes awry when his former lover Rita (Posey) begins to piece together things linking him to the crime and when an innocent man is arrested for it Jill insists that he turn himself in. However, Abe has no intention of going quietly and having already committed one murder decides the second one will be even easier.

This has more than a hint of influence from Strangers on a Train and lays on its morality in thick layers just in case you miss it. However there is so much dialogue that it actually becomes turgid in parts. Film is a visual medium and Allen often underutilises this in favour of lengthy dialogue which verges on preaching.

Phoenix never really convinces as the philosophy professor who has become disillusioned with life but has a great chemistry with Stone and Posey which saves many of their scenes together. Once he focuses on his plan he suddenly becomes much more convincing in the role and there are some really brilliant moments in this picture. Unfortunately there are also some drawn out scenes making this both hit and miss.

Allen feels compelled to overanalyse the circumstances which drive an ordinary person to commit an extraordinary action leaving no room for the audience to make up their own mind. Therefore what could have been a movie that fuelled debate between people post screening becomes a morality play that hammers its point home.

This is far from a return to form for Allen but it is enjoyable enough if you don’t mind your movies with a heavy dose preaching. Not brilliant but not dreadful this should appeal to fans of Allen and Phoenix but will leave some viewers feeling dissatisfied.