Movie – Might Aphrodite

Score : 7/10 

Year : 1995 

Director:  Woody Allen

Cinematography: Carlo Di Palma

Country: USA

Language: English 

Duration: 1h35 (IMDB) ; 1h31 (French DVD) 

Writers: Woody Allen

From the few Woody Allen movies I'v seen, I can tell there's always some kind of surreal aspect as well as his neurotic and some kind of writer character, which are his trademarks, as much as the tendency to use 1930's music and a monaural sound. 

So, here we go again, Woody plays a writer - this time a sports columnist : his name is Lenny Weinrib. When he and his wife Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) adopt a an apparently genius child, Lenny becomes  obsessed with finding the child's parents and this leads to an ironic chain of events and various people met on the way. 

Note : this movies is rated R for language and sex-related material. Nothing graphic, but a grown up subject. 

There are some deliberate choices in this artistically made film, where the surreal aspect is depicted by a Greek Chorus, inspired by ancient Greek theater. Their role is to narrate, illustrate and explain either elements we don't see, or marking the passage of time and psycho-social commentaries revolving around the story's plot.

Breaking the wall between the characters and the viewers, some of the chorus members, especially their leader (F. Murray Abraham) interact, talk, and gives objects and so forth, thus mixing the narrative surrealism with the more distant fiction of the characters. This usually has a very humorous effect, greatly appreciated and gives this film it's main flavor.

Dialogues are witty and the music, overall, is less annoying than most Woody Allen's movies. It even starts with a very nice Greek tune which I really liked, but the silly ending song lasts far too long and brings back down the appreciation of the rest of the film's rather better score (at least in the sense of my musical tastes). 

·        Woody Allen as Lenny Weinrib

·        Mira Sorvino as Leslie / Linda Ash

·        Helena Bonham Carter as Amanda Sloan Weinrib

·        Michael Rapaport as Kevin

·        F. Murray Abraham as Greek Chorus Leader

·        Olympia Dukakis as Jocasta

·        David Ogden Stiers as Laius

·        Jack Warden as Tiresias

·        Danielle Ferland as Cassandra

·        Peter Weller as Jerry Bender

·        Claire Bloom as Mrs. Sloan