Lost in existential woe and mediocrity

Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix star in "Irrational Man." Image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics

The nicest thing a person can say about “Irrational Man” is it's strangely comforting to know Woody Allen is still around, still pumping out films as his 80th birthday approaches. It's not that the film in question is bad, but it's depressingly bland and uninspired, plagued by the flaws that have hindered the director's work over the past decade while wasting the talent of its two terrific lead performers.

“Irrational Man” is one of Allen's least personal films – a pretentious comment to make, but one that describes how a man with his talent can go through the motions – about how the titular irrational fellow, Joaquin Phoenix's moody philosophy professor Abe, tries to get his groove back. He's lost to depression and existential woe when he starts teaching at a small, fictional college in Rhode Island (it's based in Newport, the kind of place where people used to “summer”). Despite a nonexistent sex drive and a notable potbelly, Phoenix's intellect and accidental charm is more than enough to lure in another faculty member (Parker Posey) and draw the interest of bright, wide-eyed philosophy student Jill (Emma Stone).

Still, the hopelessness of life consumes him, at least until he ovearhears a woman's complaints about a crooked judge at a diner, which serves as the inspiration for a rather wicked plan to solve the woman's problems for good. As the plot develops and the time to act draws near, Phoenix finds a level of zest for life he had never known before, albeit at the cost of his sense of humanity. Murder is never an easy thing, and the question becomes whether or not Phoenix can get away with his dastardly deed.  

Not quite this Dastardly, but close.

The film's plot has the potential to be either a serious drama or a light caper comedy, one in the vein of Allen's wildly enjoyable and silly “Love and Death.” “Irrational Man,” however, chooses both and achieves neither; the drama never goes deep enough, while the comedic portions are never quite as funny as he hopes. This isn't the first time he's tried to incorporate elements of both into his films – one of his best films, the gorgeous “Stardust Memories,” does so exceptionally well – but it falls flat this time around.

So what's the difference between the two? Why does it work so well in “Stardust Memories” but fail in “Irrational Man”? The former has an element of romanticism, a bit of dreaminess and a lot of Allen reflecting on his station in life, that ties everything else together. “Irrational Man,” like much of his recent output, is more of an exercise, a challenge to himself to show that, yes, he is able to write and direct his annual film, even if the returns become more and more slight over the years. It's as if he's trying to stay a step or two ahead of his demise in lieu of taking a year off to re-energize and find a story worth telling.

Allen still has the cachet to pull in some terrific actors and actresses, and he snags two of the better ones out there in Phoenix and Stone. The problem, though, is he isn't quite sure what to do with them, with the unbalanced tone affecting their respective performances; both acquit themselves well, as does the lovely Posey, but their characters lack the depth and interest needed for great performances. Even actors with their talent levels need something to build upon, and a pair of moderately interesting ciphers doesn't cut it. (It's important to mention the 14 year age gap between the two, which continues his trend of putting older actors with much, much younger actresses. I'm keeping it as an aside because people with a far better grasp of these things have written in depth about that creepy predilection.)

Then again, even a mediocre Allen film contains something to praise, including at least a few laughs on the comedic side, a solid bit of storytelling 101, and one really subtle sight gag that came ever so close to pushing the film firmly into parody. The man has a bit of fight left in him as a filmmaking, and it does come to the forefront on occasion in “Irrational Man.”

It’s why I keep waiting though for that lion in winter moment for Allen, the one burst of energy to end what has been a magnificent career with one grand gesture (and no, it’s not “Midnight in Paris”). “Irrational Man” shows he's capable of it; he just needs to find his place in the universe and build a film from there.

Unless he did it already.

Review: Two and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: R

Run time: 96 minutes

Genre: Drama

Ask Away

Target audience: The people who are still excited for a Woody Allen release.

Take the whole family?: A rather undeserved “R” rating for content, but 17 year olds probably aren’t interested in such films.

Theater or Netflix?: Wait for Netflix or whatever streaming service you use.

Ever been to Newport?:  Several times during the summer as a child, which I bring up to mention how Allen missed a terrific opportunity for some aesthetic pleasures in his film from the coastline to the houses where, again, people used to “summer.” Allen is capable of terrific cinematography – “Manhattan,” for example, is divinely shot – and it's strange that he missed the opportunity to incorporate the place more into his film.

 I mean, come on, look at these places.

 Watch this instead?: The old stuff – almost everything pre-2000 – is gold. Of Allen's recent slate of films though, the ones worth checking out are the unnerving “Match Point” and the intriguingly goofy “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” “Blue Jasmine” has its moments, but it serves more as an actor showcase for Cate Blanchett and, of all people, Andrew Dice Clay. “Midnight in Paris” is also kind of cute, if a bit overrated.