4 stars out of 5
I generally don’t review movies that are on streaming services (in this case, Amazon Prime Video), but I did not have the option of watching A Rainy Day in New York in a theater. What is this, Communist Russia?!? Now, there are those who will dismiss out of hand anything from the mind and typewriter of Woody Allen, and I’m not here to argue that with you. But for the rest: This is a delightful motion picture, full of everything that made you love Woody in the first place.
In many ways, this is a “greatest hits” compilation of favorite Allen concepts, yet by no means a retread. It is set in his beloved, idealized Manhattan. There’s a self-doubting Allen stand-in (Timothée Shamalamadingdong). There’s a self-doubting film director (Liev Schreiber). There are paparazzi, upper-class parties, old-timey music, and yes, even a bit of a older man/younger woman attraction. Most importantly in the classic Allen way, it’s romantic and very, very smart and funny.
Chalamet’s character Gatsby (!) is obsessed with olden times and Old New York and this was probably a smart decision, as octogenarian Allen isn’t exactly hep to the young people’s lingo and references. A college kid describes a woman as “looking like Yasser Arafat.” A student reporter takes notes in a notebook with a pen! Nobody texts. People hail cabs instead of summoning an Uber. But I suppose this all lends the film sort of a timeless quality.
In effect, Allen has crafted one of the screwball comedies he has so admired, without it ever getting silly. Chalamet does decent work but the true glowing star here is Elle Fanning as Ashleigh, Gatsby’s college girlfriend. The plot, quickly: They have come to Gatsby’s hometown of NYC for the weekend so Ashleigh can interview Schreiber’s director character for the student paper. And then explore all the beauty the city has to offer. But it is a rainy day in New York, the lovers become separated, and… comedy ensues.
Fanning is a comedic marvel here. She exudes innocence, sexiness, a dash of ditziness, a good heart, and an absolute willingness to go with the flow. It takes her from director Schreiber to screenwriter Jude Law (whose wife Rebecca Hall is having an affair with his best friend, Larry Lipshitz!) to hunky leading man Diego Luna — all three scenarios and actors very amusing — and Fanning charms each one and us too. The comedy builds and builds to Boeing Boeing proportions. Meanwhile, poor Chalamet bounces from sexy sassy Selena Gomez to an upscale call girl to his mom (Cherry Jones, who delivers a hell of a monologue).
Allen puts a lot more effort into the story than you might expect at this point in his career. And he positively loads the screenplay with top-quality jokes. (“Time flies.” “Unfortunately it flies coach.”) After all he’s been through, the man is still hilarious. And cinematographer Vittorio Storaro knows how to make the city look drop-dead gorgeous, the sun struggling to peek through the raindrops.
If you have the Amazon Prime, and let’s face it, who doesn’t, consider checking this out. Maybe on a rainy day. It might be Allen’s last great all-star production. (Which is to say nothing against Wallace Shawn, Richard Kind, and Gina Gershon, heading up his next flick.) If you love intelligent comedies, which are so few and far between these days, it would be a shame to pass this one by.
Jack Silbert, curator