2. Anything Else (2003)
For many years people have complained that Allens latest film is good but its no Annie Hall. That is one criticism that cannot be leveled in the case of Anything Else which comes as close to a remake of his most beloved film as he has gone so far. The film while bumpy in places never feels stretched or spread too thin. The jokes are funny and free flowing. This is Woody's attempt to tell a fairly autobiographical story (young comedy writer, marries young) but judging by the trailers and posters, the studio tried to sell this as an 'American Pie' teen comedy and made it out to be something it is not. The bad packaging damaged the film's success. It's not just me and Allen apologists who liked it. In 2009 Quentin Tarantino put out a list of his top films since the early 1990s and guess which Allen film he selected?
"The Jason Biggs one." As usual the cast is excellent, especially Stockard Channings brief appearance. Danny DeVito laps up every second on screen and Christina Ricci is perfect for her role as the loveable neurotic, Amanda. Jason Biggs does his best impression of a young Alvy Singer to the point that while he is in scenes with schoolteacher David Dobel (Allens character) it is almost like a scene from a sci-fi movie where the old future version of a character mentors a present version of himself. What could be better than two Woody Allens bickering at each other?