Movies

Woody Allen’s Failed Rom-Com Blows Up Netflix Top 5 Years After Bombing in Box Office

Woody Allen’s Failed Rom-Com Blows Up Netflix Top 5 Years After Bombing in Box Office
Image credit: MPI Media Group, Signature Entertainmen

The filmmaker’s star-studded romcom failure is getting a new life thanks to Netflix.

Summary:

  • Back in 2019, Woody Allen released a movie, which somewhat reprised the themes of his earlier works, but made it much worse.
  • This romantic comedy centers on the couple, who come to New York in search of adventures and find them separately from each other.
  • It is worth watching due to its atmosphere and lovely cast.

Famous for his eerie productivity, the industry’s veteran Woody Allen has definitely made some great films in the 21st century, including Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Midnight in Paris (2011). Disappointingly, some of his works of the last decade are really questionable, despite the all-star casts and impeccable cinematography.

During the notorious process of making a movie a year, the filmmaker released a feature which is suspiciously reminiscent of his most remarkable films, but doesn’t radiate their energy. However, it stands out by an attempt to portray a modern young couple of the two undergraduates, which is a rare topic of Allen’s romantic comedies.

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The movie follows the couple of two college students, Gatsby and Ashleigh, who go on a weekend trip to New York. While Ashleigh is busy interviewing a film director for the college newspaper, her boyfriend hangs around the city and looks for adventures.

This premise seems to be promising enough as the romantic ventures of the young in the city where dreams come true suggest some amusing things happening to them, but Allen is here to upset us. Yes, it’s funny, but not half as funny as Annie Hall (1977). It is poetic and kind of delusional about New York, but is far from Manhattan (1979).

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Even the actors’ performances can’t help with the lack of the script’s wholesomeness. The movie’s main stars, Timothée Chalamet as Gatsby, who appears to be a typical Allen’s hero, and Elle Fanning playing the problematic Ashleigh, shine as bright as they can. They’re supported with the wonderful Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Liev Schreiber and Diego Luna, but such a cast feels totally wasted here.

The filmmakers’ fans can recognize here the synopsis of the 2019 movie titled A Rainy Day in New York, which grossed only $23.8 million with a budget of $25 million and earned quite a shameful 47% of critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nevertheless, it is still a fashionably filmed movie, with the atmosphere of the rainy city with all the fall’s romance and funny beats. Its cast, brilliantly doing their job, is definitely a reason to give it a try, just like Netflix ’s audience did, as the movie is now holding the seventh place in the platform’s global top.

Recall the vibe of Allen’s romcoms and enjoy the beautiful actors’ performances in this weather movie, as A Rainy Day in New York is available for streaming on Netflix.