Emma Stone, now firmly entrenched as Woody Allen’s actress of the moment, performs a rather difficult feat in Allen’s new film, Irrational Man. She manages to save a flawed if compelling production from potentially falling off the cliff. Allen’s tone here is one of almost seriousness. The subject: another rehashing of the Crimes and Misdemeanors/Match Point exploration of situational ethics and the question of chance versus consequence. Of his recent films, its certainly no Blue Jasmine or Midnight In Paris but much better than the current mostly critical disdain would indicate.
Its main character, Abe (Joachim Phoenix) plays a burned out, eternally pessimistic philosophy professor and there ‘s quite a slew of blowhard references to Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, and Simone de Beauvoir. Whether you find this quasi-erudite jabber to be annoyingly wan mannerisms or requisite semi-amusing Allenisms to be tolerated, may depend on whether you’re still giving this guy a fair shake. Those deeming to be the cultural police have so eviscerated Allen’s reputation, many find it hard to be objective about the man’s art. Whether or not you agree with the likelihood of the truthfulness of Mia’s assertions may say more about how you view this film than anything within its frame.
Thus, even though there’s plenty in Irrational Man that isn’t perfect, I suggest sidestepping all the Woody hate and check out this, the 45th feature of the more than ever prolific 79-year-old director. You’ll be rewarded with Stone, a great young actress, fresh on the heels of her amazing turn in Birdman. Her non-verbal acting, a chamber piece of facial expressions, is a sight to behold. She portrays Jill, a student of Abe’s who gets caught up in his anti-charisma. As a rescuer at heart who wishes to save him from further descent into despair, she mines all the uncertainties prevalent in deciding whether to dump her straight laced boyfriend for Abe. Her assured yet careful manner lets her inner acting instincts come fully into play.
The indomitable Parker Posey, were it not for Stone, would have stolen this movie. Her self-described “slow” (when it comes to philosophical thinking) chemistry professor, Rita, who brazenly comes on to Abe, is quite an authentic character. As for Phoenix, are we getting so used to him in great roles (The Master, Inherent Vice) that here he just seems adequate until we look a little closer. His Abe may be a defeated man who awakens to the unbridled need to perform a heinous act, but he’s no caricature, and his philosophizing is never lugubrious. His scenes with Stone, though believable, pale next to those with Posey. The two come off like acting pros who don’t seem to be acting. As for Allen, in Irrational Man there may appear to be a bit too much of his always seeming to be directing. Paradoxically, that’s not a bad thing for one of the best film directors alive and where even a relatively middling effort still rewards.