Woody Allen is not among the best American film-makers today, but he never ceases to amaze audience with the sheer quantity of his opus. Relatively low budget of his movies and his reputation of thinking man's film-maker proved to be winning formula. Unconcerned with finances and with major stars lining up for minor roles, Allen continues to deliver new films with incredible frequency. Of course, quantity is often achieved at the expense of quality and Allen's films gradually began to uncomfortably resemble each other. Allen fought against that by adding experimental ingredients to his generic plots about neurotic Jewish intellectuals. One of such ingredients was misanthropy, applied to his 1997 comedy Deconstructing Harry.
Protagonist of the film is Harry Block (played by Woody Allen), successful novelist faced with severe case of writer's block. This is, however, only one of his many problems. Harry's old college that once had him expelled now wants to give him honorary diploma. Block would like to go there and receive this award, but there is nobody who would accompany him to the ceremony. That is hardly surprising since Harry happens to be selfish, irresponsible man with incredible talent to ruin the lives of people close to him. His three wives and countless mistresses can attest to that after having most intimate details of their lives used for plots of thinly disguised semi-autobiographic novels. Harry gets depressed because his former wife and psychiatrist Joan (played by Kirstie Alley) banned his son Hilly (played by Eric Lloyd) from attending the ceremony. To make things worse, Fay (played by Elisabeth Shue), his former student and mistress, is about to marry his best friend Larry (played by Billy Crystal). Burdened with all those traumas Harry begins to imagine seeing characters from his novels.
Almost all of Allen's film are viewed as more or less autobiographical or at least inspired by some details of author's life. Many would see Deconstructing Harry in the same way. But this time Allen makes radical departure. Character he plays and who is supposed to be based on Woody Allen is not the character people used to recognise in Allen's films. Harry Block is much closer to Woody Allen as described by tabloids during infamous Farrow/Yhi scandal. He is pill-popping womanising self-obsessed and self-hating alcoholic who doesn't care a little bit for people around him. Allen's standards in showing his alter ego are matched by the contents usually not seen in Allen's films - language is explicitly profane, humour is mean-spirited and, finally, there are scenes with explicit sex and nudity. This radical approach might look refreshing to some viewers, while the others would see it as something unpleasant and yearn for "kinder and gentler" Woody Allen. The more problematic aspect of Deconstructing Harry is Allen's experimenting with mixing scenes from Block's real life and his novels. The audience is going to be confused by large numbers of characters and same actors playing different parts. On the other hand, Deconstructing Harry features a couple of really funny scenes and this film, despite being much bleaker and meaner than usual, would satisfy many of Allen's fans.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on June 23rd 2004)
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