If an old dog can't learn new tricks, at least he can pass them along to some young pups. That appears to be the case with Anything Else (R), written and directed by Woody Allen.
The filmmaker has been talking more about this comedy in advance than usual, probably because his usual prerelease veil of secrecy isn't stirring much curiosity after the box office failures of Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Hollywood Ending and Small Time Crooks. For a Woody Allen movie to be termed a flop says something, since he's been able to work consistently over the past five decades despite his low grosses.
In order to make his mark in the 21st century, Allen is courting the youth market with his casting choices. Jason Biggs (the American Pie trilogy) stars as Jerry Falk, a neurotic Manhattanite type Allen would have played 30 years ago. Jerry falls in love with Amanda (Christina Ricci, Sleepy Hollow, The Opposite of Sex) and will do anything to keep her happy. But Amanda turns out to be so demanding that Jerry doesn't know if she's worth it.
Allen co-stars as Jerry's mentor, guiding his protege through a rocky romance. Jimmy Fallon, currently the most popular player on Saturday Night Live, is also tackling Allen's dialogue, said to be in the sophisticated vein of Annie Hall and Manhattan. Danny DeVito, Stockard Channing and Glenn Close pop in to please the Woodman's usual demographics.
Anything Else was screened by DreamWorks SKG too late for Weekend review. A complete review will be published in Friday's Page 2B.
