IMDb >
Hollywood Ending (2002)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsHollywood Ending (2002) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 60 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 6) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Woody Allen (written by)
Release Date:
3 May 2002 (USA)
more
Tagline:
It's Going to be a Shot in the Dark!
Plot:
A has-been filmmaker is hired to direct his ex-wife, who's now dating the studio boss. But when he arrives on the set, he develops a case of psychosomatic blindness. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(14 articles)
Paranormal Activity (2009)
(From pretty-scary. 16 October 2009, 12:38 PM, PDT)
Laugh it up at the Theater this Weekend! Movieset Weekend Release Round-up!
(From MovieSet.com. 2 October 2009, 1:28 PM, PDT)
(From pretty-scary. 16 October 2009, 12:38 PM, PDT)
Laugh it up at the Theater this Weekend! Movieset Weekend Release Round-up!
(From MovieSet.com. 2 October 2009, 1:28 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
time-marking comedy from a master filmmaker
more (131 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Téa Leoni | ... | Ellie |
 | Bob Dorian | ... | Galaxie Executive |
 | Ivan Martin | ... | Galaxie Executive |
| Gregg Edelman | ... | Galaxie Executive |
 | George Hamilton | ... | Ed |
 | Treat Williams | ... | Hal |
 | Woody Allen | ... | Val |
 | Debra Messing | ... | Lori |
| Neal Huff | ... | Commercial A.D. |
| Mark Rydell | ... | Al |
| Douglas McGrath | ... | Barbeque Guest |
| Stephanie Roth Haberle | ... | Barbeque Guest |
| Bill Gerber | ... | Barbeque Guest |
| Roxanne Perry | ... | Barbeque Guest |
| Barbara Carroll | ... | Carlyle Pianist |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some drug references and sexual material.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Finland:K-3 |
Australia:PG |
Iceland:L |
South Korea:15 |
USA:PG-13 (certificate #38661) |
Canada:G (Quebec) |
Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Argentina:Atp |
Brazil:Livre |
France:U |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Netherlands:AL |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:Btl |
Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) |
Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) |
Peru:PT |
Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Val has a copy of Phil Hardy's "The Gangster Film" on his coffee table.
more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: As Al and Chau enter the revolving doors, the reflection of a crew member holding a white reflecting board can be seen in the windows.
more
Quotes:
Movie Connections:
References Guys and Dolls (1955/I)
more
Soundtrack:
Descarga
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (131 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Hollywood Ending (2002) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Big Fat Liar | The Aviator | Full Tilt Boogie | 8½ | Sunset Blvd. |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Did your mother ever tell you that it wasn't polite to make fun of blind people? Well, apparently, Woody Allen's mother didn't, since this is exactly what he does for a good hour or more in his latest film, `Hollywood Ending.' (Or, perhaps, he just doesn't WANT to be polite). Whatever the case, Allen himself stars as Val Waxman, a once brilliant film director who has fallen on hard times, partly due to his own temperamental nature and partly to his own tendency for obsessive/compulsive behavior and chronic hypochondria, all of which have made him anathema to Hollywood's major producers. Tea Leoni plays Val's ex-wife, Ellie, who convinces her current fiancé, studio boss Hal (played by Treat Williams), to take a chance on Val and turn a multimillion dollar film project over to the iconoclastic director. All is going well until, right on the eve of production, Val develops a case of psychosomatic blindness, a condition he and a few close allies try to keep a secret during the making of the film. The majority of `Hollywood Ending' revolves around Val's attempts to keep people from finding out the truth and delivering a creditable motion picture to the studio heads at the same time.
In many ways, this pallid comedy combines the slapstick elements of Allen's early works (`Bananas' and `Sleeper') with the cynicism of his later, more mature explorations of modern urban romantic life (`Annie Hall,' `Manhattan'). Unfortunately, `Hollywood Ending' winds up as an uneasy hybrid of the two forms, mixing lowbrow comic mugging and pratfalls with the customary angst-ridden dithering that Allen has been indulging in (often quite effectively) for well nigh a quarter of a century now. Well, the bloom is definitely off the rose here. Part of the problem is that Allen's neurotic tics are amusing only when he has some serious points to make under all the humor. In this film, however, he is providing no insights to go along with the chatter so that he comes across as whiney and self-absorbed rather than witty and ironical. Val always seems to be blathering a mile a minute, so much so that we finally just want him to shut up and give us a moment's silence. To make matters worse, the scenes of broad physical comedy – Allen bumping into furniture, Allen breaking glasses, Allen falling off platforms – are not particularly well executed, lacking the kind of adept, split second timing essential to make such scenes comically effective. Thus, the film fails on two levels: both as a work of slapstick and as a verbal comedy of ideas. The film could, potentially, have scored as an acerbic satire on the ludicrous commercial values that define the American film industry, yet even most of these `inside' jokes seem strangely unoriginal and old hat, especially coming from a man as attuned to the industry as Woody Allen.
Although Allen, in his old age, has degenerated into little more than a wan parody of himself, Tea Leoni sparkles as Ellie, creating a character who is simultaneously strong, sensible, insecure and vulnerable. Leoni's performance is, literally, the anchor that keeps this otherwise lighter-than-air trifle from floating away completely. Barney Cheng does a nice job playing a Chinese translator whom Val uses to help him carry off this impossible charade; Mark Rydell provides some memorable moments as Val's helpful agent; and Debra Messing glows as Val's beautiful but bubble headed `significant other,' who is far more concerned about losing her part in the movie than losing her role as bedmate to the neurotic director.
It would be unfair, as well as untruthful, to say that `Hollywood Ending' did not afford a couple of pretty impressive laughs along the way. This IS a Woody Allen film, after all. And even Woody on a bad day is better than many of our Hollywood humorists on a good day. But with so many great films in his oeuvre, one naturally goes into this film with high expectations. When a final assessment is made of all of Allen's prodigious cinematic output, `Hollywood Ending' will wind up somewhere very near the bottom of the list.