Coup de Chance

Screened on VOD.

Yes, Woody Allen is still making films. In fact, let's start this review with a fun fact! In May 2020, while the COVID pandemic was continuing to ramp up and the world continued to shut down, movie theaters were of course one of the biggest victims in terms of commerce and industry. In some areas of the globe though, life was able to continue unabated for the most part, and one of those countries was South Korea. Few films were still being released worldwide at that point, but Allen's 2019 production A Rainy Day in New York powered through, to the point that its release there, despite making a mere $330,000, wasn't just the #1 film in South Korea that week, but in the world. That's right, in a strange way, one of the world's most shunned filmmakers had the last laugh with the globe's top-earner at the box office. Small victories and silver linings, I suppose.

I was pumped for A Rainy Day in New York, from plot, to cast, to Woody's return to Manhattan, but after a few viewings now, my conclusion is I find it hard to enjoy. It has its charms, but something is very, very off, and if Woody is off on his home territory, it's clear something wasn't right. When Woody followed that up with 2020's production Rifkin's Festival, I had a hunch we may be in further worrisome territory in terms of his longevity at this stage of his incredible career. Not that I don't love Wallace Shawn, but his casting in the lead for me did not bode well, and in my view that proved to be correct, as I felt it was one of Woody's worst films. Luckily that's a small list, but it's hard not to place right alongside his 2001 disaster, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.

No one will tell you more than Woody himself that sometimes he aims and hits, and other times he aims and misses. He's been lucky over the years to be so prolific, and I was concerned this may be the run that shows his creative juices have stopped flowing. The last bad streak in my view creatively was from 2001-2004 which included the aforementioned Jade Scorpion, and at the time I was convinced that was it for him. Those déjà vu feelings resurfaced these past few years, and yet, ironically enough, this unorthodox return (Allen's first foreign language film) is not dissimilar to 2005's Match Point, which ended his earlier bad streak, with similar plot points and themes.

It's important to note however, that my positive response to this is as one of Allen's biggest fans. To me, as a purist, this has Woody back on track. It's far from perfect, far from original, but in general, it feels like he's back in touch with that "special something" he brings to most of his films. This is a fun and much lighter version of Match Point, with a beautifully-shot Paris by renowned lensman (and recent Allen regular as cinematographer for his last five films) Vittorio Storaro, and good performances from the all-French cast, including lead Lou de Laâge who feels like a natural fit into the Woody universe.

There are still some lingering vibes from the last few clunkers that carry over here, but I'm happy to say it's minimal. Woody's 50th feature film is not an accomplishment in the world of cinema, but in the world of Woody Allen it is, as it feels he's got himself back on track, and hopefully will continue that into his 51st film, now in pre-production and to be shot in Italy later this summer. Most of America has moved on from Woody Allen, succumbing to the lies and agenda of their abysmally irresponsible mainstream media. Luckily though Europe, and as we've seen recently with Asia, can cut through the bullshit, and allow his art to continue for as long as Woody, now 88 years young, wants to.