CNN talks to Woody Allen:

Allen, who will be 70 on December 1, says age hasn’t brought wisdom.

“I’ve gained no wisdom, no insight, no mellowing. I would make all the same mistakes again, today,” he tells the magazine.

I think this statement is borne out in his last film, Melinda and Melinda, which finally I saw over the weekend. Where his earlier films seemed to be asking serious questions about choices and consequences, now Allen just seems content to turn a bunch of selfish characters loose on each other and enjoy watching the damage they do. His stories demean the whole idea of love, and as the sense of sadness has faded from them, they’re just about animals using and abusing each other.

What a sad story his artistic journey has become. I wonder if he’ll ever reconsider whether there might be something more to life, something more fulfilling than hedonism and self-gratification.

I’m hearing raves about his new film Match Point, but I’m not optimistic. It may be wittier than the surprisingly un-funny Melinda, but I doubt it’s any wiser. We’ll see.

Privacy Preference Center