You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Yes, that's it. Is it Allen? Put your hands on it!! I'm not saying I love all his films - and I have seen more than twenty - but I prefer to try, and I hardly ever feel down, when I learn the film I'm about to see is directed by this, that is of of the best moviemakers of all times. "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" is a sweet piece of art for, as I see it, tells a nice story in a simple - yet beautiful - way. A typical Allen thing.And the cast? Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Gemma Jones, Antônio Banderas, Josh Brolin .... Don't miss it!

In the rather play-like "You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger", writer-director Woody Allen transfers to the for-him rather unusual territory of London, though American accents are not entirely absent as Josh Brolin takes a central role, alongside Brits and Europeans Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts and Gemma Jones. With such a cast, we have an expectation of more-than-adequate acting, but - while this aspect is certainly good enough - the thespian skills do not manifest themselves too overtly, and even the settings - though pleasant-ish - are far from touristy, and certainly not the best London can offer. Equally, cast and locations alike are somehow familiar, even comfortable-looking in their way, and thus serve as the perfect background for a storyline that sees these well-known famous faces made to jump through hoops by Allen, in the interests of his pithy and at-times profound storyline. Ultimately, the characters portrayed here, more or less connected with each other as they are, all seem willing to risk a very great deal (exposing themselves to chaos and discomfiture and deeper unhappiness), by taking drastic action in response to the actually-minor and/or inevitable-with-age troubles they find themselves landed with. Ironically, and perhaps annoyingly, the film ends before we fully witness our anti-heroes getting their just desserts for having taken a sledgehammer to crack a nut; but in the meantime, a large amount of wit and wickedness is seen to have gone into crafting the ideas that the cast members pursue in the naive view that they will find themselves in a better place, lifewise. Since all would probably have fared better had they been more accepting of what life chose to dish out to them, the somewhat downbeat message would seem to be that, in our lives most likely lived out with somebody or other we are bound to come across a number of problems, including relative incompatibility, lack of the resources we longed for and mostly expected to get our hands on one day, and simple ennui.And that's just how it is...And maybe we should just accept that...Inevitably, given the above scenario, none of the characters are ones we can actually warm to - somehow they are just too self-centred and selfish, and would-be Machiavellian. That really leaves us with a kind of morality play laced with a certain number of delicious ironies, and this is (even somewhat tangibly to the more-attunded viewer) a hyper-traditional scenario pretty much as old as public entertainment itself. Interesting in that respect that several themes are returned to by Allen in later films, not least (the far-more visually attractive) "Cafe Society" of 2016. It might thus be argued that the latter film outdoes this one. However, the apparent blandness of setting of "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" can be a virtue, while the mostly-British accents are important in reminding us that Woody Allen's take on human reality holds good away from New York or other US locales - a message worth taking on board, perhaps.

I must admit, I found this Woody Allen comedy a surprisingly depressing film. Whereas in things like "Match Point" and "Blue Jasmine" his observations on human frailty were tempered by empathy for his characters, here he is less forgiving.Set in London, the story begins as Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) and Helena (Gemma Jones), split up. He attempts to recapture his lost youth with exercise, new clothes and a woman less than half his age while Helena is left adrift to seek counsel with a fortune-teller. The breakup affects their daughter, Sally (Naomi Watts), whose marriage to struggling writer Roy (Josh Brolin) is also going through a rough patch. Their lives seem in a fluid state and before the end, all the relationships fall apart and new ones form, although nearly all are thwarted in some way or other.There is angst all the way through this story. Woody Allen has a great ear for angst, but it's usually balanced with tremendous wit. However, I don't think the muse settled all that well on "I See a Tall Dark Stranger", and the stress he applies to his characters reveals merely self-obsession all round.Naomi Watts is someone who can breath life into any script, but I think Allen leaves her a bit stranded on this one. Usually we can sense when he is leading up to a punch line, we are used to the rhythm of his best works, but opportunities are lost here – the humour has a harder edge and the real zingers are missing.Part of the reason could be the narration. It has worked well in some of Woody Allen's films, however, in this one it actually takes the place of what probably should have been sharper exchanges between the characters.The tale is told in a wry manner, or maybe that should be a cynical one. The choice of music is light, which emphasises the irony that comes thick and fast especially at the end. If there are insights in the script, it is that people can be spiteful, and turn nasty when they don't get their own way.Over the decades, Woody Allen's films have run the gamut from brilliant to blah and not everyone will agree on which ones are which. For me, although it holds your attention, "I See a Tall Dark Stranger" is just too negative to be called a really enjoyable experience.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)Simply put, not Woody Allen's best. But it has lots of the trademarks of Allen's films, especially from this late period, and sometimes this one seems about to shine, either in humor or in pathos.It's not quite a roaring comedy, nor a farce, nor a true straight drama. A number of major characters are in relationships that are falling apart or beginning again, often (of course) with infidelity. So Anthony Hopkins plays a wealthy old man who refuses to be old, so he begins working out, popping performance pills, and sleeping with a prostitute (though he apparently thinks she's just a nice actress). And so he leaves his wife. Then there's his wife and her need to start over. There's the prostitute who naturally isn't satisfied with sex with an elderly chap (everything is very British--it's set in London).And that's just one group. An important second group of characters include a couple of writers (their manuscripts become an important small subplot) and their loves. Including the scintillating young woman across the courtyard who practices cello in her window. You might think this is a parody of a dream (I laughed out loud when it first happened because I was sure he was making a joke), but it's taken seriously. In fact, the guy watching her (one of the writers) is a true jerk, and seems to succeed as a jerk. No joke there, either.Etc. It could easily have been a delicious interplay of contemporary characters facing romantic crossed-wires. But the timing is a hair off, the dialog sometimes obvious or sometimes too familiar (like we've seen it before not just in life, but in a Woody Allen movie). There are some touching scenes, and the best parts of the movie are probably the serious ones, but you can't extract those beautiful five minute segments from the more contrived and strained whole.A final clue to Allen's intentions comes from the bland (downright boring) voice-over at the start and end. It means to suggest a lighthearted look at these people (caught in the sound and the fury). And the music in the background shifts the mood in almost silly ways, announcing that the movie is almost an oversized trifle. Or truffle.Too bad. Allen is his brilliant best when he mixes up humor and tragedy, and he's great at both. I'm glad he tried. If you love Allen, you should see this and give it a chance. If you don't know his movies or know you don't like them, give some of the great ones another chance. The list is long.