Real Life is Fine for People Who Can't Do Any Better

The difference between Woody Allen and say, Todd Solondz or Charlie Kaufman, is Allen will do a romantic comedy without a hint of disillusion or angst. And the problem with a lot of Woody Allen reviews I’ve read is that if his newest film isn’t unexpected or profound they pawn it off as a stale retread—overlooking brilliance cloaked in subtlety.

 
     A Rainy Day in New York (2019, Woody Allen) is a confection of pure escapist romantic illusion that packages many of Allen’s most familiar trademarks except one: nihilism.
 
     What’s my favorite thing about A Rainy Day in New York? The dialogue. It’s like a buffet of delightfully witty one-liners that slowly pass right in front of you on an automatic conveyer belt for you to sit there and enjoy. Next is what the film says about romance.
 
     Or more specifically, what A Rainy Day in New York dreams of romance as. The leads are all young and good-looking. The main couple define the ideal chemistry of a perfect match by means of their matching of wits through intellectually comic sparring. And the characters don’t spend time talking about love or how they feel about each other very much, although when they do it’s about partners that aren’t exactly right for them. 
     But ultimately in Allen’s règle du jeu his most optimistic sentiment is that of how in a vast sea of vain searching only one couple actually get struck by fleeting Cupid’s elusive arrow, and once they finally realize it, the film is over. And this is why Allen can still craft a masterwork in a year of duds.
 
     I’m probably reaching and way off here, but I read some symbolism into how HOLDEN’S paramour wears a sweater and skirt. When he starts hanging out with the other woman CHAN, right after it rains she changes into a sweater and mini-skirt. Could it be the change in costume design is telling us how we can find our ideal where we would least expect to?
     Or maybe another bit of subtext could be how Holden never loses at poker, but with love he doesn't quite have the same luck? Or does he? Is Allen using poker as an analogy about love? Like losing a hand doesn't mean you still can't come back to win the pot?

10/11/2020 Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
Atlanta, GA
DCP