In 2002, Woody Allen was wrapping up his three picture deal at Dreamworks and turned in a serviceable, middle of the pack film about the industry called HOLLYWOOD ENDING.
It's got a fun premise, with Woody playing a famous, Oscar winning director who's made himself such a pain in the ass to work with that he's relegated to filming TV commercials in the middle of Canada.
Val (Allen) gets a huge break when his producer ex-wife (Tea Leoni) lobbies for him to direct a big budget film at the studio run by Hal (Treat Williams) who just happens to be the man she left Val for in the recent past.
Val commits to the film, but in Allen's fun twist, goes psychosomatic-ally blind the day before shooting starts.
Allen plays his temporary affliction to the hilt, with his long suffering agent Al (Mark Rydell) shuffling him around the set and linking him to a Japanese production assistant, who's the only one on the set that knows Val cant see.
There are plenty of clever jokes, some decent wordplay and at least one GREAT pratfall from the second story of the set, but it's not Allen at his best.
It's one of his longest films and it feels like it.
Debra Messing is more annoying than funny as Val's current flame and its just uncomfortable to watch Tiffani Thiessen and Messing throw themselves at a very old and exhausted looking Woody.
The subplot about Val's son could have been dropped all together without missing a beat, it drags on as if it's not quite completely formed.
George Hamilton has some funny moments, but the ending feels tacked on and it just kind of fizzles out, making you feel like there was a good movie in here somewhere, but that maybe Allen was just ready to put this one in the can and call it done.
A few great laughs do not a Woody classic make, so we'll throw this Hollywood Ending a C and move on to some better Woody films, of which there are MANY.
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