Woody Allen: A Documentary

Woody Allen films tend to split a crowd as they say, people either love him or can't stand him. And even those that love him don't love everything he's done. Impossible with over forty films in his cannon of work. As the man himself is fond of saying "I have a small but disloyal following". So if you are a fan, former Curb your Enthusiasm director Robert Wildes Woody Allen: A Documentary will be a two hour treat and if not well lets be honest it's doubtful you are even reading this.

This documentary captures the essential story of Woody Allen, already a paid gag writer for some of New York's biggest newspapers and columnists in his teens it traces his trajectory from film obsessed kid growing up in Brooklyn to writer to stand up to film star and auteur. With full co operation and including extensive interview from the man himself this is the first time that Woody Allen fans have a document that tells his story in a entertaining often touching and even more often funny way.

Wilde probably could have filled in the two hours with just the famous people lining up to pay tribute to him, long time working partners such as Diane Keaton, Tom Roberts and Diane Wiest as well as fans like Larry David and Martin Scorsese feature. There is also a great clip of his mother talking about him that he filmed himself.

The only one notable by her absence is Mia Farrow and this is the one time Woody Allen fans struggle to defend him. His affair with one of Mia's adopted children 21 year old Soon Yi Previn was a scandal that had him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Woody himself is pragmatic about it and doesn’t shy away from it when its discussed in the film. Allen got through it all the same way he does when its all going well for him or all going badly, he works. The thing you take away from this documentary is that he is just has ideas spilling out of him and he's obsessed with working. Hence him releasing a film a year With so many films he's made he's had numerous hits and numerous flops, no surprise it’s the flops that interest him most.

To him Manhattan should not have even been released to others it changed lives. And on it goes. The ups of films such as Annie Hall and Match Point to the critical lows of Interiors and Stardust memories. Numerous clips from a wide range of his films provide a lot of the laughs. As a massive Woody Allen fan this two hour documentary flew by and is full of gold, especially good stories and clips of him doing stand up in the early years. In the DVD release it will be the longer version shown that was shown on PBS in the states but do yourself a favour and go see this at the cinema.

And if you aren't a Woody Allen film and you are still reading this then hey come on in and enjoy, watch this and then go find stuff of his that you like because I guarantee you there's something for everyone.