A Dream for Woody Allen Is a Nightmare For Critics

Only two years after many critics claimed that Woody Allen had returned full force with his brilliant tragedy Match Point, the writer-director already appears to be rehashing old ideas. Cassandra’s Dream rips off many of Woody Allen’s best works, but the style seems rushed and nowhere near as effective. Even with two strong lead performances from Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell, it’s tough to recommend this film when it would be cheaper to watch one of Allen’s better films in the comfort of your own home.

Cassandra’s Dream is the Allen’s third film set in London, following the dark morality tale (Match Point) and the light murder-comedy (Scoop). In this latest movie, Allen decides to tackle the morals and means of the British lower class—something that Allen doubtfully knows much of anything about. Two brothers, Terry (Farrell) and Ian (McGregor), share some good luck near the beginning of the film, but each soon finds himself in a bit of a tough spot. As a worker in an auto shop, Terry obsessively gambles on a bit of a hot streak until he finds himself £90,000 in the hole. And while Ian is a bit more successful—he helps his father run a restaurant and hopes to become a real estate speculator in Hollywood—he needs even more money.

Enter their successful Uncle Harry, played by Tom Wilkinson with the same kind of manic energy he brought to Michael Clayton with the same sort of laughable results. Harry will help both his boys out—no problem—as long as they take care of a possible whistle-blower who hopes to bring him down. The brothers are stunned, but as many filmmakers have argued before, money corrupts. Still, no one is safe from his conscience.

The biggest problem with Cassandra’s Dream is that almost every scene feels sloppily ripped from another Woody Allen movie. While very reminiscent of Match Point, the plot is not as clever, and the cinematography not as polished. Allen’s shot choices seem bland and obvious, without a hint of style, merely functioning to get the job done. Allen has covered all these themes—luck, guilt, and family ties—before, and again he doesn’t say anything new.

The saving graces of Cassandra’s Dream are the lead performances by McGregor and Farrell. McGregor hides under layers of guilt and plays it off well, becoming a human bottle ready to explode. Farrell does well with a showier role—his character is down on more than just his luck, and cracks right from the beginning. The dramatic role gives Farrell a chance to really show his talent as an actor.

Yet these roles feel wasted in a movie that just isn’t that great. Although the ending represents a small innovation for Allen, his fraternal drama echoes another recent film from a cinematic master of the 1970s: Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Some directors age well—some don’t.