Woody makes a return to straight comedy here after detours into drama such as "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Husbands and Wives", and confused efforts such as "Alice". Here the story concerns a middle aged Manhattan couple who become involved in the death of the wife of their across-the-hall neighbor. Keaton, as Allen's wife, becomes more and more suspicious about the death and starts to play amateur detective, much to the wise-cracking Woody's dismay. (my favorite line: "There's nothing wrong with you a little Prozac and a polo mallet can't fix.").
Despite Woody's humorous presence, the story never evolves from a murder mystery into the expected zany Allen adventure. There are no tricks or plot surprises here; rather, the story settles into an actual (and rather mundane) murder mystery, enlivened only by Woody's witty lines and a lame love interest between Keaton and Alda. There is an actual suspenseful plot culmination which seems gratingly out of place in an Allen comedy, and the close of the movie seems to stop rather than end. All in all, a subpar effort from the Woodmeister.
Despite Woody's humorous presence, the story never evolves from a murder mystery into the expected zany Allen adventure. There are no tricks or plot surprises here; rather, the story settles into an actual (and rather mundane) murder mystery, enlivened only by Woody's witty lines and a lame love interest between Keaton and Alda. There is an actual suspenseful plot culmination which seems gratingly out of place in an Allen comedy, and the close of the movie seems to stop rather than end. All in all, a subpar effort from the Woodmeister.