Anything Else
Encyclopedia
Anything Else is a 2003 romantic comedy
film. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen
, produced by his sister Letty Aronson
, and stars Jason Biggs
, Christina Ricci
, Woody Allen
, Stockard Channing
, Danny DeVito
, Jimmy Fallon
and KaDee Strickland
.
Anything Else was the opening-night selection at the 60th annual Venice International Film Festival.
who falls in love at first sight with Amanda (Ricci) and begins having an affair and eventually tells his girlfriend about it so that she will dump him because Falk cannot end relationships. Seeking advice, Jerry turns to an aging struggling artist (Allen) who acts as his oracle
— and that includes trying to help sort out Jerry’s romantic life.
reported that the film received 40 percent positive reviews, based on 129 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 37 reviews. Leonard Maltin
, in his movie and video guide, gave the film a “BOMB” rating (the only Allen-directed film he has ever rated BOMB), and called it “Allen’s all-time worst”. However, the reception was not entirely negative; in August 2009, it was cited by Quentin Tarantino
as one of his favorite 20 films since 1992.
launched a $10 million marketing campaign for the movie that was centered on the appeal of Biggs and Ricci to attract a teenage audience to the film. Trailers, TV ads and posters for the film seemed to hide the fact that the film was written and directed by Allen, perhaps due to his last few films being underperformers at the box office. Roger Ebert
noted in his review of the film that “it’s as if they have the treasure of a Woody Allen movie and they’re trying to package it for the American Pie
crowd.” The film was a flop stateside, opening at #12 its opening weekend and grossing only $3.2 million. As has become common with Allen’s films, it performed better overseas, grossing $10.3 million, but could not make back its $18 million shooting budget or the $10 million Dreamworks
spent marketing the film.
. It also has the honor of being the first film released with all prints having cyan optical soundtracks (the new standard for analog sound on film prints).
When he cast him and during most of the shoot, Allen was under the impression that Biggs was Jewish. Allen was surprised to discover that he is in fact Catholic
.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, produced by his sister Letty Aronson
Letty Aronson
Letty Aronson is an American film producer and sister of Woody Allen.She produced Don't Drink the Water , Bullets Over Broadway , Mighty Aphrodite , Deconstructing Harry , Celebrity , The Curse of the Jade Scorpion , Anything Else , Melinda and Melinda...
, and stars Jason Biggs
Jason Biggs
Jason Matthew Biggs is an American actor who is best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films.-Personal life:...
, Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
, Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
, Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
and KaDee Strickland
KaDee Strickland
Katherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland is an American actress currently known for her role as Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice....
.
Anything Else was the opening-night selection at the 60th annual Venice International Film Festival.
Plot
Jerry Falk (Biggs) is an aspiring writer living in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
who falls in love at first sight with Amanda (Ricci) and begins having an affair and eventually tells his girlfriend about it so that she will dump him because Falk cannot end relationships. Seeking advice, Jerry turns to an aging struggling artist (Allen) who acts as his oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
— and that includes trying to help sort out Jerry’s romantic life.
Casting
- Jason BiggsJason BiggsJason Matthew Biggs is an American actor who is best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films.-Personal life:...
... Jerry Falk - Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
... Amanda Chase - Woody AllenWoody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
... David Dobel - Stockard ChanningStockard ChanningStockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
... Paula Chase - Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
... Harvey Wexler - Jimmy FallonJimmy FallonJames Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
... Bob - KaDee StricklandKaDee StricklandKatherine Dee "KaDee" Strickland is an American actress currently known for her role as Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice....
... Brooke - Erica LeerhsenErica LeerhsenErica Lei Leerhsen is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the horror films Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Wrong Turn 2. She is often referred to as a modern day scream queen...
... Connie - Adrian GrenierAdrian GrenierAdrian Grenier is an American actor, musician and director. He is best known for his lead role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase.-Early life:...
... Ray Polito - David ConradDavid ConradDavid Crawford Conrad is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt.-Early life:...
... Dr. Phil Reed
Critical reception
The film received generally negative reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that the film received 40 percent positive reviews, based on 129 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 37 reviews. Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
, in his movie and video guide, gave the film a “BOMB” rating (the only Allen-directed film he has ever rated BOMB), and called it “Allen’s all-time worst”. However, the reception was not entirely negative; in August 2009, it was cited by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
as one of his favorite 20 films since 1992.
Marketing
DreamworksDreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
launched a $10 million marketing campaign for the movie that was centered on the appeal of Biggs and Ricci to attract a teenage audience to the film. Trailers, TV ads and posters for the film seemed to hide the fact that the film was written and directed by Allen, perhaps due to his last few films being underperformers at the box office. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
noted in his review of the film that “it’s as if they have the treasure of a Woody Allen movie and they’re trying to package it for the American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
crowd.” The film was a flop stateside, opening at #12 its opening weekend and grossing only $3.2 million. As has become common with Allen’s films, it performed better overseas, grossing $10.3 million, but could not make back its $18 million shooting budget or the $10 million Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
spent marketing the film.
Filming
Anything Else is only the second Allen film to be shot in anamorphic format, the first being ManhattanManhattan (film)
Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen about a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl before eventually falling in love with his best friend's mistress...
. It also has the honor of being the first film released with all prints having cyan optical soundtracks (the new standard for analog sound on film prints).
When he cast him and during most of the shoot, Allen was under the impression that Biggs was Jewish. Allen was surprised to discover that he is in fact Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.