Woody Allen always promises so much, with most of his his movies having such really great concepts, that they make most directors seem trivial. Unfortunately, probably because he feels compelled to put out a movie per year whether the script or production merit it, Woody Allen often falls way short of his promise. Even when he actually delivers a fine movie like "Midnight in Paris' it feels like with another few months honing the script would have made it into a much better film might even put him on the same plane as his beloved Bergman. In Hollywood Ending, which has the imaginative premise of a blind director, an idea which could have produced something brilliant handled by an in-form Woody falls shrorer than ever due to a half-baked script with some classic lines, but far too few, but mostly due to Woody's unconvincing portrayal of a blind person. While often a great lead in his films, here he is seen time after time talking in the opposite direction of the person he is supposed to be conversing with, which would make sense if he was deaf as well as blind, but just looks totally unconvincing here. Coupled with a so-so script and no really strong supporting roles this made for his weakest effort of all time. As usual the score is wonderful, but there isn't much else to recommend it.

As said before, Woody Allen is a very acquired taste. To me he has made a lot of great films, a handful of masterpieces and while there have been some disappointments, while there are films of his yet to see, none of them have been terrible. Hollywood Ending has often been considered lesser Allen, and while it is not a masterpiece in any shape or form(like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdeameanours, Hannah and Her Sisters, Husbands and Wives and Purple Rose of Cairo, Zelig is also very close to being one) and does fall short of great it is not among the bottom(so far What's Up Tiger Lily, To Rome with Love, Celebrity, Anything Else and Cassandra's Dream, although all of them had a fair share of redeeming qualities). Hollywood Ending is imperfect, the blindness joke has been much criticised and I have to agree, it is a joke so stretched out it becomes very tiring, the pacing as a result in the last act lost momentum and credibility went out the window. Much more could have been done with the subplot and relationship of Allen's character and his son, it was pretty much in the background and like a secondary subplot and it was a subplot that if more prominent could have given the film more heart and it would have made their relationship more interesting, in the end it felt under-baked. On the other hand, Hollywood Ending as always with Allen is very well-directed and looks fabulous with cinematography that is colourful and dreamlike. Hollywood Ending aside from the blindness joke is a very entertaining film, the one-liners are just delicious, Val has the best lines and they are just hilarious, and the gags are very characteristic of Allen and are well-engineered. As ever with Woody Allen, the film also has a lot to say about various subjects and explores them in an insightful and sometimes self-mocking way(that is sometimes and understandably considered self-indulgence). The story up till the last act has relationships and issues that we can identify with strongly, is well-paced and there is plenty of compelling story-telling. Hollywood Ending is expertly played with the best performance coming from Tea Leoni, who is immensely charming with very easy comic timing, closely followed by Woody Allen himself, who makes the most of his lines and delivers them in a way that makes them even funnier. Treat Williams is always a joy and Debra Messing looks as though she's enjoying herself. Admittedly some of the cast should have had more to work with, such as George Hamilton, but they are no less impressive. On the whole, Hollywood Ending has its flaws and Allen has done better work but it is an entertaining film in a lot of ways. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Hollywood Ending which is Woody Allen's 33th movie was released in 2002. This comedy featuring Woody Allen himself in the role of Val Waxman, Tea Leoni and George Hamilton takes place in Allen's favorite set : New York. Val Waxman, an underestimated movie director, receives a proposal out of the blue to direct a big budget movie from his formal wife's new boyfriend : Ed (G. Hamilton). Val's agent forces him to accept the project when he is suddenly reached by a psychosomatic disease that makes him blind. I totally loved this gripping and entertaining comedy ! Once again Allen made us cry laughing with his impressive scenario. His acting was brilliant as usual thanks to his body language that emphasize the seriousness of the disease which is funny of course. Woody Allen's genius to create misunderstandings, like the scene where he thinks his talking to someone when he is actually talking to an empty space, is a talent that I really appreciate. I would recommend this movie to everyone specially people who wants to laugh a lot ! By the way I have never been disappointed by any of Allen's movies.

A woefully under-rated Woody Allen comedy. Allen is a high minded film director who refuses to compromise despite having no commercial appeal to anyone. He's so difficult he's only able to get jobs directing COMMERICIALS! He's given the chance to direct a feature from ex-wife Téa Leoni and becomes so overwrought, he goes blind (unbeknownst to the studio or much of the crew). This is one of Allen's flat out funniest films with a great cast, a ridiculous plot and a classic Allen performance. Leoni is hilarious as well. Both are out-shone by Debra Messing as Allen's ditsy girlfriend and would-be actress. The supporting cast is a typical Allen free-for-all & includes Treat Williams, George Hamilton, and Tiffani Thiessen as a very aggressive ingénue.