Woody Allen and Mia Farrow

Talent (10)

Judy Davis gives one of the best performances of her career as Sally, the cool intellectual who is out of touch with her feelings. Davis dominates several scenes, but especially notable is her date with a co-worker shortly after learning that her husband has found another woman. Allen's take on Gabe Roth is an understated performance that shows his maturity as an actor. He is perfectly willing to let fellow actors shine while serving mostly as an anchor for their efforts. Farrow gives a versatile performance with an unsurprisingly angry overtone while Liam Neeson (seen here before he was a star) is just fine as her sensitive love interest.

The real show stealer is Sidney Pollack who achieves near perfection as Jack, a fifty-something executive who believes he has found love with a 20-something aerobics instructor. Probably the best scene in the film occurs when Jack attends a party with his young fling Sam and realizes almost simultaneously that she has an appalling lack of intellectual depth and that his wife Sally has found a new lover. Pollack is brilliant as he rides the roller coaster this setup provides, showing a range of ability that makes one believe he could have been a character actor of some magnitude had he not opted for the director's chair. Sam is well-played here by Lysette Anthony, a British actress who manages the difficult task of a perfect American accent.

Judy Davis and Sidney Pollack

Noteworthy too is Juliette Lewis as Rain, an aspiring writer who is keenly aware of her good looks, intellegence and her effect on the opposite sex. The juxtaposition of Lewis and Allen is a little jarring at times, but that is part of the point and overall the pair strike the right chord. Ron Rifkin is great in a bit part as Rain's former psychiatrist, one in a telltale line of older lovers. This is a stellar cast-one of the best in any Allen film.

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