before you read my review , you gotta know that i love woody allen . 
this is a very important note because allen's films are generally an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone . 
i know folks who believe him to be a complete genius , while others see him as a dirty ol' schnook who keeps making the same movie over and over again . 
i love most of his films , but will admit to having been quite disappointed by his recent crop during the 90s . 
in fact , why he felt the need to make 10 movies in those 10 years is beyond me ! 
if you look at the quality of those films , you'll hear what i'm saying . 
the only two films of his that i really liked during that time were bullets over broadway and husbands and wives . 
in fact , i secretly hoped that he would take some " time off " at the turn of the millennium , just to re-energize or something , but it doesn't appear as though he has any intention of doing that . 
so here i am again , reviewing yet another woody allen movie and hoping that it brings back the woody from the days of old . 
plot : the year is 1940 and woody allen is a top-notch insurance investigator . 
his methods are very old-fashioned and apparently out of date . 
a new employee ( hunt ) has just been hired to streamline the operations for greater efficiency . 
the two do not like each other . 
one night , they are both put under a hypnotic trance by a magician , and unbeknownst to them , placed under his control . 
soon thereafter , jewels are stolen , words of love are exchanged and everyone is looking for an answer . 
critique : a wonderful recreation of the 1940s style movies , with the fast-talking witty banter between co-workers , a catchy jazz score moving things along , film noirish elements such as the veronica lake-type sexpot , one-liners galore and a fluffy , if inconsequential plotline . 
on the downside , the film actually starts off pretty slowly , with the first hour tossing only a few guffaws out there , but never really generating any kind of steady flow or energy . 
the sets , on the other hand , were amazing , the production design and costumes were perfect , and the casting ideal , so i kept hoping that the film would pick up and not turn into yet another mediocre outing for the man . 
but it wasn't not long before i was fully engaged by the characters , entertained by the many zingers delivered back-and-forth between allen and hunt , and actually interested in the resolution of the flick . 
i also appreciated how allen played the fine line between homage to the films of old , parody and actual reinvention ( note theron's entire female persona that is drenched in film noir- very cool ) . 
of course , films like this ( with little or no real tension in the plot ) need solid actors to keep you interested in the quick-fire dialogue , and once again , allen does a great job in playing his character , who for once , isn't his typical new york jewish neurotic cheating insecure husband dude . 
he actually plays a " macho " guy here and handles it pretty well , especially the scenes in which he's hypnotized . 
but the bigger surprise for me in this film was helen hunt , an actress who i was openly " sick of seeing " in movies late last year ( sorry babe , you were just in too many at the same time ! ) . 
anyway , she's really great in this film as the headstrong woman looking to a new era of equality amongst men , and doesn't miss a beat of allen's fast-paced dialogue . 
i didn't care much for her running joke about him " dying " whenever he left a room , but overall she was really good and i especially liked the way that her sweaters clung to her breasts as they did . . . yum , 
yum ! 
harumph , but i digress . 
so let's recap . 
a great looking picture with a nice jazzy score , some funny one-liners , especially in the second half , a decent plotline , although you shouldn't expect a real mystery or anything , and some solid acting all around . 
i can't say that this is even remotely close to any of allen's best work , but i certainly believe it to be a step in the right direction , especially after the dinky decade of films that he just went through . 
it's probably better geared towards allen fans more than anyone else , but i would still recommend this film to anyone looking for a cute , " old-school " kind of vibe , with chemistry between the leads , zippy dialogue and a satisfying conclusion . 
little known facts about this film and its stars : annie hall ( 10/10 ) - celebrity ( 5/10 ) - everyone says i love you ( 5/10 ) - husbands and wives ( 9/10 ) - mighty aphrodite ( 5/10 ) - small time crooks ( 7/10 ) - when harry met sally ( 10/10 ) - you've got mail ( 4/10 )