In 1930s New Jersey, a movie character (Jeff Daniels) walks off the screen and into the real world.
This movie is brilliant. Obviously, the whole concept is clever and well-executed, but Allen also managed to make the "old" movie footage look old, and Jeff Daniels is really, really good. For an actor who may be better known for "Dumb and Dumber", it is great to see him in such a role.
This is or was Woody Allen's favorite film of his own (though this may have been replaced by "Match Point" twenty years later), and one can see why. The charm, the cleverness, everything about it is very neatly done, very succinct. Although shorter than the average film, it says what it has to say without dawdling.
Roger Ebert wrote, "The Purple Rose of Cairo is audacious and witty and has a lot of good laughs in it, but the best thing about the movie is the way Woody Allen uses it to toy with the very essence of reality and fantasy." So true, sir.
This movie is brilliant. Obviously, the whole concept is clever and well-executed, but Allen also managed to make the "old" movie footage look old, and Jeff Daniels is really, really good. For an actor who may be better known for "Dumb and Dumber", it is great to see him in such a role.
This is or was Woody Allen's favorite film of his own (though this may have been replaced by "Match Point" twenty years later), and one can see why. The charm, the cleverness, everything about it is very neatly done, very succinct. Although shorter than the average film, it says what it has to say without dawdling.
Roger Ebert wrote, "The Purple Rose of Cairo is audacious and witty and has a lot of good laughs in it, but the best thing about the movie is the way Woody Allen uses it to toy with the very essence of reality and fantasy." So true, sir.