`Deconstructing Harry'. **1/2. (1997, USA, R, 95 min. Directed, written by, and starring Woody Allen with Elisabeth Shue, Demi Moore, Billy Crystal and everyone else that's been in a Woody Allen movie plus some new ones). Do you like the Woody Allen sense of humor? If yes, you'll find something to like and something to hate in `Deconstructing Harry.' This isn't the best of Woody Allen. But I like Woody Allen movies because I can usually find some perverted joke or some commentary on religion, sex, women, life, or whatever to tickle my fantasy. And in `Deconstructing Harry' Demi Moore has a line that's worth the price of admission.
Harry Block (Allen) is having writer's block. He's spent the advance from his publisher. He's between wives/women. He's divorced and his girlfriend (Shue) is about to run off and marry one of his best friends (Crystal). One of his ex-wives won't let him take his son to an award ceremony. (He's getting an honorary degree at the college from which he never graduated.) Block, another friend and a $500/night hooker kidnap his 10 year old son and leave New York City (Are Woody Allen movies ever set anywhere else?) for upstate New York. All the while this story is evolving, Block is thinking about his past and his past is played out as a series of flashbacks to `real' events with the `real' people. Other times the flashbacks are from scenes in his books and short stories where the characters are thinly disguised portrayals of the `real' people in Block's life. Clever? Not really. Amusing? Yeah.
Anyway back to Demi Moore. She is a book character that's `really' one of his ex-wives. After they are married for a while, she becomes very religious. She has to bless everything and the blessings are all in Hebrew. I'm assuming it is Hebrew. She blesses the food before eating; she blesses the cup before drinking. But when she asks the blessing before performing fellatio and we hear this Hebrew pray with the vernacular for the one word I assume isn't Hebrew. It's funny.
`Deconstructing Harry' is so-so Woody Allen. If you're a fan, rent it. It's out on video. You'll find something you like. I did.
Harry Block (Allen) is having writer's block. He's spent the advance from his publisher. He's between wives/women. He's divorced and his girlfriend (Shue) is about to run off and marry one of his best friends (Crystal). One of his ex-wives won't let him take his son to an award ceremony. (He's getting an honorary degree at the college from which he never graduated.) Block, another friend and a $500/night hooker kidnap his 10 year old son and leave New York City (Are Woody Allen movies ever set anywhere else?) for upstate New York. All the while this story is evolving, Block is thinking about his past and his past is played out as a series of flashbacks to `real' events with the `real' people. Other times the flashbacks are from scenes in his books and short stories where the characters are thinly disguised portrayals of the `real' people in Block's life. Clever? Not really. Amusing? Yeah.
Anyway back to Demi Moore. She is a book character that's `really' one of his ex-wives. After they are married for a while, she becomes very religious. She has to bless everything and the blessings are all in Hebrew. I'm assuming it is Hebrew. She blesses the food before eating; she blesses the cup before drinking. But when she asks the blessing before performing fellatio and we hear this Hebrew pray with the vernacular for the one word I assume isn't Hebrew. It's funny.
`Deconstructing Harry' is so-so Woody Allen. If you're a fan, rent it. It's out on video. You'll find something you like. I did.