MovieChat Forums > Everyone Says I Love You (1997) Discussion > Why did this have to be a musical!?!?

Why did this have to be a musical!?!?

posted 12 years ago by el-passo
12 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so I don't like musicals, or at least I'm not a fan of them. Saying that, I do actually like Les Miserables and obviously the classic Disney movies etc when they break into song, so it's not like I have a personal vendetta against them, but maybe that's because of the style of music they use in them. Now, I consider Woody Allen to be in my top 3 directors, and this was one of the few films of his I hadn't seen, but honestly I thought the songs in this were terrible, and after 30 minutes I had to skip through them all. The actual dialogue parts I really enjoyed, and I was sitting here gutted at how they had to go and ruin it every few minutes. I wish I could have enjoyed this, but overall it was one of the least enjoyable experiences I've had since I failed to make the chess team because of my height.

[–] RobertV23 12 years ago

the music is amazing to me i guess its a matter of preference. Do you enjoy music from allens films? I collect music from his movies so i may be biased

check my beats out!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/rob3223

[–] el-passo 12 years ago

I thought that said "music from Alien films" there for a second lol. I can't say I listen to it on it's own regularly but yes I absolutely love Allen's use of music in his movies. The guy is a genius.

[–] poetcomic1 10 years ago

Between the songs in this films and the songs in Radio Days you can get an education in American Golden Age Popular Music.

[–] kolnoaMograbi 11 years ago

I think Allen was serving up a tribute to classic musicals while making fun of them at the same time. It was his way of saying that the musical numbers in musicals are superfluous, i.e., the plots would still stand w/o them, but...they're fun!

When you think of garbage, think of Hakim!

[–] eelb 10 years ago

Allen doesn't think the numbers are superfluous. This music is used in most all his films. Only those raised on a steady diet of rock n roll have problems with this music, because the only time they hear it, is in a Woody Allen movie. They don't have an ear for it. And rather than say the music isn't in their taste, they say the music is superfluous or bad.

[–] karaladh 10 years ago

It's a tribute to classical musicals and it is also a very light satire of hungry-for-life New Yorkers and their delusions about love. The "my lady doesn't care about anything else but me" tune is quite unequivocal. The songs that the Norton-Berrymore characters sing are the lies most people tell themselves when they think they love someone. It's also all Woody Allen's cinema is about, whether it be Blue Jasmine, Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall, Purple Rose of Cairo or this. People with delusions, people who expect life to be just like a musical, people who find themselves deceived and shattered by reality, though this time it's not only lighter, Woody is sweeter with his characters. He looks at youth with a smile but does not mock it. He makes a statement that it's better to experience flaws with a partner rather than waste your life searching for a perfect partner, as relationships tend to grow stronger when failures are experienced by the partners. Just look at the complicity between Joe and his ex-wife. It speaks volume. They've been through a lot together. They've learned to know each other very well. Other than that, it's fun, it's cheesy, it's simple. That's Woody in the 90s for you.

The room's a wreck, but her napkin is folded.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jakenzz_7 11 years ago

The musical numbers were done extremely well. While referencing old big production musicals, and incorporating Allen's favorite music, Jazz. They made the movie feel alive and charming. Plus it was occasionally quite funny, specifically the jewelery story sequence. And also the music made the last scene (Allen and Hawn dancing by the river) fit wonderfully in with the rest of movie, and that scene is what made the film great.

[–] cesium14 10 years ago

"Better make it into a musical, or no one's gonna believe it!" LOL

[–] franzkabuki 10 years ago

Obviously, this kind of thing is always a major pain in the ass, but from the stuff in this particular movie, the bit where Mr Stiffy himself pretended to sing a song in front of the mutha window, was pretty darned hilarious. Otherwise, yes - just FF through the stupid song/dance numbers or go take a piss while they're on. It's better that way.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] bijinius 9 years ago

You say that Woody is in your top trio of directors, so aren't you at least willing to admire the fact that he did do something quite different? The often wise Roger Ebert, responding to his critical partner Gene Siskel who stated he was disappointed by the movie because he wished Allen would have developed his classic "Woody Allen Persona":

"First of all, I love the Woody Allen persona, but the person who's growing is not the character, it's the director. The director who continues... movie after movie and year after year to try new things and to take chances."

And that's exactly right. Perhaps not so much these days ("Midnight in Paris notwithstanding), but certainly in the 1990's, Woody Allen was quite often trying new things, each time out - From 'Mighty Aphrodite' to 'Sweet and Lowdown' to this one... with consistently good results. he was on FIRE back then.

offhandedly, in the unlikely chance anyone cares, "Purple Rose of Cairo" is often my personal favorite out of Woody Allen's filmography, for... reasons numerous.

[–] Drumcheeny 8 years ago

I can't bear Les Mis or Disney songs but I love this film and the songs in it. It is more a 1950s style musical with some of the pieces, especially in the hospital pastiching some of those era dance moves. Edward Norton is channelling Bobby Van in this as well and is completely charming. I think it works brilliantly with the music and what a shame to fast forward through it as the film is made to support the musical pieces. Love it.

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