5 to 7

Victor Levin – 2014 – USA

I don’t read many reviews, so forgive if I’m only one of a thousand who have called this film “Woody-Allen-lite;” (I sort of assume I must be).  It’s so obvious that I’m tempted to reexamine the film to find a less-obvious subtext, but I fail to see it.  In fact, it’s clear that it is a Woody Allen rip-off packaged as an homage, but without ever coming out and saying so.  Anton Yelchin, an otherwise engaging actor, plays the egotistical, neurotic, non-practicing Jewish nebbish to perfection, even though doing so doesn’t make his character any more interesting.  He almost seems to be straining to do something lively at every turn but has no choice but to wander from scene to scene uttering terribly transparent screenwriter dialogue.  He’s an aspiring novelist whose writing is missing an important ingredient; life experience.  He finds it in a mad affair with a married, older French woman.  It’s all very chic and modern.  I have no idea who writer-director Levin thinks can relate to this world of upper-crust New York City hotel rendezvous and fancy dinner parties.  Do any young men actually dream of becoming respectable, serious novelists anymore, I mean like in the vein of John Updike and Saul Bellow?  Everything transpires pretty much exactly as you can expect it will assuming you’ve seen a couple dozen or even a handful of Woody Allen films.  The problem is; Levin’s attempt to be Allen is doomed for the simple reason that there is still someone else out there making much better sub-par Woody Allen films; Woody Allen himself.