Fresh and Exciting

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The story of Leonard Zelig, a man who could (and would) assume the physical characteristics and mannerisms of anyone he cam into contact with. When doctors discover him, they try to figure our he has this ability and what causes him to change. Eventually he is treated by Doctor Eudora Fletcher, a psychiatrist, and she works out how to treat him. Meanwhile, dubbed "the human chameleon", he becomes a celebrity. Celebrity has its downsides, however...Very original film from master writer-director Woody Allen. The 1980s were a very creative period for Allen, including venturing into more dramatic areas. Long gone were the absurdist (yet very funny) comedies of the early 70s. Zelig is a bit of a throwback to that period, with a wonderfully ridiculous central plot and some hilarious jokes.While over-the-top, the plot is actually very plausible doesn't fall apart, remaining solid to the end. Being presented as a documentary helps the plausibility. Reveling in its absurdity the movie has a great momentum and energy. The documentary format presents Allen with scores of opportunities to demonstrate his editing and cinematographic skills, editing Zelig (ie himself) into newsreels with famous people as well as constructing very plausible "footage" of Zelig at famous events.One of Woody Allen's greatest movies, and that says a lot.

I am not a Woody Allen fan--yet two films he made are remarkably good--"Match Point" and "Zelig.""Zelig" is quasi-documentary at its best. When you are watching Allen and Mia Farrow, you realize you are also watching "the real Dr Fletcher in color," who does resemble Ms Farrow. Much later you realize the "Real Dr Fletcher" was also an actress. The question is not whether you like Zelig, the real question is when can the viewer be fooled into believing what Allen wants you to believe. Color or B/W do not provide clues here. Great stuff.Watching the real Saul Bellow interview recording was a bonus--a clever bonus from Allen.And for me the best part of the film was the real Susan Sontag interview recordings--she was more attractive than Ms Farrow any day! She could have been a great actress as well as the great thinker we know her as.

This could well be a review of 90% of Woody Allen's oeuvre. The film is a smorgasbord of fabulousness - exquisite concepts, very clever lines and very funny ones. No film maker has ever had such a grasp of irony, sarcasm and the ridiculous, and still imbue it with wit and (occasionally) subtlety. But it is the relentless self-deprecation and extant feelings of worthlessness that eventually become wearing after you have watched as many Allen films as I have. This is the film that most impresses you with his confusion over identity however. I could go on about self-analysis for pages but it's unnecessary...just watch any given Woody Allen film. He mellows it out with a rather forlorn sense of romance that becomes endearing rather than pathetic...a skill that is essential to engage with his films. This is a fine film. Oh yeah...and very funny...if you get the references.

...as well as among the better half of his filmography. It does drag a bit and the earlier parts occasionally ramble too much, but Zelig is still a truly great film. Technically Zelig looks fabulous, one of his better-looking and most interesting early films along with Manhattan and The Purple Rose of Cairo. And it's actually more interesting in this regard than either of those films, because among Allen's films it's his most unique and ground-breaking. As far as I can recall, none of Allen's other films use the technique of inserting a character(in this case Leonard Zelig) into existing footage like newsreels and archive photos, and so cleverly. Well, What's Up Tiger Lily? had a dubbed over commentary over an existing mystery film but with mixed results and that's not really the same thing. The music suits the period brilliantly and gives the sense that you are there, it's great-sounding and memorable too. The screenplay is among Allen's cleverest, it's laugh-out-loud funny but also very poignant with the romantic parts really sweetly done. It's also very intelligent and has a lot to say on the issues that it deals with. The characters are not as neurotic as in some of Allen's other films, though they are unmistakably Woody Allen. They feel real, and I did find myself relating to Zelig in his struggles and desire to fit in(that was exactly the case with me in school), the characters' relationships and chemistry were more than believable. The story is heartfelt, funny and makes great use of his mockumentary style, there are some rambling moments but not to an interminable degree. Allen directs thoughtfully as ever, and he gives a great performance that is among his most physical, energetic and relatable. Mia Farrow also gives one of her most sympathetic performances, and is touching in doing so. In conclusion, a great film that deserves more attention, despite the high rating and reviews holding it in great esteem elsewhere people talk about Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanours and Manhattan as well as more recent stuff like Midnight in Paris and Match Point but Zelig is rarely talked about and that's a shame because people are missing out on Woody Allen at his most unique. 9/10 Bethany Cox