Author(s): Sergio Requejo
Location: Spain
“Short to Long"
Directed by Woody Allen
Written by Woody Allen
Principal Cast:
Zach Braff (Brett)
Ryan Reynolds (Craig)
Woody Allen (Uncle Jacob)
Anne Hathaway (Ashley)
Rachel McAdams (Sandra)
Alan Alda (TV producer/Jury member)
Anthony LaPaglia (Tony Gasperini)
Tagline: "An incomprehensible script, an awful actor and no money? Yeah, this is a first movie.”
Synopsis: Brett and Craig want to make a short film. Brett (Zach Braff) has the talent, he wants to be a director and his friend Craig (Ryan Reynolds) wants to be a famous star. Brett has written a fantastic script but Craig is not very convinced, he wants to do something more commercial and he doesn’t understand Brett’s story. Brett’s wants to present his work in a short film festival in New York and he asks his uncle Jacob (Woody Allen), a rich single man addicted to games, to finance the film. His uncle cannot understand a word of the script but he accepts because he wants to get in the industry to make money. Brett’s aristocratic girlfriend, Sandra (Rachel McAdams), has just broken with him and now he has no main actress so he has to convince his own sister, Ashley (Anne Hathaway), to do the main role. Ashley hates cinema, she just want to study to go to the university, but she accepts just because his brother’s emotional blackmail. Finally he manages to begin the filming. Ashley turns out to be a great actress and Craig is an awful actor, so Brett gives more paper to his sister. Everything goes until the moment he doesn’t receive more money from his uncle. Jacob has lost all his money playing cards and he has bet his house too, so he has to live with Brett now. Jacob tries to calm Brett telling him there are a lot of people that owes him money and he sends his nephew to charge his game-earned money. Brett manages to finish the short film but it is very different from his first idea. The creative differences between he and Craig turns into a big discussion, Brett tells him he’s an awful actor and Craig says that the short sucks. Inevitably they broke their friendship. Brett presents his short film in the festival but he is booed. Jury doesn’t understand the film but they give a prize to Craig as the best actor of the festival. One of the members of the jury (Alan Alda) offers Craig a role in a new television sitcom he’s going to produce. Brett cannot believe it, he gets depressed and he encloses himself in his apartment, with his uncle, writing all his paranoid stories. Craig sitcom is a big success, a social phenomenon, and Brett sees the opportunity to get some benefit of all this. He re-edits the short film and presents it in more film festivals getting lot of interest just for Craig presence. It gets distribution and a lot of success, nobody understands it but it became a cult movie. Brett thinks it’s time to jump to the long movies, he has a new script and he sends it to all the majors. He doesn’t receive any response, nobody picks up the phone. But one night he receive a phone call from a producer called Tony Gasperini. He’s not interested in his new script because he has bought the rights of Craig’s sitcom and he wants to make a big screen version of it. Tony tries to convince Brett to direct it because he is the only one who can make Craig a good actor, and because his uncle owes him lots of money. If he does the film Tony promises him that he’ll produce his new script, so Brett has to decide what he wants to do with his career… if he really can decide.
What the press would say:
Woody Allen returns to New York to make a comedy full of black and satirical humour, creating some characters full of ambition that try to obtain the reputation and the prestige at any price. They don’t care if they are leaved by their dears, it is not important if they broke their relationships with everybody or if they lose all their money. They think that the end justifies the means.
This film presents a perfect combination of consecrated and new comedian actors. Zach Braff is capable of supporting all the weight of this comedy creating a pathetic but intimate personage that lot of people identifies as themselves. Zach Braff moves from the sarcasm to the captivation, from the pathetic to the loneliness of the creator who has a dream and wants to make it true. Allen-Braff combination is full of chemistry, great satirical dialogues about the world of the film industry. This is a master class to those that want to begin in the world of the cinema. It is necessary to emphasize the work of an actor like Ryan Reynolds. He has demonstrated his endowments as a comedian. He can laugh about himself in this movie and he creates an antipathetic but very recognizable role. Ryan approaches the role with a great dose of humour. Anne Hathaway is a great revelation as a comedian in a very clever role. All this combination of great scrip and good comedians put this film between his best comic films.
Woody Allen about this film: This movie could be dangerous for your sanity, if your sanity is in danger.
FYC:
Best Picture (Comedy)
Best Director: Woody Allen
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen
Best Actor: Zach Braff
Best Supporting Actor: Woody Allen
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Reynolds
Best Supporting Actor: Anne Hathaway
Creativity Awards
Location: Spain
“Short to Long"
Directed by Woody Allen
Written by Woody Allen
Principal Cast:
Zach Braff (Brett)
Ryan Reynolds (Craig)
Woody Allen (Uncle Jacob)
Anne Hathaway (Ashley)
Rachel McAdams (Sandra)
Alan Alda (TV producer/Jury member)
Anthony LaPaglia (Tony Gasperini)
Tagline: "An incomprehensible script, an awful actor and no money? Yeah, this is a first movie.”
Synopsis: Brett and Craig want to make a short film. Brett (Zach Braff) has the talent, he wants to be a director and his friend Craig (Ryan Reynolds) wants to be a famous star. Brett has written a fantastic script but Craig is not very convinced, he wants to do something more commercial and he doesn’t understand Brett’s story. Brett’s wants to present his work in a short film festival in New York and he asks his uncle Jacob (Woody Allen), a rich single man addicted to games, to finance the film. His uncle cannot understand a word of the script but he accepts because he wants to get in the industry to make money. Brett’s aristocratic girlfriend, Sandra (Rachel McAdams), has just broken with him and now he has no main actress so he has to convince his own sister, Ashley (Anne Hathaway), to do the main role. Ashley hates cinema, she just want to study to go to the university, but she accepts just because his brother’s emotional blackmail. Finally he manages to begin the filming. Ashley turns out to be a great actress and Craig is an awful actor, so Brett gives more paper to his sister. Everything goes until the moment he doesn’t receive more money from his uncle. Jacob has lost all his money playing cards and he has bet his house too, so he has to live with Brett now. Jacob tries to calm Brett telling him there are a lot of people that owes him money and he sends his nephew to charge his game-earned money. Brett manages to finish the short film but it is very different from his first idea. The creative differences between he and Craig turns into a big discussion, Brett tells him he’s an awful actor and Craig says that the short sucks. Inevitably they broke their friendship. Brett presents his short film in the festival but he is booed. Jury doesn’t understand the film but they give a prize to Craig as the best actor of the festival. One of the members of the jury (Alan Alda) offers Craig a role in a new television sitcom he’s going to produce. Brett cannot believe it, he gets depressed and he encloses himself in his apartment, with his uncle, writing all his paranoid stories. Craig sitcom is a big success, a social phenomenon, and Brett sees the opportunity to get some benefit of all this. He re-edits the short film and presents it in more film festivals getting lot of interest just for Craig presence. It gets distribution and a lot of success, nobody understands it but it became a cult movie. Brett thinks it’s time to jump to the long movies, he has a new script and he sends it to all the majors. He doesn’t receive any response, nobody picks up the phone. But one night he receive a phone call from a producer called Tony Gasperini. He’s not interested in his new script because he has bought the rights of Craig’s sitcom and he wants to make a big screen version of it. Tony tries to convince Brett to direct it because he is the only one who can make Craig a good actor, and because his uncle owes him lots of money. If he does the film Tony promises him that he’ll produce his new script, so Brett has to decide what he wants to do with his career… if he really can decide.
What the press would say:
Woody Allen returns to New York to make a comedy full of black and satirical humour, creating some characters full of ambition that try to obtain the reputation and the prestige at any price. They don’t care if they are leaved by their dears, it is not important if they broke their relationships with everybody or if they lose all their money. They think that the end justifies the means.
This film presents a perfect combination of consecrated and new comedian actors. Zach Braff is capable of supporting all the weight of this comedy creating a pathetic but intimate personage that lot of people identifies as themselves. Zach Braff moves from the sarcasm to the captivation, from the pathetic to the loneliness of the creator who has a dream and wants to make it true. Allen-Braff combination is full of chemistry, great satirical dialogues about the world of the film industry. This is a master class to those that want to begin in the world of the cinema. It is necessary to emphasize the work of an actor like Ryan Reynolds. He has demonstrated his endowments as a comedian. He can laugh about himself in this movie and he creates an antipathetic but very recognizable role. Ryan approaches the role with a great dose of humour. Anne Hathaway is a great revelation as a comedian in a very clever role. All this combination of great scrip and good comedians put this film between his best comic films.
Woody Allen about this film: This movie could be dangerous for your sanity, if your sanity is in danger.
FYC:
Best Picture (Comedy)
Best Director: Woody Allen
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen
Best Actor: Zach Braff
Best Supporting Actor: Woody Allen
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Reynolds
Best Supporting Actor: Anne Hathaway
Creativity Awards
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