She's Funny That Way (2014)

So few good farces written nowdays, this one is REALLY good. I predict this will be good for years, too. Like you could watch it again even. Out of a possible ten I give it a twelve and I am going to remember the writers and directors so I can look for more.

Izzy Finkelstein/Isabella Patterson (Imogen Poots) recounts her story to reporter Judy (Illeana Douglas). It's four years earlier. Family-man director Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson) arrives at his Manhattan hotel and calls for an escort. Vickie (Debi Mazar) sends Isabella over to the hotel. He gives her $30k to get out of sex work to pursue her acting dreams. Jane Claremont (Jennifer Aniston) is Izzy's callous therapist. Next, Izzy shows up at an audition for Arnold's play.Peter Bogdanovich seems to be going for the Woody Allen vibe. Imogen Poots is trying for the Jersey girl hooker with a heart of gold. I can't get over the Brit pushing her accent work. Mira Sorvino was much better in this role. Aniston is playing an inappropriate therapist which borders between trying too hard and the only consistent wacky laughs. She's doing a different movie. The cast is top notch. Overall, the laughs don't come often enough but is enough to keep things interesting.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this film was titled She's Funny That Way, but the odd title notwithstanding, this is one funny movie! It isn't funny in a modern way, either; it feels like a 1930s screwball comedy. Gone are the days when movies rely solely on verbal banter, but Peter Bogdanovich has created a classic for today's audiences.The film alternates between the actual story and Imogen Poots's character's interview from after the story's end. I don't happen to think Poots is very pretty look at on the screen, but there's nothing wrong with her acting or her very thick, adorable New York accent. Included in the fast-paced story is a cast of colorful characters including a womanizing playwright, a hooker with a heart of gold, and an incompetent therapist. Set in New York, with quick, clever dialogue, this film reminds me of a Woody Allen movie. Even Poots's over-the-top accent sounds like Allen coached her. So if you like his movies, you'll like this one. If you like classics, you'll like this one. If you like clever humor, well, you'll like this one. It's funny that way, you know?

Peter Bogdanovich was one of the directors who came about in the late '60s to early '70s whose movies signaled the new direction that cinema would take. Unlike most of the directors, Bogdanovich incorporated nostalgia in his work. "Targets" cast Boris Karloff as an aging horror star; "The Last Picture Show" looked at the changes in a small town; "What's Up, Doc?" was a remake of "Bringing Up Baby"; "Paper Moon" focused on the Depression.Bogdanovich continues this pattern with "She's Funny That Way", about an assortment of people involved in the production of a play. It references the old screwball comedies. It's not a masterpiece, but the mixture of comedy and relatable characters make it worth the while. Bogdanovich loosely references some of his own work by casting Cybill Shepherd in a supporting role and Tatum O'Neal in a cameo (there's an even more surprising cameo at the end).An OK movie.