gridoon2018 A small, intimate, low-key drama from Woody Allen; though not as obviously experimental as, say, "Stardust Memories" or "Zelig", it is still a departure for him in the sense that the "action" is limited inside one house, and there aren't even any exterior shots. But the topics it deals with are pure Allen: love without response, family problems, aging, creative block, guilt, missed life opportunities, etc. Despite the talkiness and the extensive soul-searching in "September", it's not a particularly heavy or inaccessible movie; the characters are recognizable and human, and brought to life by a fine ensemble. After choosing an extremely pessimistic ending for "The Purple Rose Of Cairo" and an extremely optimistic one for "Hannah And Her Sisters", Allen takes the middle path this time: he concludes that life must go on, and people must try to find meaning and happiness, and maybe they will, or maybe they won't. If you're in the mood for it, "September" is a very involving film. *** out of 4.

Rodrigo Amaro Woody Allen's dramas aren't the cup of tea of most audiences but the ones who have the patience and understanding of what this genius is trying to do are certainly rewarded. Flowing like a play, "September" takes place in a summer house in Vermont where three couples are vacationing in a relative tranquility that is about to be disturbed a little when some of them fully realizes they married the wrong partner and they want to live the right one.So, we have Lane and Peter (Mia Farrow and Sam Waterston), Stephanie and Howard (Dianne Wiest and Denholm Elliott) and the veterans Diane and Lloyd (Elaine Stritch and Jack Warden) and here's how things turn between part of them: Howard loves Lane and she seems connected with him but she can't leave her husband, who is deeply in love by Stephanie, who is trying to resist his attempts for her. While these four are clinging to their own feelings, remembering the past and all, the older couple (Lane's mother and her step dad) seems to be having a good time and making some plans for the future that might upset the eternally depressed Lane.With this crossed couples and their broken hearts, Allen touches us by saying that we shouldn't be attached to anything. We shouldn't be so attached to other people (because they disappoint you no matter the relations you had with them); we shouldn't be attached to things (as later is shown when Lane's mother wants to sell Lane's house and we have this huge argument about the good connection, the memories they had with the place); and most of all we shouldn't be so attached to our memories (perhaps the most dangerous of the ties). But, we're human beings and this sense of being connected with something or somebody is what makes us different from other creatures, so how do we end with? How do we make things in the way of not suffering? What does this character will make with their lives? Us and them are going to still be living in the same old contradiction of all, doing the things we don't want to, maybe one day, get the things we really want. And it all happened in that crazy month of August (if you pay attention the story takes place in August, not September). How's things going to be in September, the future? Who can tell?It's a minor work by Woody, who seemed to be looking for perfection with such fine material that he filmed one version with different actors (Sam Shepard, Charles Durning and Maureen O'Sullivan replaced by Waterston, Elliott and Stritch) to later make this final version cause he saw things weren't working the way he wanted with that cast. I don't know why such demands (it cost a lot in his budget and the movie failed at box-office, and now it's one of his more obscure works, his least known); the script is well written, Allen at its best with dialogs and inspired dramatic moments (exchanges between Stritch and Farrow are amazing, the whole cast is brilliant). If you found it must be watched because of its great cast and the compelling plot Allen creates with these characters. I dare to say "September" is one of his finest works. 10/10

evanston_dad Woody Allen's cringe-inducing "September" comes across as something a film student would make if he were given the assignment of making a movie in the style of Ingmar Bergman. It's oppressive, claustrophobic and intolerably whiny, filled with unpleasant people complaining about their boring problems. Though the film is filled with good actors, like Mia Farrow, Elaine Stritch, Dianne Wiest and Denholm Elliott, none of them gel as a cast, and the pacing is repetitive. The film is a huge misfire from Allen, and thankfully it's one of the last times he dabbled in this kind of hackneyed experiment.Grade: D

Syl Woody Allen directed this film which is more character driven with six leading roles starring his then-partner in life, Mia Farrow, Oscar winner Dianne Wiest, Jack Warden, Emmy Winner Elaine Stritch, before Law & Order Sam Waterson and the late Denholm Elliott CBE. Amazingly, Allen doesn't have to go far to film this movie about a summer home in Vermont. It was all filmed at the Kaufman-Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Regardless, the film is entirely believable and the setting is quite quaint in nature. It really looks like an authentic country home. It begins with Weist and Elliott conversing in French in Lane's living room played by Farrow. Weist's character is a married mother and an unhappy housewife from Philadelphia but Lane's best friend. Lane falls in love with Peter (Waterson) but he's in love with Weist's character, Stephanie. Lane is also upset by her mother, Diane Frazer's visit with her current husband played by Warden. Stritch is dynamic as Lane's mom in an unforgettable role. Elliott's character, a friend and neighbor of Lane, is in love with her but she is not in love with him. Except for the real estate agent played by Rosemary Murphy and a city couple who want to purchase the home, the cast is relatively balanced like that in a good theatrical production. There are some surprises but we always knew that Stritch is brilliant in anything that she does.