Everyone Says I Love You
Character Name: Laura
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Reviews
From James Berardinelli's Film Reviews
Everyone Says I Love You - 3.5 out of 4 stars
United States, 1996
Cast: Woody Allen, Natasha Lyonne, Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda, Edward Norton,
Drew Barrymore, Tim Roth, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Gabby Hoffman
Director: Woody Allen
Producers: Robert Greenhut
Screenplay: Woody Allen
Cinematography: Carlo Di Palma
Music: Dick Hyman
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
In the past decade, only two live-action, mainstream musical motion pictures have been released.
While the first, Little Shop of Horrors, met with some success, the second, Newsies, was a
box-office disaster. The poor performance of the Disney-backed film seemed to confirm the
common perception that, as a movie genre, the musical was dead. Now, however, as 1996 draws to
a close, two films are arriving to challenge that belief. The better- known of the pair is, of course,
Evita. However, another musical has beaten it to theaters by more than two weeks: Woody Allen's
Everyone Says I Love You.
Anyone who surveys Allen's career as a writer/director/actor will find three common threads woven
through nearly all of his movies: wit, neuroses, and music. In Everyone Says I Love You, Allen once
again combines these elements, but with a new twist -- this time, instead of relying on standards from
the '30s and '40s as background music, he catapults them into the fore. His characters, all using their
own voices, sing and dance to classics like "I'm a Dreamer", "I'm Through With Love", and "Looking
at You." All-in-all, there are something like fifteen numbers, with almost every major member of the
cast getting an opportunity to warble at least one line.
With Everyone Says I Love You, Allen is paying homage to the way musicals used to be made,
back in the era when stars who didn't have great voices were occasionally forced to sing. Here, it
doesn't always result in the sort of track you'll want on a CD, but it's nice to know that sung lines are
not being dubbed, and Allen himself doesn't suddenly sound like Elton John when he breaks into
song. Yes, it's almost painful to endure Julia Roberts' single number, but it's hard not to respect her
for trying, or Allen for giving her the chance.
The plot, which centers loosely around one sprawling, extended family, is extremely complicated,
primarily because there are so many characters. For most of the film, Allen makes effective use of his
ensemble cast; only near the end does the crowd of people vying for screen time turn into a
detriment. That's not a surprise, however, considering that the last fifteen minutes of the movie are its
weakest, in spite of a wonderful song-and-dance number featuring Allen and a feather-light Goldie
Hawn (who can sing).
The story is told from the point-of-view of DJ (Natasha Lyonne), the college-age daughter of Joe
(Allen) and Steffi (Hawn). DJ's parents have been divorced for a decade-and-a-half, but they get
along well. In fact, Joe considers Steffi and her husband, Bob (Alan Alda), to be his best friends,
and, when his latest girlfriend dumps him, he flies from his home in Paris to New York to
commiserate. DJ also has a step-sister, Skylar (Drew Barrymore), who is about to become engaged
to a proper, upright guy in a suit (Edward Norton). Her stepbrother, Scott (Lukas Haas), has
shocked the entire family by stating that he has joined the Young Conservatives. And her two
half-sisters, Lane (Gabby Hoffman) and Laura (Natalie Portman), are trying to summon the courage
to speak to a boy whom they both find attractive. Tim Roth is on-hand as a tough guy who recalls
Chazz Palminteri's gangster from Bullets Over Broadway. Meanwhile, it's not long before Joe finds
himself drawn to a younger woman (Julia Roberts), but it takes all of DJ's considerable powers of
persuasion to get him to overcome his angst and pursue her.
When it comes to humor, Everyone Says I Love You is right up there with two of Allen's better,
recent comic releases, Manhattan Murder Mystery and Bullets Over Broadway. Like those films,
Everyone Says I Love You is overflowing with genuinely funny moments that span the spectrum from
physical comedy to sly, sophisticated wit. Allen gets in a number of terrific one-liners, none of which
I'll reveal here. His comic sense extends to the musical numbers, many of which are done tongue-in-
cheek. There's one sequence where ghosts rise from the grave to dance around and another where
doctors and patients form a chorus line.
One area where Everyone Says I Love You falls a little short is in its observations about the human
condition. In his best films (such as Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters), Allen has always
used comedy as the proverbial "means to an end" of saying something insightful about how men and
women interact with each other. Everyone Says I Love You is surprisingly shallow in that regard,
going for numerous, broad generalizations rather than depth. Again, perhaps this is the result of
having so many stories to tell.
Despite some unlikely names, Allen has chosen a near-perfect cast, only a few members of which are
underused (particularly Natalie Portman). Roberts is luminous. Norton (Primal Fear) and newcomer
Lyonne have abundant charisma. Roth is a hoot. Alda and Hawn make for a pleasant, albeit slightly
off-kilter couple. And Allen, as always, is Allen. Even Drew Barrymore, playing very much against
her sex kitten type, is effective.
It's difficult not to be impressed by what Allen has achieved with this film: successfully reviving the
musical comedy in such a thoroughly delightful fashion. The production may be uneven, but it's still
wonderful to behold, even at the end, when the structure frays around the edges. Of course, the real
force that makes Everyone Says I Love You work is Allen himself. As actor, director, and writer, he
once again shows that he's willing to take chances. And, in doing so, he gives us a movie that is
recognizable as both "a Woody Allen film" and something refreshingly different.
© 1996 James Berardinelli
U.S. Release Date: 12/6/96 (limited); 1/97 (wide)
Running Length: 1:41
MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, angst)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
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