Date: Fri 03-Nov-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-14

Quick Words:

Playing-Allen-Bonham-Carter

Full Text:

Now Playing-

Allen, Much Less Self-Absorbed

[Mighty Aphrodite]

By Trey Paul Alexander III

In just about any Woody Allen movie, one is bound to find the usual suspects:

witty dialogue, quirky characters and droll commentary. However, as many

critics cite Allen as the pinnacle of talent in modern screenwriting, his

"genius" can also come across as pretentious and self-absorbed.

Most of the time, Allen is too full of himself and his neuroses for my tastes.

Bullets Over Broadway , his 1994 release which I adored (and in which he did

not appear), is an exception to my rule.

Now comes Allen's newest offering, Mighty Aphrodite , which is playing at the

Bethel Cinema and Danbury's Crown Cine Theatre. Allen wrote, directed and

starred in this comedy, which opens, of all places, in the Acropolis. A Greek

chorus gets things rolling by introducing us to Lenny Weinrib (Allen), a New

York sportswriter.

Lenny is a fairly typical Allen creature: the nervous nebbish who is somehow

married to a gorgeous woman nearly half his age. In the case of Mighty

Aphrodite , he is married to Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter), a career-obsessed

art gallery owner. The childless couple, prompted by friends who are awaiting

their first baby, discuss having a kid, but Amanda deems her busy schedule

would never allow for it.

Amanda's packed calendar does permit for the option of adoption, which she

decides to successfully pursue. Although initially reluctant, Lenny is quickly

drawn to the infant. Years pass, and the young boy, now five years old, proves

to be a bright, brilliant child. But as Amanda's vocational aspirations soar,

so does Lenny's obsession with finding his child's birth mother, whom he

envisions to be a magnificent specimen.

A tale revolving around adoption, especially considering the

headlines-grabbing Soon-Yi mess, would seem an awkward choice. One expects

Allen to take more than a few pointed jabs at the whole affair. Surprisingly,

they're not here, at least not overtly.

Mighty Aphrodite , ultimately a frolicsome concoction, is not a trenchant

film. But it is often a hilarious one. When Lenny eventually tracks down his

son's real mother, he is disappointed to find Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino), an

audacious beauty who is unashamed of her prostitute profession and part-time

porno movie career.

This development is telling of the direction which Mighty Aphrodite takes. The

porno star/hooker theme prompts some outrageous sequences and a delightful

performance from Sorvino. It also brings some unfortunately puerile dialogue

and sight gags which, despite garnering a few chuckles, are not the usual

Woody Allen domain.

But Allen, the actor, is more endearing here than he has been in a while. The

main reason being that his Lenny, while consumed with a need to find and

become acquainted with the birth mother of his adopted child, is less

preoccupied with himself than is the typical Allen hero. Instead, he invests

much of himself into helping Linda better her situation and sordid lifestyle.

He even makes a rather cute Cupid as Lenny eventually tries to play matchmaker

between Linda and a numb-skulled but earnest boxer (Michael Rapaport).

So, instead of coming across as a glib wise-acre who glories in the sound of

his oh-so-clever observations, Allen has cast himself in a much less

self-interested mode. However, Allen the director does indulge himself with

the use of the Greek chorus, which is a clever idea but is often overdone. It

would have been better served by either using only F. Murray Abraham, who

plays the leader of the chorus, or a modern version of the Greek dramatic

device instead of a more "authentic" hybrid.

Mighty Aphrodite is rated R for sexually explicit language and references. It

also includes some profanity.