Perdido Productions (USA): 12

The comedy film, Rifkin’s Festival (2020), is the work of writer and director Woody Allen as an American-Spanish-Italian collaboration. Mort Rifkin, a snobby elderly film critic from New York, confides in his therapist about recent events in his life. He reluctantly accompanies his much younger wife Sue to a film festival in San Sebastián. She works for Philippe, a French director whose ordinary and unoriginal anti-war movie is being hailed as a masterpiece by all but Mort. As Sue and Philippe’s relationship turns flirtatious, Mort becomes increasingly envious. His unsettling thoughts and fears are ...

An American romantic comedy film A Rainy Day in New York (2019), written and directed by Woody Allen, Gatsby Welles is a brainy and eccentric student at Yardley College. He comes from a wealthy family in New York City and is also known for his successful gambling. When Ashleigh Enright, Gatsby’s girlfriend who is majoring in journalism from Tucson, needs to interview independent director Roland Pollard for their school paper, he decides to join her on the trip to Manhattan. While hoping for a romantic weekend in the city, Gatsby must also avoid his parents who are hosting a gala that evening. Their relationship is ...

Wonder Wheel (2017) is an American period drama written and directed by Woody Allen. The story is narrated by Mickey Rubin, a Coney Island life guard who dreams of becoming a playwright like Eugene O’Neill. When Carolina, the daughter of Humpty Rannell, arrives at the boardwalk looking for Ginny Rannell, her father’s second wife and a waitress at the clam shack, she pleads with her to let her stay. However, Ginny defers the decision to Humpty. He had kicked her out when she married her mobster boyfriend Frank and gave up her college education and hopes for a better future. Carolina reveals that she is ...

Café Society (2016) is a romantic comedy-drama, written and directed by Woody Allen. Bobby Dorfman, the youngest member of a Jewish family living in New York City during the 1930s, feels dissatisfied with his job at his father’s jewelry store. Seeking a change of pace, he heads to Hollywood where his uncle Phil, a powerful talent agent, offers him work running errands. While settling into the city, Bobby meets Vonnie – Phil’s secretary – and is charmed by her down-to-earth demeanor. Despite being enamored with her, she rejects his advances and reveals she has a boyfriend named Doug. Unbeknownst ...

Irrational Man (2015), an American mystery comedy-drama film by Woody Allen, tells the story of Abe Lucas, a philosophy professor who begins teaching at a small-town college in New England. Struggling with an existential crisis and battling depression, he turns to heavy drinking for comfort. Despite his troubled state, Abe attracts the attention of two women: Rita Richards, a chemistry professor dissatisfied with her marriage, and Jill Pollard, one of his students who is in a serious relationship and lives with her parents. While Abe sleeps with Rita, he maintains a strictly platonic connection with Jill. His depression ...

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Magic in the Moonlight (2014) is a romantic comedy set in 1928. As Wei Ling Soo, an illusionist with a world-renowned magic act, performs to a crowd in Berlin, little do they know that he is actually Stanley, a British man who dons a disguise for his performances. In his dressing room, Stanley is reunited with old friend and fellow illusionist Howard Burkan. Howard invites Stanley to join him on a trip to the French Riviera where the wealthy Catledge family has been beguiled by the clairvoyant Sophie. Howard confesses he has been unable to expose Sophie’s secrets and wonders if ...

Blue Jasmine (2013), a film from writer and director Woody Allen, follows the story of Jasmine Francis as she arrives in San Francisco from her flight from New York City. Upon arriving at her sister Ginger’s apartment, it is revealed that despite claiming to be broke, Jasmine traveled first class. This revelation disappoints Ginger, who soon learns that Jasmine has suffered a nervous breakdown and sought refuge with her sister due to heavy debts. In a series of flashbacks, it is uncovered that Jasmine’s husband, Hal Francis, was arrested for defrauding his clients. Among his victims were Ginger and her ...

To Rome with Love (2012) is a romantic comedy that incorporates elements of magical realism. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who also makes his first on-screen appearance since 2006. It tells the story through four distinct vignettes: a clerk’s sudden rise to fame, an architect’s nostalgic visit to his old college neighborhood, a newlywed couple’s honeymoon adventures, and an Italian funeral director’s captivating singing talent that impresses his American future relative, an opera director. Hayley’s Story. While ...

In the American comedy film Whatever Works (2009), directed and written by Woody Allen, Boris Yelnikoff is a cynical and misanthropic chess teacher. He used to be a quantum mechanics professor at Columbia University before getting divorced. Boris tends to keep to himself and only has three friends and students he interacts with. He can be condescending towards those who don’t match his intelligence level. Additionally, he frequently sings “Happy Birthday” while washing his hands throughout the film. One night, when Boris returns home, he finds Melody, a simpleminded 21-year-old, at his front door. ...

Woody Allen wrote and directed the American comedy film, Melinda and Melinda (2004), which first premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 2004. During a dinner conversation, four writers debate the nature of life – is it inherently comedic or tragic? One writer shares a true incident he heard about a woman named Melinda who causes chaos at a couple’s dinner party, leading to affairs and a suicide attempt. As two playwrights in the group tell their versions of the story, one focuses on humor while the other takes a darker approach. In the latter version, Melinda stays with her friends Lee ...

Anything Else (2003) is a romantic comedy film by American filmmaker Woody Allen. Jerry Falk and David Dobel, who bond over their shared profession as struggling comedy writers in New York City, quickly become close friends. While both are Jewish, they have differing beliefs – with David being an atheist. As they spend time together, they discover that they share a multitude of neuroses. Despite the age gap of forty years (with Jerry being twenty-one and David being sixty), they engage in deep conversations about life in the park. Though Jerry writes full-time and is even working on a novel, David still holds onto ...

Hollywood Ending (2002) is a comical American film both written and directed by Woody Allen, who also stars as the main character. Val Waxman, once a highly-regarded film director, has found himself relegated to directing commercials for television. After getting fired from his most recent project filming a deodorant commercial in the cold wilderness of Canada, Val desperately searches for a new opportunity in the film industry. His luck changes when he unexpectedly receives an offer to direct a high-budget blockbuster set in New York City. The catch? The offer comes from his ex-wife Ellie and her current partner Hal, ...