Irrational Man

2015

USA

Directed by: Woody Allen
Written by: Woody Allen
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey, Jamie Blackley
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): R for some language and sexual content

Synopsis (from Rotten Tomatoes website):

When a burned-out, brilliant professor — one who believes in lessons from life rather than textbooks — takes a job at a small college, everyone there is abuzz. He becomes involved with a teacher as well as a precocious student, but it takes a dramatic, existential act to turn his life around and make him see the world through a much rosier and more positive perspective.

My Thoughts:

Maybe I should just give up on Woody, at least until he gets over his Emma Stone infatuation. Something about the girl just makes me want to be somewhere else. There were some interesting ideas in this one, but they got lost in the overall silliness. Joaquin Phoenix is a fine actor, but he's out of his depth as a philosophy professor, "tormented" or otherwise. (And what's with that beer belly? His stomach almost qualified as another character.) But Parker Posey was a bright spot. Please, Woody — no more deep-thought experiments.

My Rating at the IMDb: 4 stars out of a possible 10