Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely Fantastic

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Availability issues resulted in Mighty Aphrodite being the last viewing experience in my Woody Allen project. Arriving three days late also meant that I didn't make my goal of watching all 41 of Woody Allen films I had yet to see in a months time. I'm told I shouldn't be disappointed in seeing 41 films in 34 days, but I am a real stickler for rules, especially when they're self-imposed. Anyway, Mighty Aphrodite did not disappoint in its place as the finale of my Woody Allen project. The 1995 film, written and directed by Woody Allen, of course, stars Mira Sorvino, in an Academy Award winning performance, Woody Allen, and Helena Bonham Carter. A couple adopts a baby, and as he develops into an extraordinarily bright child, his father becomes obsessed with finding out who his birth parents are, believing them to be brilliant, as well. Lenny (Woody Allen) and Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) are a married couple living in New York who, after much discussion, decide to adopt a baby. They adopt the baby, Max, when he is one day old and adapt to their new roles as parents seamlessly. Five years later, they seem to be living different lives and only connected by their shared living quarters and child. Amanda is focused on opening her own art gallery and pours most of her time in that endeavor. There is constantly a dinner or a gala Amanda and Lenny must attend leaving Lenny with the feeling that he is a mere witness in Amanda's life. Lenny works as a sports writer and feels that he has nothing in common with the people Amanda works and networks with. In Lenny's mind, the couple seems to be drifting apart and he is left wondering if their marriage will survive Amanda's ambitions. Meanwhile, their son Max shows incredible aptitude towards learning and is proving himself to be an advanced student. Taken by the notion that Max's biological parents must be geniuses themselves, Max decides to search for his Max's birth parents despite the records concerning his adoption being sealed. Deciding to forge on this project alone, without telling Amanda, Lenny gets a look at Max's birth records and begins to track down his biological parents. Lenny succeeds in tracking down Max's mother, but he is blown away to discover that she is a prostitute and adult film worker. Posing as someone utilizing her services, Lenny pays for an hour with the woman, Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino) to talk with and get to know the woman that birthed his son. The longer Lenny spends with Linda, the more he realizes Max's genius ability didn't come from his mother as directly as he had assumed. Lenny then decides to mold Linda into the woman he thought Max's birth mother would be. Lenny sets Linda up on a date, buys her new clothes, and tries to get her a job he sees as more respectable. All the while, his relationship with Amanda is becoming more distant as they both begin to entertain the notion of dating other people. Constantly fearing that his life is on the brink of becoming a Greek tragedy, Lenny is often treated to a Greek chorus giving him advice at various points throughout his proceedings with Linda and Amanda. Mighty Aphrodite is the ultimate quirky comedy yet human and touching story that could only come from Woody Allen. His style is branded all over this film and it is a shame I haven't heard more of a reference to it among the greats of his career. The way Woody Allen writes such whole human characters in his films is something I will forever be grateful for. Even the characters that come off the most one-dimensional, Linda Ash, in this case, are fleshed out and proved to be complete people. Woody's writing is a gift and one that keeps on giving. Even in his films that are not well-received, there are usually solid characters given whole lives. Flaws and dreams are examined in each person Woody writes even extending to himself. The story he tells of Lenny and Amanda relationship is instantly relatable to anyone that's had a child. There certainly exists an adjustment period for both parties to get used to their new role as parents, as well as become used to how those new roles affect their relationship with each other. Add to the adjustment period of becoming parents career ambitions that require much time and effort away from their partner and you've created a recipe for loneliness to be experienced even by two people that live in the same home. The basic human day-to-day elements of Woody's story are aspects I most enjoy in his films. I'm pretty sure I could compile a list of favorite scenes in Woody Allen films, and a decent number of them would be scenes in which characters are enjoying a meal together. Woody shoots personal revelatory dinner scenes like no one else, I'm certain of that. Another fun aspect of Mighty Aphrodite that is unique to Woody Allen was his spirit guides. Like he would later visit in To Rome with Love, among others, the Greek chorus providing insight into the life of Woody Allen's character, Lenny was a fun nod to history as well as an illustration into the master writer/director. Woody Allen seems to be largely informed by the past as he explores many historical elements in his films and shooting in a way that there is a live Greek chorus present in his characters life is a skill unique to Woody Allen. This project has been sheer joy, and I am so thankful to have ended on a high note with Mighty Aphrodite.

"Of all human weaknesses, obsession is the most dangerous, and the silliest!"When you direct and write a film every year you can't expect to always deliver a masterpiece, and that is the case with Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite. It's a delightful and enjoyable film, but it doesn't seem to add up to much. When you compare it to his extensive filmography it wouldn't even land in the top half of his best work because it's far from being memorable. He's directed so many movies that several of them feel incredibly familiar and for that reason they are easy to forget. He repeats several of the same themes throughout his movies and Mighty Aphrodite isn't the exception, especially putting a lot of emphasis on love and infidelity which are recurring themes in Allen's films. At times his films stand out for simply capturing these human emotions in a new way, and at others they do thanks to a particularly strong performance. In this case it was Mira Sorvino's supportive performance as Linda Ash that garnered all the attention playing a hooker who isn't all that right in the head. The way she delivered her lines with her high-pitched voice contributed to the overall comedy of her character. If there is one thing that I will remember from this forgettable Allen film it's her Oscar winning performance. Despite her solid performance this is still one of the weakest Woody Allen movies I've seen.In Mighty Aphrodite Woody Allen plays Lenny, a sportswriter, who is married to Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter). In order to spark some life into their monotonous relationship they decide to adopt a son who they name Max. After several years Lenny is surprised to discover that Max is such a brilliant kid and so he decides to search for his biological parents convinced that they must have great genes. He visits the adoption agency and is denied the files, but his curiosity gets the best of him and he finds a way to steal them. He tracks down the biological mother only to discover that she is a prostitute who is now going by the name of Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino). Lenny sets up an appointment with her and is disappointed that she ended up being so dumb. Concerned with her lifestyle, Lenny tries to help Linda by reforming her and setting her up with some respectable man. Meanwhile, Lenny and Amanda are going through some marital problems of their own. The narrative is linked with a bizarre Greek chorus (led by F. Murray Abraham) that compares Lenny's story with the Greek tragedy Oedipus.Allen always delivers some witty dialogues and funny situations in his films which make them such an entertaining ride. Mighty Aphrodite has a few moments like this that work well, but as a whole it is a very forgettable movie. Allen plays once again a sort of neurotic character who is fascinated with discovering who his adopted son's mother really is. Sorvino's performance is brilliant and elevates the material, but there isn't more to it. Neither Allen nor Bonham Carter seem to stand out and their relationship isn't central to the film. The Greek chorus was far from interesting and only took away from the story by trying to hard to compare the modern tale with the Greek one. It's a light and corny film that is saved by Sorvino's presence and Allen's distinctive style of humor. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

Mighty Aphrodite is Woody Allen in a good mood; nice, considerate, thoughtful and completely engaging and delightful to watch. Taking major themes from Greek tragedies such as troubles of relationships and parenthood, Allen constructs here a tale that spins a story with its roots in Ancient Greek theater while maintaining his vintage Manhattan style.In true Greek form, Allen plays a writer who adopts a son with his wife and after finding out how gifted the boy is begins to track down his parents. He soon comes across the mother, a prostitute and porn star named Linda Ash who is sensitive, quick-witted, very charming and extremely attractive. It is in these scenes that we quickly realize two things: Mira Sorvino is a delightful actress and her casting was a thing of genius, and Woody Allen continues to prove his hold on the title as best comedic screenwriter in American cinema. His dialogue is so clever and quirky, the characters wildly screwball yet utterly charming; he is a one of a kind. He also shows his ability as a director, utilizing these scenes to build on more comedic opportunities as well as show his philosophy of how life often throws unbelievable curveballs.All throughout this delightful story, a Greek chorus pops up routinely to comment and enlarge the story and explain more on what Allen is trying to say. F. Murray Abraham is terrific as the sarcastic leader and the whole chorus has some great lines and the choreography is wonderful. Some will criticize this move, thinking it stops the flow of the film. In terms of Allen's career, I found it refreshing to see that at this point in his career, he found a new way to hook an audience as well as continue to tell an interesting and entertaining story. I also must comment on the final 10 minutes, which is equal parts tragedy, comedy, irony and understanding. Life is a mysterious fig, and Woody Allen knows the best way to understand it is to laugh at its mysteries.

Sportswriter Lenny Weinrib (Allen) and his wife (Bonham-Carter) adopt a baby from an anonymous mother. After a few years pass, Lenny starts to wonder about the woman. Curiosity quickly gets the better of him, so he steals files from the adoption agency and sets out to find her. Lenny is dismayed, maybe even terrified, to find that Linda (Sorvino,) the mother, is a beautiful $200-an-hour prostitute. So that he can fashion the proper mother-son reunion and save himself from what fate seems to have in store, he determines to 'reform' Linda. Interwoven throughout the story is a Greek chorus (including F. Murray Abraham and Olympia Dukakis,) who add their own unique take on the proceedings.I've always preferred Woody Allen's comedies over his dramas. This one is probably one of my favorites. This film is a great example of Woody Allen showing no interest in convincing his audience into swallowing down some serious morals. It's light, fluffy, shamelessly sentimental and does not suffer a bit because of it. The plot is generally an uplifting tale of changing ones life for the better, and intertwined with this is some of Woody Allen's best humor. There are many entertaining characters, especially Mira Sorvino's prostitute and Michael Rapaport's dim-witted boxer, Kevin.The stand-out here is Mira Sorvino. She is absolutely enthralling, with her ditsy nature and confidence masking a timid vulnerability, all of which earned her a well deserved Oscar. Linda could have been an over the top, cartoonish character, Pygmalion on crack. But under the careful direction of Allen, Sorvino gives the best performance of her career so far, and one of the funniest performances ever.