# Why is Woody Allen still making movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894 "2003-07-25T15:36:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/141 "2025-11-02T19:40:55Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Roman Polanski Note that Polanski’s recent movies haven’t been making money. That’s what the companies who fund their movies care about. (They also want to increase tourism into the city in this proposed new film of Allen’s.) Incidentally, I just looked the following fact up. Polanski is 2 years and 4 months older than Allen. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/142 "2025-11-02T19:52:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > > Outside of the U.S., most people don’t care about his personal life. he remains a famous director and writer there. > > That also describes Roman Polanski, and many of us think it shouldn’t.   You can’t really compare Allen with Polanski. Polanski was charged with a crime, and fled the US to escape justice. Allen was never charged with anything, and the accusations against him trashed his reputation in the US despite coming from a questionable and highly unreliable source. Woody Allen is certainly not a saint and his penchant for young women is well known, but the one correct fact that has stained his reputation was his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, the adoptive daughter of his then-partner Mia Farrow. But he and Soon-Yi have now been happily married for 28 years, which is more than you can say for many of Allen’s sanctimonious critics. I saw Woody Allen being interviewed recently and I have to say that at 89 he is certainly not the sharp wit he used to be. It really might be time to retire. But he’s had an amazing career and made many highly critically acclaimed films. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/143 "2025-11-02T20:09:19Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You can’t really compare Allen with Polanski. Polanski was charged with a crime, and fled the US to escape justice. Not just charged; admitted and allocuted to intentionally and with premeditation the drugging and anally sodomizing a 13 year old girl. He got a sweetheart plea deal with five of six charged dismissed and being released with time served (42 days of a planned 90 day psychiatric observation), and special dispensation from the judge to travel to Europe prior to sentencing where he was photographs cavorting with apparently underaged women, upon which the judge decided to revoke preliminary approval of the plea agreement. Unlike Allen, who has never been accused of a crime and of whom abuse allegations from a prejudicial source were investigated and dismissed (and of whom there is no other pattern of abuse claims), Polanski unquestionably committed the crimes of which he was accused (and settled a civil suit) over as well as having been accused by multiple other women of manipulation and abuse. Allen’s relationship is Soon-Yi is kind of skeevy by modern mores (and rightly so) but there is no indication of abuse or controlling behavior in the subsequent three decades of their relationship. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/144 "2025-11-02T20:54:30Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You can’t really compare Allen with Polanski. Polanski was charged with a crime, and fled the US to escape justice. No you have my opinion backwards. I think Polanski should be in prison, but the cosmopolitan mindset says he’s just a fine Euro good ol boy who didn’t mean no harm. And stop suppressing our artistes with your delicate American mores! Allen, leave him alone. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/145 "2025-11-02T22:01:34Z")
Can I hate Woody Allen because he sucks? He hasn’t made a good movie since _Sweet and Lowdown_, and he hasn’t made a funny one since _Radio Days_. He used to be one of my favorite filmmakers, but for the past 25 years all he’s produced is navel-gazing pablum about self-absorbed rich sociopaths. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/146 "2025-11-02T22:23:20Z")
So you’re saying you prefer his early funny films? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ThwMJkiTBDg/maxresdefault.jpg "Stardust Memories - Official Trailer - Woody Allen Movie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThwMJkiTBDg&t=129) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/147 "2025-11-02T22:26:18Z")
See, that’s another thing I miss about Allen - his self-awareness. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/148 "2025-11-02T22:30:17Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Can I hate Woody Allen because he sucks? He hasn’t made a good movie since _Sweet and Lowdown_, and he hasn’t made a funny one since _Radio Days_. Radio Days is the only movie of his I’ve watched more than once. I do recall enjoying Bullets Over Broadway and The Purple Rose of Cairo though. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/149 "2025-11-02T22:40:50Z")
Could you tell us what you dislike in these films?: | _[Small Time Crook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Time_Crooks)s_ | | --- | | _[The Curse of the Jade Scorpion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_of_the_Jade_Scorpion "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion")_ | | _[Hollywood Ending](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Ending "Hollywood Ending")_ | | _[Anything Else](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anything_Else "Anything Else")_ | | _[Melinda and Melind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_and_Melinda "Melinda and Melinda")a_ | | _[Match Poin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match_Point "Match Point")t_ | | _[Scoop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoop_(2006_film) "Scoop (2006 film)")_ | | _[Cassandra’s Dream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra%27s_Dream "Cassandra's Dream")_ | | _[Vicky Cristina Barcelona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Cristina_Barcelona "Vicky Cristina Barcelona")_ | | _[Whatever Works](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatever_Works "Whatever Works")_ | | _[You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Will_Meet_a_Tall_Dark_Stranger "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger")_ | | _[Midnight in Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_in_Paris "Midnight in Paris")_ | | _[To Rome with Love](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Rome_with_Love_(film) "To Rome with Love (film)")_ | | _[Blue Jasmine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jasmine "Blue Jasmine")_ | | _[Magic in the Moonlight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_in_the_Moonlight "Magic in the Moonlight")_ | | _[Irrational Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrational_Man_(film) "Irrational Man (film)")_ | | _[Café Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Society_(2016_film) "Café Society (2016 film)")_ | | _[Wonder Whee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Wheel_(film) "Wonder Wheel (film)")l_ | | _[A Rainy Day in New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rainy_Day_in_New_York "A Rainy Day in New York")_ | | _[Rifkin’s Festival](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifkin%27s_Festival "Rifkin's Festival")_ | | _[Coup de chance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_de_chance "Coup de chance")_ | I’m not saying that I think that they are as good as some of the earlier ones. I prefer the earlier ones actually. Still, the newer films made money, won awards, and had some great actors in them. Could you show us in what way these movies are navel-gazing pablum about self-absorbed rich sociopaths? Specific characters and specific plot points, please. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/150 "2025-11-02T22:50:07Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Could you tell us what you dislike in these films?: What a weird question. It assumes that I judge a movie by giving it a perfect grade of 100, and then take off points for all its flaws and demerits until I get a final “score”. I don’t consume entertainment that way. What I do instead, in very broad terms, is start from 0 and _add_ points for things I liked. And the movies I’ve seen from that list just didn’t add up. I will say, though, that _Midnight in Paris_ was half a good movie. The time travel stuff was fun and interesting; the modern-day scenes, OTOH, were almost unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/151 "2025-11-02T22:54:18Z")
I really liked Midnight in Paris. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/152 "2025-11-02T23:00:51Z")
I really wanted to. Adrian Brody was born to play Salvador Dali. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/153 "2025-11-02T23:08:44Z")
I enjoyed it but couldn’t help agreeing with the reviewer who called it “_Night at the Museum_ for liberal arts majors.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/154 "2025-11-02T23:35:29Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Could you tell us what you dislike in these films?: Wow, that’s amazing. I’ve heard of exactly two of those. I assume this is a list of his films made in the last 20 years? I need to go watch _Manhattan_ and feel old. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/155 "2025-11-03T02:49:48Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > 20 years 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/156 "2025-11-03T17:26:40Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I enjoyed it but couldn’t help agreeing with the reviewer who called it “_Night at the Museum_ for liberal arts majors.” Fully agree. _Midnight in Paris_ was a big disappointment to me. I expected so much more and so much better. Also, yeah, the modern scenes were made for fastforwarding through. Horrible characters created to be as cliched horrible as possible, So boring. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894/157 "2025-11-03T18:34:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Can I hate Woody Allen because he sucks? He hasn’t made a good movie since _Sweet and Lowdown_, and he hasn’t made a funny one since _Radio Days_. He used to be one of my favorite filmmakers, **but for the past 25 years all he’s produced is navel-gazing pablum about self-absorbed rich sociopaths.** (Bolding mine) Strongly agree, I’ve ignored him for at least that long. I was a fan of his films since “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966), still enjoy re-reading his first two books, but for me his greatest movie was “Hannah And Her Sisters” and is the last one I’ve ever wanted to watch more than once. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-woody-allen-still-making-movies/190894.md?page=7)