Husbands and Wives

Written and dir. by Woody Allen

Harvard Square Loews

Be forewarned, Husbands and Wives might make you sick. It's not the scandal or the May-December romances that will get to you--it's the jumpy camera shots and quick angle changes that might make you regret your Raisinettes if you are pregnant, prone to motion sickness or simply sitting in the wrong part of the theater. The direction might match the tension of the dialogue, but be advised to bring your dramamine.

Woody Allen's latest film about two New York couples reevaluating their marital commitments is not what you would call a happy movie-the film has an edge of loneliness and desperation only heightened by Allen's real life domestic crisis. When Jack (Sydney Pollack) and Sally (Judy Davis) announce their separation after 15 years of marriage to their best friends, Gabe (Allen) and Judy Roth (Mia Farrow), all four are forced to reexamine their love lives.

Jack moves in with his new-age aerobics instructor. In a triangle of mismatched Iust, Sally is introduced to a magazine editor, Michael (Liam Neeson), who falls in love with her--but not before Judy, their matchmaker, realizes that she likes Michael, too. And Professor Gabe hankers after one of his brightest college writing pupils (Juliette Lewis). There is plenty of desire, but not much sex. What we see are deflected touches, interrupted kisses and turned backs.

What saves the film from being a depressing Hollywood tribute to the breakdown of the American family is its hilarity. Woody Allen knows how to turn angst into comedy. Given Allen's domestic situation, there are many scenes that produce laughs from lines that might not otherwise have been memorable. But Woody Allen is too tricky to pin down, and it's never clear that what seems like a personal revelation really is.

COLLEGE STUDENTS "GET IT."

The most appealing aspect of the movie, surprisingly, is its "connection" with college audiences. Allen's seduction of his student is indispensible for those who always wanted to know the motivation behind all the encouragement we get from our instructors on writing assignments. It might not be the intention, but this movie is a great comedy for young people to laugh at the fantasies of middle-aged men and the insecurities of middle-aged women.

In reality, how many women our age would be attracted to a 57-year-old Woody Allen look-a-like dressed in earth tones? I know students often have relationships with their professors, but come on--this guy wouldn't have a chance. After describing a series of relationships with much older men, Juliette Lewis murmers, "What am I doing with the mid-life crisis set?" Well, that's simple. She's the figment of the imagination of a middle-aged man.

Part of the fun of Husbands and Wives is sitting back in our confident 20-year-old superiority and saying, "Yeah, you wish." As long as you don't think that that's how you'll end up when we're older, you won't get depressed.