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DECONSTRUCTING HARRY

By Ron Wells | January 12, 1998

I’ve never been a fan, but in the space of a couple hours the Woodster gives both an explanation AND the finger to ALL of his critics. This is mean-spirited fun, just the way we like it!
Woody Allen plays Harry Block, a famed novelist about to be honored by the college that threw him out. Harry drinks, pill-pops, and screws his way through life, betraying and exploiting everyone who ever cared about him. Though the course of the movie, he just becomes aware of it. He’s still one BAD MAN.
Woody addresses such issues as: ^ 1) Thinly disguising people from life as characters in fiction. ^ 2) Being a self-hating Jew. ^ 3) Romantic involvement with MUCH younger women.
Sound Familiar? Woody even cast his first African-American role, a prostitute! She is, however, the most stable character in the whole movie. When even the star cameos start making sense, I’m thinking the toss-up with Mia (Woody’s new mother-in-law) was just the kick in the a*s he needed.

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