Anything Else (2003)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

In any relationship, one person always does the heavy lifting

Plot:

A contemporary romantic comedy set in New York city about the relationship between an older guy and his younger protege. The older guy guides the younger through a messy and hilarious love story.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | New York City | Love At First Sight | Sex | Teacher

Cast

Woody Allen	...	David Dobel
Jason Biggs	...	Jerry Falk
Fisher Stevens	...	Manager
Anthony Arkin	...	Pip's Comic
Danny DeVito	...	Harvey Wexler
Christina Ricci	...	Amanda Chase
KaDee Strickland	...	Brooke
Jimmy Fallon	...	Bob
Diana Krall	...	Herself
William Hill	...	Psychiatrist
Stockard Channing	...	Paula Chase
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Movie Theater Patron
Kenneth Edelson	...	Hotel Desk Clerk
David Conrad	...	Dr. Phil Reed
Joseph Lyle Taylor	...	Bill
Erica Leerhsen	...	Connie
Adrian Grenier	...	Ray Polito
Anthony J. Ribustello	...	Car Thug #1
Ray Garvey	...	Car Thug #2
Wynter Kullman	...	Emily
Zach McLarty	...	Ralph
Ralph Pope	...	Cab Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Babbin	...	Movie Patron (uncredited)
Carson Grant	...	Ron Keller, Acting Teacher (uncredited)
David Jefferson	...	College Student (uncredited)
Charles LaPlaca	...	Uniformed Cop (uncredited)
Greg Orvis	...	Party Goer (uncredited)
Melissa Russo	...	Customer (uncredited)
Frank Stellato	...	Concerned Diner (uncredited)
Eric Tonken	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Woody Allen

Writing credits (WGA)
Woody Allen		(written by)

Produced by
Letty Aronson	....	producer
Charles H. Joffe	....	co-executive producer
Benny Medina	....	executive producer
Helen Robin	....	co-producer
Jack Rollins	....	executive producer
Stephen Tenenbaum	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Darius Khondji

Film Editing by
Alisa Lepselter

Casting by
Laura Rosenthal
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Santo Loquasto

Art Direction by
Tom Warren

Set Decoration by
Regina Graves

Costume Design by
Laura Jean Shannon

Makeup Department
Jerry DeCarlo	....	hair stylist
Lori Hicks	....	makeup department head
Peggy Schierholz	....	key hair stylist
Nuria Sitja	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Helen Robin	....	production manager
Janice Williams	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adam Howard	....	dga trainee
Richard Patrick	....	first assistant director
Danielle Rigby	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Jonathan Arkin	....	assistant art director
Paul Brush Jr.	....	stand-by carpenter (as Paul Brush)
Frank Didio	....	co-construction coordinator
Alex DiGerlando	....	art department assistant
Jason Fetz	....	shop assistant
Peter Gelfman	....	property master
Rafael Gonell	....	shop assistant
Tim Grimes	....	props
Daniel K. Grosso	....	leadman
Vincent Guarriello	....	construction grip
Glenn Lloyd	....	art department coordinator
Sarah Maine	....	set decorating coordinator
Robin McAllister	....	assistant property master
Ron Petagna	....	lead carpenter
Ronnie Petagna	....	carpenter
Chinyere Ryan	....	scenic artist
Cliff Schorr	....	stand-by scenic artist
James Sorice	....	master scenic artist
David Swayze	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Gary Alper	....	production sound mixer
Nancy Cabrera	....	foley artist
Ryan Collison	....	foley engineer
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Frank Graziadei	....	boom operator
Robert Hein	....	supervising sound editor
Thomas Kodros	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Sylvia Menno	....	dialogue editor
Todd Milner	....	foley editor
Glenfield Payne	....	sound effects editor
David Wahnon	....	first assistant sound editor
Akil Wilson	....	second assistant sound editor
Jerry Yuen	....	utility sound

Special Effects by
John Ottesen	....	special effects coordinator
Ron Ottesen	....	special effects coordinator (as Ronald Ottesen)

Stunts
Jay Lee Carrado	....	stunts (as Jay Carrado)
Manny Siverio	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Matt Balzarini	....	second assistant camera
David E. Baron	....	first assistant camera
Stephen Consentino	....	Steadicam operator
Chris Drechsler	....	electrician
Christopher F. Graneto	....	key rigging grip
Michael Green	....	camera operator
Brian Hamill	....	still photographer
Gregory F. Johnson	....	grip
Gary Martone	....	key grip
Tim Metivier	....	first assistant camera
Jessica Miglio	....	assistant still photographer
Tally Morse	....	dolly grip
Scott H. Ramsey	....	gaffer
Mark Schwentner	....	generator operator
Amy Silverman	....	camera loader
Dustin Smith	....	grip
David J. Thompson	....	Steadicam operator
Joshua Van Praag	....	electrician
Michael J. Maurer	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting
Patricia Kerrigan DiCerto	....	casting associate
Bill Tripician	....	extras casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Daniel J. Adkins	....	costume supervisor
Rebecca Bentjen	....	assistant costume designer (as Rebecca Cummings)
Mark Burchard	....	shop wardrobe supervisor
Lisa R. Frucht	....	costume supervisor
Nikia Nelson	....	wardrobe assistant
Katie Novello	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Sara Corrigan	....	first assistant editor
Elise DuRant	....	apprentice editor
Morgan Neville	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jill Meyers	....	music clearances
Cynthia Sayer	....	musician: piano (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Leo Driver	....	parking coordinator
Peter Tavis	....	transportation captain
Timothy J. Wood	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Sarah Allentuch	....	assistant: Mr. Allen
Abby Bailey	....	assistant accountant
Daniela Barbosa	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Kathleen Beall	....	location scout
Nicholas R. Bell	....	production assistant
Danielle Blumstein	....	production assistant
Creel Brown	....	production assistant
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
Greg Conroy	....	location assistant
Ged Dickersin	....	location scout
Brenda Egedy	....	production assistant
Tracy Ershow	....	set production assistant
Amy R. Gorin	....	location assistant
Leah Harper	....	production office assistant
Scott Lazar	....	production assistant
Pietro Lorino Jr.	....	production accountant
Matt Metras	....	production assistant
Christie Mullen	....	location manager
Currie Person	....	location scout
Lynn H. Powers	....	assistant location manager
Jess Prosser	....	production assistant
John Read	....	location scout
Jason Rody	....	key production assistant
Nick Schepisi	....	additional set production assistant
Carl Turnquest Jr.	....	projectionist
David Velasco	....	location assistant
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor
Brandon Woolf	....	location assistant
Eric Wrolstad	....	location scout
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond representative (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Canal+
• DreamWorks SKG
• Granada Film Productions
• Gravier Productions
• Perdido Productions

Distributors

• Alamode Film (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• DreamWorks Distribution (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands)
• Distribution Company (Argentina)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• Medusa Distribuzione
• Odeon (2003) (Greece) (all media)

Other Companies

• Big Film Design  opticals (as Big Film Design/BFD Corp.)
• Cineric  titles
• Film Effects  optical effects
• J.G. Films  negative matching
• Kee Casting  extras casting
• Orbit Digital  avid equipment
• Sound One Corporation  sound re-recording
• Technicolor  

Also Known As:

Anything else, la vie et tout le reste (France)
La vie et tout le reste (France)
Woody Allen Spring Project 2002 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of drug use and some sexual references.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (Mono) | Dolby Digital (Mono) | SDDS (Mono)

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Iceland:12 | France:U | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Opened the 60th Venice Film Festival. Woody Allen made one of his rare public appearances at the opening gala.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Falk types on his laptop computer, the number of (enlarged) typed lines alternates between at least five or six in close-up and just two or three at a distance.

Quotes:

David Dobel: In eros veritas

Movie Connections:

References À bout de souffle (1960)

Soundtrack:

Gone with the Wind

Woody lets the young stars take over--to charming effect

Woody Allen steps back from himself in ANYTHING ELSE and turns center stage over to a couple of young protagonists who are allowed to thrash around and make their own mistakes, with only a little kibitzing from the side by Woody. In the process, the film tackles all of the larger issues of life, love, ethics and the loneliness of man in the universe that Woody has grappled with, in varying degrees of clarity, in so many of his earlier films, but does it in a way that charms and tickles the audience and, ultimately, reassures them. While Woody's character has a dark, paranoid streak to him, the film is nowhere near as bitter and acidic (nor as profound) as DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (1997), the last film of Allen's to address these issues head-on.

Woody plays a sage/mentor to a young comedy writer who's trying to write a dark, existential novel. The writer, Jerry Falk (played by Jason Biggs of AMERICAN PIE fame), is saddled with a clinging manager (Danny DeVito), who keeps using inappropriate (but amusing) Garment Center metaphors, and is mired in a hopeless relationship with Amanda, a whirlwind of a young woman who sucks people into her life and then treats them badly. Played to perfection by Christina Ricci, Amanda is smart, seductive, and clearly exciting to be around, but is a bundle of deadly neuroses that will take a lifetime to untangle. We see her future self reflected in her narcissistic, childlike mother (Stockard Channing in a wonderful comic supporting performance), who comes to stay with the couple early in the film.

It's all about Jerry coming to grips with who he is, what he wants to do, and what it will take for him to get there. And it's Woody, playing a schoolteacher near retirement age who wants to tackle a comedy writing career late in life for himself, who serves as the catalyst for Jerry. Thus, the movie encapsulates, in, perhaps, an overly tidy fashion, the broad advice Woody wants to dispense to the younger members of his audience. While it's occasionally cartoonish and sometimes veers narrowly toward the heavy-handed, it also gives us a more confident and lively Woody, one who is freed from the self-imposed demands of being the romantic lead. Overall, it's a delightful, charming, funny and genuinely touching film which not only makes very good use of its young stars, but also of its writer-director-co-star-turned elder statesman.