In the manner of Captain Renault in "Casablanca," I was shocked — shocked! — to find so much dialogue in a modern-day movie. But then "Irrational Man" is a Woody Allen venture and, apparently, Allen is unaware, or has chosen to ignore, that couples today do not talk incessantly with each other the way his characters have been doing for decades.
In today's world, two people in love barely speak, instead they fiddle with their phones to show each other YouTube cat videos and perhaps text their ardor. In "Irrational Man," it's all verbal and face-to-face. People stroll instead of power walk, they carry heavy books purchased in brick-and-mortar bookstores and quote the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. They meet up in non-Starbucks venues and eat carb-laden meals. Allen is convinced such people exist in the real world — maybe they do, but I've not seen them, or perhaps part of Allen's charm is simply being out of touch with reality.
Allen also likes to dip into his own prolific filmography for inspiration — something you will either find charmingly nostalgic or plain annoying. "Irrational Man" borrows freely from "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989) and "Matchpoint" (2005), two works featuring privileged protagonists who commit murder, and then struggle with their consciences.
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