RADIO DAYS (1987)

RADIO DAYS doesn't have a straight-forward story, instead it's a collection of anecdotes, urban legends and memories told by a fictional narrator (Allen) fondly remembering the innocent days of his youth growing up in the late 30's/early 40's Rockaway Beach, NY.  Not all of the stories have to do with Rockaway Beach, but most of them do have something to do with radio whether it's the radio performers themselves, something playing over a radio or an actual physical radio itself.  Another focal point is the narrator's family.  It's a big family and they all live in the same house.  I especially liked his mother (Julie Kavner), his father (Michael Tucker) and his lovelorn aunt, played wonderfully by Dianne Wiest.

From beginning to end RADIO DAYS is a delight.  The stories come and go in a leisurely manner and none of them overstay their welcome.  In fact, a lot of them could have been longer.  My favorites were: everything with Mia Forrow (of course), the one where his uncle goes to confront their Communist neighbor (Larry David) and ends up renouncing God, the baseball player that keeps getting injured and the one where the narrator sees his teacher naked.  We also get to hear Diane Keaton sing, which is always a joy.

How much you like RADIO DAYS will depend on how much you enjoy nostalgic stories, but for me I thought it was great.  Would make an interesting double-feature with Fellini's AMARCORD.  Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, the 30's/40's soundtrack is magnificent!

THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985)

Woody Allen might have listed THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO as one of his favorite of his own films, but it isn't mine.

Set during The Great Depression, lonely Mia Farrow is stuck in a loveless marriage and a waitressing job at a roadside diner.  The only escape she has from her bleak existence is the local movie house.  There she can live a thousand glamorous lives without anybody bothering her.  That is until one fateful afternoon when she's watching a movie, The Purple Rose Of Cairo, when suddenly the main actor (Jeff Daniels) steps out of the screen and starts talking to her!  They run off together and get all twinkly-eyed at each other.  When the studio heads hear about their escaped character they understandably freak out and send real life actor (also Daniels) to go and get his character back in the movie by any means necessary.

Mia Farrow was magnificent, but other that than TPROC left me flat.  The photography was bland, the story's imaginative but still somehow lacking, the movie within the movie was lame, the ending was unsatisfying, Dianne Wiest was underused, I had zero emotional connection with any of the characters.  I just didn't care for it.  Worth watching, if you an Allen fan, but I've tried to watch it a few times now and it never grabs me.