Like he did for Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen has given another Kate (Winslet) a role that allows her to go all out. Unfortunately, this character is so unbearably neurotic that’s Winslet isn’t liable to win an Oscar (as Blanchett did). She plays a waitress in ’50s Coney Island who’s married to a blustery carousel operator (Jim Belushi). His estranged daughter (Juno Temple) shows up on the lam from gangsters, while the local lifeguard (Justin Timberlake, who also acts as narrator) causes hearts to flutter. The period creation is fun and Vittorio Storaro’s gold-infused cinematography adds visual richness. There are obvious parallels to Tennessee Williams and/or Eugene O’Neil, but this screenplay only features continuous conflicts and melodramatic histrionics that lack much depth or genuine emotion. Since it’s Allen, there’s a level of filmmaking competence, but its flaws outweigh its strengths.
(2.5 / 5)