She’s Funny That Way
A farce is born...
From What’s Up, Doc? IN 1972 to 1992’s Noises Off..., Peter Bogdanovich is no stranger to screwball comedy. The veteran director’s back to revitalise the classic genre once more with the exhilarating, exhausting She’s Funny That Way. No wonder it was originally called Squirrels To The Nuts (a nod to screwball master Ernst Lubitsch) – just about everybody here is off their nut.
Co-written with Bogdanovich’s ex-wife Louise Stratten, the script was penned for late comedic actor John Ritter but now stars Owen Wilson as acclaimed Broadway director Arnold Patterson, in New York to cast his new show. Soon enough, he’s making call girl Izzy (Imogen Poots) a tantalising offer: $30,000 to give up life as a lady of the night and pursue her dreams of acting stardom.
It soon transpires that Arnold, with his slightly strange heart of gold, has a habit of offering prostitutes paydays to escape their lives. But this is just the beginning of an increasingly tangled web that involves Izzy’s mouthy shrink ( Jennifer Aniston), an obsessed judge (Austin Pendleton), Arnold’s wife and star of the play (Kathryn Hahn), her sleazy co-star (Rhys Ifans) and the play’s scribe (Will Forte). With a support cast also including Cybill Shepherd, Illeana Douglas and Tatum O’Neal, Bogdanovich even gets to call on an old friend for a celebrity cameo in the punchy finale.
Wilson may be his usual wide-eyed self but Poots and Aniston are right on cue, entering stage left with immaculate comic timing. It also refreshes to see a comedy that, bar one tampon joke, doesn’t rely on bodily fluids for gags. It may not be fashionable, but it’s still funny that way. THE VERDICT Bogdanovich’s quicksilver comedy is expertly paced and played, with adorable turns from Poots and Aniston and almost more laughs than you can handle. › Certificate 12A Director Peter Bogdanovich Starring Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Will Forte, Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn Screenplay Peter Bogdanovich, Louise Stratten Distributor Lionsgate Running time 93 mins