I think my favorite Woody Allen movies all contain some element of fantasy in them, or at the very least outrageous and absurd premises or set pieces that defy literal logic but somehow work on a comedic, emotional, or philosophical level. Zelig is an example of one movie taking this weird idea of a chameleonic man and creating an entire hilarious story about him. Many of his movies can be thought of as philosophical experiments even though (or maybe because?) they’re pure fiction. The Purple Rose of Cairo is one of the most ‘out there’ of these types of Allen movies, and is also one of his very best.
It works so well because the illogical premise—a woman falls in love with a character in a movie, who walks off the screen and into her life—is taken in a perfectly logical and uproarious direction—the actor who plays that character meets the woman and a bizarre love triangle forms. Similar stories have been told with writers and written characters, most recently in movies like Ruby Sparks and Stranger than Fiction, but the emotional bond with a movie character that you can see is more direct and believable, more intense perhaps because it feels more real. The movie ends up being an ingenious little tale about the illusory quality of love and romance. And Mia Farrow in the lead role is absolutely delightful.
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