Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexual material and brief violence.
108 Minutes
Written and Directed By: Woody Allen
Staring: Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Tom Wilkinson, John Benfield, Claire Higgins, Andrew Howard, Sally Hawkins, Emily Gilchrist, and Hayley Atwell
Well, that depends on the part, and who the director is, and how much I’d had to drink. -Angela
Review
In reading previews for this film it was compared to a Hitchcock type thriller. What 
an awful comparison. This slow paced snooze-fest was anything but a thriller and certainly nothing to describe as Hitchcock-like. The cards seemed stacked in Cassandra’s Dreams direction but even with a talented director, exciting cast, and good premise this film never became more than a good concept. It’s starts off slow paced and by the time it’s supposed to pick up it’s hard to really care, in fact the entire movie doesn’t nothing more than prep you for a nap.
Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate Woody Allen’s work, but this is definitely one of the worst movies he’s ever made. As noted the conception itself was a compelling idea, but the execution was banal and boring. Maybe less is more for Allen who seemed to dish out better films when he took time in between them rather than forcing one out a year. The setting in London doesn’t work, it never even feels like it’s anywhere but upstate New York. Allen was uninspiring.
McGregor even was a little weak for me. Farrell pretty much worked with what he had, along with Wilkinson but the writing had such an unnatural flow to it that it became excruciating to listen to the dialogue. The characters made very little sense and even when they offered the chance to give the characters sympathy it was far too late into the story to care. Allen’s script never gave his actors who were more than capable a chance to shine.
This was one of the most boring movies I’ve watched in a long time. The audience may initially be taken by the cast members, but the character’s they play aren’t likable and their motivations are pretty thinly developed. The whole idea of doing what they are doing just because of “blood” relation never quite flies, and the character’s do nothing to prove that point either. Even with Farrell’s amazing performance and the solid cast with him Cassandra’s Dream was nothing more than a boring morality play.
I enjoy the work by both these leads yet somehow I’ve never heard of this movie. From your review I’d say I’m probably not missing much, but if it’s Woody Allen I’m still going to check it out.
I agree, it was not one of his best. But, what happened is that he was planning to shoot a completely different film in Paris, and at the last moment, he cancelled that project because he was a few million dollars short in terms of the funding he needed to complete the Paris film. So, it’s my understanding that he threw himself into writing a new script “Cassandra’s Dream” within months if not weeks of shooting. I’m sure that his own people had to scramble to find shooting locations at the last minute, find actors available, etc. I’m sure it was a lot of pressure before they all flew to London for filming. On the positive side, it was unusual for Woody to hire someone like Philip Glass to score the entire film. And it did have a great cast. Many of Woody’s films have a point to make (e.g., Match Point demonstrates the degree to which luck plays in our lives) – but in this film, it seems that the point is simply that some people have no moral dilemma committing a serious crime while others have a moral compass and simply cannot live without feelings of remorse. But Woody made this point in Crimes and Misdemeanors. If there was another dual point to the film, then I must have missed it. From a personal point of view, Woody has always sought to create the perfect drama – a film without comedy. I can’t think of a single laugh in this film, which may make some viewers uneasy, but was the result satisfying to Woody? Certainly Match Point must have been hugely satisfying to him. But as an admirers of his “earlier, funny ones,” I miss seeing the man on the screen and I hate to think that perhaps his screen days are over. It seems to appear that way, with Cassandra’s Dream being the first film of this new era in which Woody no longer appears on the screen.
I had heard something about relocation. It’s obvious the language and the characters are NOT comfortable in London, England. It still feels like upstate New York to me.
I’m a supporter of a lot of what Woody has done in his career. I just feel like lately it’s more about the quantity rather than the quality.
I don’t even mind the idea of him doing a straight drama, but he has the ability to do it well. I wish he would have here. This one was a major disappointment to me.
I don’t think it’s a question of “quantity” over “quality.” Woody likes to work – to take his mind off the terrible truth of life. So, to keep busy, he sets out to make a film a year, and remember, he does have a staff to support – so from a business point of view, he really does need to continue the pace until such time as he really decides to slow down. Cassandra’s Dream could have been better, I suppose, but it’s a true Woody Allen original, and there is a unique perspective and point of view which comes through, even if we are slightly jaded now having seen so many of his films.
While not his best films. It certainly is not his worse. I would give that award to either “Curse of The Jade Scorpion” or “Shadows & Fogs”. With that said, I sort of enjoyed this film. I liked how the two brothers changed what their moral were during the course of the story. The only thing that bothered me was the ending which felt way too rushed imo.
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