Sometimes it is just hard to understand the purpose of making certain films that carry no meaning at all. With a heavy heart I must confess, Peter Bogdanovich’s SHE`S FUNNY THAT WAY is one of them. Having a stellar cast such as Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Cybil Shepherd, Debi Mazar, Austin Pendleton and Imogen Poots does not help this film survive, but rather makes them all look funny in their own way.
When the film begins, we find Isabella “Izzy” Patterson giving an interview to a journalist, where she tries to look smart by describing Hollywood’s classic movies which she never seen before. And that scene is the only moment where I find Imogen Poots showing her acting ability. Then she takes us three years earlier, where she recalls herself working as a call girl, mostly ‘inspiring’ old people. In one of those rare fortunate days, she is sent to the hotel room of married, well established director, Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), who after being inspired by her presence, offers her the role of a call girl in his Broadway show.
The chaos begins when “Izzy” appears at the audition, where she must play alongside Arnold’s wife, Delta (Kathryn Hahn), who also has a secret lover. Jennifer Aniston plays Izzy’s therapist, Jane, whose relationship with her boyfriend, Joshua Fleet (Will Forte) is not that flawless. Things turn out even more chaotic when, in the end, you find everyone being somehow related to each other with their endless betrayal and love affairs. Which I must say was the wrong direction, as viewers can lose the point of the film with too much going on within a short time.
Bogdanovich, who wrote the screenplay, manages to describe each and every character in his own way, allowing everyone to have their share of screen time. However, that does not work well, as the film does not take the viewer further than the beautiful idea. It was definitely not translated onto the big screen successfully. Despite the comedy genre, SHE`S FUNNY THAT WAY does not have many funny moments, maybe a few, which are quickly forgotten. In the end, the only reason viewers can go out to see the film is because of the big names in it. But before you do that, do not hope to see something special, unique and raw, because it is not!