We have just gone to see To Rome with Love, the latest Woody Allen film and if you are one of those types who cannot stand Woody Allen films then don’t go to see it. But if you normally do like his films then you should absolutely should. [Rotten Tomatoes: Critics 44% / Audience 48%]. Of course it’s funny and the non-existent plot is only there as a scaffolding on which to hang out a bunch of jokes, so don’t expect to have the meaning of life brought to your attention (for that you have to see Crimes and Misdemeanors).

But this part was novel. The character played by Allen is in many ways a conservative and the conservatism is not played for laughs. Woody is himself a figure of fun and you do get to laugh at him but none of the laughs are related to his conservatism. Very unexpected and means nothing at all. But it made the experience of seeing the film even better than it would otherwise have been.