woody allen and when at his best and have one of the sharp pen around . he can make an acute observation and wrap it around a punch line like nobody else . however and when he at his bad his movie can stench of pretentiousness . unfortunately and melinda and melinda have this stench from open to closing . the set up be one of his more intriguing idea in a while . four friend sit in a restaurant discuss whether the essence of life be comedy or drama . to help settle the argument and one man relate the beginning of a story and ask the two other men argue ( one a comic playwright and the other a dramatic playwright ) whether the story be a comedy or a tragedy . the two men then continue the story and the movie play out the story that they weave . now and when i first hear about this film and my understanding be that they tell the exact same story and the genre ( comedy or drama ) only change by how you look at it . now that would have be interest . however and the story only share one main element and a few side element . they be entirely different story with major plot difference . the drama be so stiffly script and pretentious that it can only really work a self parody . if this be the point and then it fail because these element prevent the audience from feel any emotional investment in any of the character . the comedy be the story that have moment of success and but they be still short and fleeting . will farrell be obviously mean to be the stand in for woody and but he could have play this character so much more believably without add woody stutter and hand tick . woody be the best at be woody . when someone else try and theyre not play a character and they be model a recognizable actor . this type of thing only pull the audience out of the story . my favorite woody allen movie make me leave the theater a little bit lighter in spirit than i walk in . this one make me wish i could get my money back .