Ich sehe den Mann deiner Träume

I mostly saw a bunch of problems that guys bring on themselves, not just during a midlife crisis but all the time. It’s like, if you give a woman a lot, she’ll just want more. But Woody Allen nailed it with the casting—he picked actresses that made it easy to understand why the men were so captivated. The male characters, though, didn’t do much for me, except Anthony Hopkins. His unraveling because of women was on another level. (22.01.2012)

I quite like Woody Allen because he has a gift for writing clever and witty dialogue, often in a film with a good plot. That didn't happen this time and everything really depends on how good the actors are. They are good, but you may not care about their fates and it's not that funny. (04.07.2017)

Woody is still filming untiringly…but he’s getting a bit tired. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is somewhat more serious than Allen’s other relationship films, so I would be more careful with the comedy label. Like in Husbands and Wives, the greater seriousness is expressed through the slightly more nervous but not outright unsteady camerawork. (In formalistic terms, the long shots are interesting at most, which is mainly due to Allen’s distaste for overly complex filming.) The film is presented briskly and comprehensibly, not in any way extraordinarily; the involvement of a narrator particularly comes across like an effort by the filmmaker to make his work easier, while the screenplay and the actors take care of what’s important. The screenplay is mediocre, without a single one-liner that I would want to quote, and in its “fateful irony” it doesn’t come close to Match Point, which works much more consistently with the “fifty-fifty” idea. The actors, however, are above average and give the film flair and humour even in the case of the anaemic one-liners and hackneyed facts of life. Allen benefits from setting aside his self-love – his predictable alter ego in the form of a neurotic character is absent from the film. However, I have the unpleasant feeling that he was fondest of Helena, who opens the film, as she is an overly sensitive, hysterical and self-centred character with no sense of humour.  Perhaps in his next film, Woody will prove that he is not yet like that himself. 60% (12.02.2011)

A bitter pill for all hesitant dreamers. This time around, Woody Allen turns a slightly pessimistic idea into a screenplay full of people trying to be happy, but with all the hesitation, every decision they make seems wrong. And despite their futile efforts, it is also sadly selfish. (27.12.2010)

I personally divide Allen's filmography into four periods: the lively comedic beginnings, when Woody utilized his stand-up comedy experience, a more serious era, when he dropped the clownish facade and attempted to delve into psychological dramas and complex characters, and the audience subsequently rewarded him with indifference. Then came Allen's golden creative period, framed by The Purple Rose of Cairo and symbolically concluded with Hollywood Ending. During this time, I could have given around 4 stars to his films every time, and Woody brought me joy with every new piece. Since 2002, he has been in a period where it is difficult to find a unifying element and generalizing assessment cannot be used. I have had a love-hate relationship with Allen since then. Sometimes he can surprise me, and for example, I rank Match Point and Cassandra's Dream very highly among his works. However, there are also titles where I shrug my shoulders and say, "Well, you've made your regular yearly film again, but I've already seen this, albeit better, in pale blue from you several times. You're getting a little tiresome, despite all your merits." The above perfectly applies to You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Similar Woody films quickly fade from my memory and leave nothing behind. This time, Woody surprisingly stumbled in an area that is traditionally his strong suit - casting. Sir Anthony Hopkins as Allen's alter ego doesn't work, and I also consider Josh Brolin's casting a misstep, as he suits different genres and characters. This is a case of a film that is teeming with famous names and faces, but the end result is lackluster. I consider this comedy as evidence of a trend where Woody increasingly relies on templates, flattens them, and presents banalities. Overall impression: 45%. (15.04.2015)