Irrational Man (2015)

At a small town college, the new philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix) seems to have the life sucked out of him. This is partially remedied when one of his students (Emma Stone) becomes infatuated with him. But he becomes totally revitalized when a murder plot enters the scenario. I was surprised at how much I liked the new Woody Allen considering how mediocre the reviews were. It belongs with Allen's darker films like CRIME AND MISDEMEANORS and CASSANDRA'S DREAM. But damn, it takes forever to get its rhythm going. It's nothing fresh especially if you've seen CRIMES, CASSANDRA and MATCH POINT then you pretty much know where it's going. The ending is a little too obvious but the three leads (Parker Posey is the third player) bring some nice shadings to their characters. If you're a fan of Allen, Phoenix or Stone then you should be kept intrigued but others may have a tougher time of it. Nicely shot by Darius Khondji. With Jamie Blackley.