By Keeva Stratton
In Woody Allen’s latest quirky cinematic feature, a philosophy professor decides to test the theory of moral relativism—in a most practical sense.
Abe (Joaquin Phoenix) has a reputation for indecent relations with his students. He’s known for being unprofessional generally, and for challenging the academy. When he arrives at campus, he is in a strange state of depression. It seems his years of grappling with the meaning of life—a weighty fixation of the many theorists he studies—has worn him down.
Jill (Emma Stone), on the other hand, is brimming with enthusiasm for her studies. As a student in Abe’s course, she is keen to pick his brain on every philosopher, from Kierkegaard to Heidegger. Her interest in him soon turns romantic, but to her surprise (and that of the entire faculty), he refuses her advances.
It seems that Abe’s disaffection with the world has affected his libido. He’s lost not just the will to live, but the ability to love. That is, until a chance encounter with a woman who truly has it tough, sends him on a personal mission that’s literally a matter of life and death.
Irrational Man takes a pointed stab at the studied earnestness of the academy, while being equally deprecating of the trite student/professor romance. Here we have a man whose sole professional purpose is to teach the meaning of life to students through his illustrious forebears, yet he himself can’t seem to place any meaning in his own existence.
While on the one hand he questions Kant’s strict interpretation of morality, Abe finds his own justice in a morality that’s equally extreme.
It must be admitted that most Woody Allen films are either hit or miss. This film is, in many ways, both. Its dark sense of humour and the always-formidable performances of Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey are big hits, but getting to the pay-off is a little tedious (made especially so by lengthy and often unnecessary voice-overs).
Fans of Allen’s style and temperament will find enjoyment in Irrational Man; but it’d be prudent to keep a cap (or perhaps mortarboard) on your expectations.
Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey
Rating: M
Runtime: 94min
Release Date: 20 August
Reviewer rating: 3/5