Just about every seat in the theater was occupied.
It had been a long, long, long time since I had to engage in any kind of struggle to get a seat at a Woody Allen movie - probably not since "Crimes and Misdemeanors" way back in 1989. The greater likelihood is that I would see it with only four or five other people in the auditorium, like in January when Allen's "Cassandra's Dream" crept into one Pittsburgh multiplex for a couple of weeks with hardly anyone noticing.
Allen's dwindling audience has been driven in part by the fact that it's now older and more likely to wait for the DVD. And, in many circles, Allen still has a bad odor following his ugly split with Mia Farrow 16 years ago and subsequent relationship with one of Farrow's adopted children. But Allen's cause hasn't been helped by the fact that, in the nearly two decades since "Crimes and Misdemeanors," he hasn't made a great movie.
A couple have been very good. A few more have been good. Some have had their moments amid much water-treading, while others have just been unfortunate. While the 72-year-old Allen's work ethic is admirable - he writes and directs a movie a year, and sometimes two - you can't help but wonder if Allen has been making movies out of habit, not because he's had much of anything to say.
It's a stark contrast to 20 or 30 years ago when Allen was locked into the zeitgeist and making one gem of a movie after another, from "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" to "Zelig," "Broadway Danny Rose" and "Hannah and Her Sisters."
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" isn't in the same lofty stratosphere as Allen's masterworks, but it's a mostly breezy romantic comedy with sharp writing and strong performances from Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem. It's netted Allen some of his best reviews in years and cracked the Top 10 at the box office last weekend - it's never going to eclipse "The Dark Knight," but a $3 million opening weekend for a Woody Allen movie in this day and age is no small feat.
In keeping with Allen's last three films, it also was made abroad - this time in Spain, and the change of venue has been a tonic for his muse. I doubt "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" would have worked as well had it been set in Allen's usual Manhattan milieu.
"That the eternal New Yorker Allen found such success while working in Spain is a strong argument for diversity in an artist's surroundings," according to Detroit News film critic Tom Long,
His next movie, "Whatever Works," scheduled for release in 2009, finds Allen back in New York. With any luck, Allen will be able to see the city with fresh eyes after his European sojourn. But if it turns out that "Whatever Works" doesn't work, that it's the same old Woody on the same old treadmill, then we can only hope that he's got his passport up to date and has accumulated some frequent-flier miles.
Imagine what Allen could do in Argentina. Buenos Aires is reportedly thriving, with some calling it the Paris of South America. How about Japan? Or Australia? India, anyone? Berlin? Moscow?
Since both of his parents lived into their 90s, Allen might still have quite a few movies in the pipeline. Let's cross our fingers that "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" marks the beginning of a late-in-life renaissance.