A Rainy Day in New York

Woody Allen returns to his native Manhattan territory for his 49th film, which stars Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning as a pair of dating students who become embroiled in an escalating series of farcical scrapes after heading to New York to interview film director Liev Schreiber. The two leads are charming, and far more naive than the typical 40-something Allen protagonists, though their on-brand kvetching sometimes feels hackneyed. Still, the philosophising chatter between Chalamet and old schoolfriend Selena Gomez has enough emotional grounding to convince. Rebecca Hall and Jude Law also feature in the starry supporting cast, and the sparring between the pair is an effortless highlight. The film was originally to be released by Amazon, who then distanced themselves from Allen, but despite this air of controversy it works well on its own terms. Certainly, for any Woody fans with lowered standards it will feel like a fine return to form.