the more that you enjoy woody allen's type of humor and the unique authorial voice that he has when he makes films, the more that you will enjoy irrational man. this film really feels like a woody allen movie in ways that some of his more recent efforts do not feel like one. and, that, admittedly, comes with its advantages. it is a funny film with some really sharp and witty one liners that joachim phoenix is able to deliver in just the right way. furthermore, his advanced age hasn't seemed to catch up with him, in terms of the intellectual rigor of his themes and the things that he is exploring. while some of the references to literature and philosophy seem a bit forced here and there, he still has some mildly interesting things to say about crime, morality, and justice. part of the problem with this film, however, is that it is ground that he returns to constantly. he has explored these themes before, and to greater effect mind you, many times and this latest outing only offers a slightly different take on the material. in that sense, this film doesn't feel fresh or vibrant in the way that many of his other films do. this is essentially a retelling of crime and punishment and that is not the first time that woody allen has used that material to guide a film. from crimes and misdemeanors to match point and even to some parts of love and death, allen constantly goes back to crime and punishment as a source for the stories he tells and the themes that he revisits. after this film, it has become an almost unhealthy obsession. as rife as that novel is with interesting ideas and areas to explore, allen has done it so many times in his voice that it just doesn't feel fresh or interesting anymore. it may be time for him to find a different source of inspiration, even if it does deal with the same types of themes. another problem that this film faces is that allen's dialogue is very difficult to deliver. along with wes anderson and quentin tarantino it takes a certain type of actor to really deliver his lines in a certain way. unfortunately, emma stone, as good of an actor as she is, isn't really able to pull it off and it makes that central relationship very difficult to buy into and makes the film fall more flat and feel less interesting than it should have been. allen isn't able to wrangle up the sentimentality he is in his best work. overall, this is minor woody allen and is definitely one of his lesser films. there is still something to enjoy here if you really like his films and his style. all of his trademarks are there and it feels more like him than some of his other recent stuff. but, i don't know if it really is a good film or if it gets as much out of its premise as it probably should. it doesn't feel vibrant like some of his other films do. there are some satisfactions to be found around this film but they are almost too few to recommend this movie to anybody but die hard woody allen fans. by no means is this a bad movie or a movie that is not well put together or thought out. it just isn't a good movie either.