Melinda And Melinda

After a string of forgettable comedies Woody Allen returns to form with an energetic movie that contemplates the raw narrative material that separates comedy and tragedy. In "Melinda And Melinda" Radha Mitchell ("Finding Neverland") plays both sides of the genre fence as opposite versions of a woman who moves to New York to escape her past. The comic version of Melinda's escapades includes the ever-watchable Will Ferrell serving as an altered rendering of the Woody Allen alter ego, and the tragic plotline has Chiwetel Ejorfor ("Dirty Pretty Things") playing a pianist composer who seduces Melinda in search of a muse. "Melinda And Melinda" marks the 69 year-old director's 35th feature film.

Rated PG-13. 99 mins. (B+)