Zelig

1983
Directed By Woody Allen


SYNOPSIS

A mockumentary examining the life of Leonard Zelig (Woody Allen,) a human chameleon. During the 1920s-30s, he has the unusual ability to become who he is around. When pared with obese people, he becomes fat; with Hasidic Jews, he spouts a beard; with African Americans, he becomes black, etc.

MY THOUGHTS

A hilarious change of pace from Woody Allen.

Zelig takes the form of countless (slightly dry) documentaries  that you would see on PBS by Ken Burns or others that examine a topic seriously with prominent talking heads. Woody Allen is able to capture this perfectly and subvert it perfectly.

The humor comes off as strong and zany as an extended Monty Python sketch. This is about as high praise as I can offer a comedy. The joke does, however, run a little thin by the end of its short 80 minute run-time, but is still filled with many laugh out loud moments.


Inserting Woody Allen in classic newsreel footage predates Forrest Gump, and is just as effective, despite the lack of high-tech special effects of Gump. Seeing him with the New York Yankees or with Hitler is far more amusing than the later film.

There are so many hilarious oneliners in the film that singleing a few out would be an injustice to the others.
If you like the intelligent later-day mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, or are in the mood to laugh, I highly recommend Zelig.