(rated PG-13, 101 mins.)
With Woody Allen it’s hit or miss. This one is hit. A satire on Hollywood, Allen directs and stars in a story of a character that must make a new movie or his career is over. He’s Val Waxman, a neurotic, two-time Oscar winner turned washed up. His ex-wife Ellie (Tea Leoni) dumped him for the studio head (Treat Williams) that’s not only her fiancée but also the man bankrolling the picture. As though things couldn’t be worse, literally and figuratively, the proof is in the picture. “Hollywood Ending” is clearly a new beginning for Allen (and his character) with its expert comic timing and a lot of autobiographical references. Debra Messing does a great job at the role of his airhead girlfriend.