Rifkin's Festival (2020)

Rifkin’s Festival: Directed by Woody Allen. With Wallace Shawn, Michael Garvey, Damian Chapa, Bobby Slayton. A married American couple go to the San Sebastian Festival and get caught up in the magic of the event, the beauty and charm of the city and the fantasy of movies.

“Possibly more clever than outrightly funny, Woody Allenu0026#39;s charming RIFKINu0026#39;S FESTIVAL stars Wallace Shawn as a geeky film studies teacher whou0026#39;s attending the San Sebastian Film Festival with his wife (Gina Gershon), whou0026#39;s a publicist. As in his STARDUST MEMORIES, Allen shows he has little interest in box office, press conferences, fake glitz, and the self-anointed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile Shawn trudges around the festival which promotes, in his opinion, garbage, he re-casts the situations in which he finds himself in scenes from his favorite films (but with the actors in this film). So we see these 4:3 Bu0026amp;W inserts of films by Truffaut, Bergman, Bunuel, Godard, Fellini, and a funny CITIZEN KANE bit.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOy vey! Not as star studded as in days of yore, but some familiar faces show up, including Christoph Waltz as Death, Steve Guttenberg and Tammy Blanchard as Rifkinu0026#39;s brother and his wife, Richard Kind as Rifkinu0026#39;s father. We also get Elena Anaya as the doctor, Louis Garrel as the u0026quot;star,u0026quot; and Douglas McGrath as Gil.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd Wallace Shawn does well as Woodyu0026#39;s alter-ego, but he canu0026#39;t deliver a line or a joke with Woodyu0026#39;s aplomb.”