This movie was a little slow, and after a certain point there are no character to like. The only character who seems promising is Tom, but after the marriage of Chris and Chloe there isn't much of Tom in it. He actually seems to disappear, and is not further developed, which he should have been. At first, Johannson's character Nola, is very intriguing, but then Allen creates a whiny woman who the audience just sees as a brat. She isn't interesting, and just seems like a bratty, whiny character who feels that she is entitled to things she doesn't deserve. This was not the best character Johannson has played.
Chloe has only one concern, almost as soon as her and Chris are married, and that is to be pregnant. This, along with Chloe's mother harping on Chris as to when he is going to give her a grandchild, makes both Chloe and her mother annoying and cliche. I wanted to strangle her and her mother, not only does Chloe seem mousy and unsophisticated, but she doesn't stand up for herself against her mother when she should. And the mother is just not nice throughout the entire movie. She doesn't approve of Nola because she is an American and a struggling actress. She only approves of Chris because he is better than the man her daughter was having a brief fling with.
Chris isn't much better. He is an annoying self-entitled a-hole, who begins an affair with Nola as many men do, selfish motives because he can't communicate with his wife. I hated him, and not just because he was a cheating a-hole, but because he wasn't interesting. There was nothing about him to like or enjoy, he wasn't an interesting character. This was disappointing since I know Rhys Meyers has quite the acting skill, having seen him in VELVET UNDERGROUND and THE TUDORS his range is exceptional. I don't think he was used well in this and everything seemed lazy. In fact all of the acting seemed lazy and half-assed.
There are people who either like or dislike Woody Allen, and I think I may just be in the latter group as I haven't found a movie by him that I truly enjoy. Most of his movies are so slow to come to a point that I end up losing interest.
The ending of this is unexpected, and yet it is also unsatisfactory and doesn't make me like the characters any more. I appreciated the surprise ending, but it was anticlimactic after watching 2 hours of build up.
So, I don't recommend this movie, unless you are a Woody Allen fan, then you might like this. Personally, I just don't get it, I don't get him, nor do I get the appeal of his movies.