Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

HotToastyRag Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Sam Waterston, Elaine Stritch, Denholm Elliott, and Jack Warden make up the cast of Woody Allen's dramatic film September. If you've only seen Woody Allen's comedies, you'll be very surprised by how heavy he can get.Elaine Stritch plays Mia and Dianne's mother, and they make up a typically dysfunctional family, with lots of secrets, resentments, betrayals, and unfortunate love that binds them all together. Mia falls in love with Sam, but Sam becomes infatuated with her sister instead, adding more tension to the mix. The acting in this movie is pretty incredible, but, as is sometimes the case with heavy dramas, it can be tough to watch. This probably won't end up being your favorite movie, but at the very least you'll be able to appreciate the performances. If you're a fan of any of the actors, add this one to your list.

evanston_dad Woody Allen's cringe-inducing "September" comes across as something a film student would make if he were given the assignment of making a movie in the style of Ingmar Bergman. It's oppressive, claustrophobic and intolerably whiny, filled with unpleasant people complaining about their boring problems. Though the film is filled with good actors, like Mia Farrow, Elaine Stritch, Dianne Wiest and Denholm Elliott, none of them gel as a cast, and the pacing is repetitive. The film is a huge misfire from Allen, and thankfully it's one of the last times he dabbled in this kind of hackneyed experiment.Grade: D

Syl Woody Allen directed this film which is more character driven with six leading roles starring his then-partner in life, Mia Farrow, Oscar winner Dianne Wiest, Jack Warden, Emmy Winner Elaine Stritch, before Law & Order Sam Waterson and the late Denholm Elliott CBE. Amazingly, Allen doesn't have to go far to film this movie about a summer home in Vermont. It was all filmed at the Kaufman-Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Regardless, the film is entirely believable and the setting is quite quaint in nature. It really looks like an authentic country home. It begins with Weist and Elliott conversing in French in Lane's living room played by Farrow. Weist's character is a married mother and an unhappy housewife from Philadelphia but Lane's best friend. Lane falls in love with Peter (Waterson) but he's in love with Weist's character, Stephanie. Lane is also upset by her mother, Diane Frazer's visit with her current husband played by Warden. Stritch is dynamic as Lane's mom in an unforgettable role. Elliott's character, a friend and neighbor of Lane, is in love with her but she is not in love with him. Except for the real estate agent played by Rosemary Murphy and a city couple who want to purchase the home, the cast is relatively balanced like that in a good theatrical production. There are some surprises but we always knew that Stritch is brilliant in anything that she does.

moonspinner55 Mia Farrow plays suicidal Lane, a child-like woman hoping to sell off the family cottage in Vermont so she can start life anew in New York City; she's surrounded for the weekend by her married friend (Dianne Wiest), a charming, struggling writer (Sam Waterston), an elderly neighbor who harbors a crush on Lane (Denholm Elliott), and Lane's demonstrative mama (Elaine Stritch) and her latest husband (Jack Warden). Seems mother and daughter were once the subjects of a scandalous murder-trial from years ago (shades of Lana Turner and daughter Cheryl), and Lane's emotional showdown with her mother provides an intense acting moment between Farrow and Stritch. Claustrophobic Woody Allen drama was one of the writer-director's biggest commercial and critical failures (he filmed it twice with two separate casts--this is the second version, the original remains unseen). It's a nearly-humorless study of the dangers of repression, yet the picture doesn't learn from itself--the handling is repressed as well--and few of these characters seem improved by the finale. Allen's languid pacing nearly comes to a halt during an electrical storm (at just 85 minutes, "September" doesn't exactly utilize its time wisely); however, this group of privately-tortured souls is as fascinating as the family in Allen's "Interiors." In fact, of the two films, this may be the better effort. *** from ****