The existential doubts, snappy dialogue and sophisticated banter of a group of intellectuals in London.

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Left by Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) after 40 years of marriage, Helena (Gemma Jones) finds comfort in the optimistic predictions of a fortune teller who gives her hope. Perked up by these platitudes, Helena starts to share her insight with Sally (Naomi Watts), newly hired by the dark and sexy manager of an art gallery in London (Antonio Banderas), and her son-in-law Roy (Josh Brolin), a failed writer whom Helena keeps after despite her contempt for him. While Roy starts to flirt with a young neighbor across the way (Freida Pinto), Alfie falls for a vulgar former prostitute half his age, certain to be able to satisfy her thanks to his excellent genes, daily exercise and a few Viagra pills...

On automatic pilot for the last 15 years, Woody Allen continues to recycle his usual subjects: sophisticated banter between egocentric intellectuals unconcerned by the world's real tragedies, literary quotations (this time from Shakespeare), existentialist observations on the vacuousness of our actions and our time on earth, and fear in the face of aging and death. The New York director's latest is a kind of light and funnier version of his pontificating Match Point, and substantially inferior to his previous successes, such as Hannah and Her Sisters and Husbands and Wives. At least Allen reminds the public just how good a comedian Anthony Hopkins really is.