There seems to be only one definite thing you can say about Woody Allen movies - either you like them or you don't. I like them; consequently this review is unashamedly partisan. So if, by chance, you think Woody Allen is a pathetic little turd whose insights are banal and trivial and who is moreover (sin of sins), completely unfunny, then Stardust Memories is not for you.

Who is it for? Well Stardust Memories is kind of a combination of Annie Hall and Manhattan with a completely new filmic format and Woody Allen self image thrown in, along with a return to his 'earlier funny films'. If that doesn't throw you, nothing will. The story is about Sandy Bates (Woody Allen) as guest of honour at a film festival. The film however, has little to do with this and concentrates on a series of fantasies and memories concerning a relationship with a person called Doreen.

A problem arises here. Woody Allen seems to be playing himself- American celebrity director dragged out to another boring film festival, but whether Charlotte Rampling as Doreen is in fact playing Diane Keaton is debatable. She acts like Diane Keaton (Woody's ex who has appeared in every one of his films except this and a few very early ones) but whether her script is true to real life is contentious. Indeed the problem of what exactly is real to life or to the story or both is questioned as part o the film.