Woody Allen has made an equal amount of funny movies and dramatically disturbing movies. The charm, and the brilliance of Woody, as his Academy-Award winning fans would tell you, is that he explores the funniest nature of human beings and also the cruelest--usually all within the same movie and even in the same scene. In Clarissa's Dream, surprisingly, Woody Allen does the unthinkable and strives for neither.

It's true that Clarissa's Dream attempts to show us the worst of humanity. After all, the plot is a bit of a sadistic giggle: two London brothers (played by Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor) are strapped for cash and have supermodel girlfriends to appease. They decide to approach Uncle Howard (played by Tom Wilkinson) who is more than willing to hear their desperate plea for a loan--if they're willing to help him out just the same. It turns out that Uncle Howard occasionally strays on the other side of the law and wants a key witness blotted out. "Blood is blood!" exclaims Uncle Howard, no doubt provoked now that he's revealed this unpleasant side of his life, and is desperately trying to shove it back in. The film then follows the struggle of both brothers, torn between conscience and lust, morality and honor and all that silly stuff that the Woody Allen of old would probably mock.

Remarkably there is almost a total lack of humor in Clarissa's Dream. The performances do seem neurotic but neither actor bothers in giving any nuances to their characterizations. They hesitate, they make a decision regarding Howard's deal, and they remain unpunished as well as un-vindicated, if not totally unaffected. If anything, the characters are undefined and rather unimpressive in the overall scheme of things. Tom Wilkinson does his damndest to interject some fire into the movie but looks rather confused as to where it's all going.

While it's always nice to watch a Directed By Woody Allen movie, because you know it's destined to be a fiercely independent, dialogue-driven film, this film not only disappoints but also confuses the loyal following. The film seems rushed in direction and with a total lack of Allen-esque introspection about what is really taking place inside these characters' heads. The question is, could Woody Allen's focus be waning (even just a few years removed from the well done Match Point) or was he simply trying to get this movie out of his system and move on--like a million dollar writers block experiment?

Admittedly, Clarissa's Dream is more interesting than the average poorly made drama, as Woody Allen always attempts to write something profound, even if nonsense spills out of characters' mouths occasionally. Nevertheless, this quiet and distracted story was marketed as an intense family drama and yet wildly paces around for a very hurried 108 minutes. Clarissa's Dream does one thing effectively: it raises great interest for Woody Allen's next project. One that will hopefully be focused and mean something personal to the director's heart so that he really shares a deep thought with the world--much more than just a fanciful dream aboard a boat. Grade: C