A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy takes a bit of time to get into(though you can sort of say the same thing about Smiles of a Summer Night, a Bergman masterpieces, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, one of Shakespeare's best-known plays for a reason), and while it is not one of Woody Allen's absolute best it is still a great film and one of his most overlooked(fairly accessible too). While not as gorgeous-looking as Manhattan for example, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is beautifully filmed, in keeping with the whimsical tone the film has and the scenery is magical with lots of character and colour as well as a real fantasy vibe. The music is fabulous, no big surprises there as it is Mendelssohn, not only that but the music fits absolutely perfectly, as soon as I saw this title Mendelssohn's music immediately came to mind. The script mayn't be one of his most sophisticated or quotable, that shouldn't be expected though because the dialogue is still very funny with a chockfull of witty and snappy lines that has Allen's writing all over, and all done in a subtle and slightly endearingly silly way. The story is one of the most whimsical and charming of any Woody Allen film(very light in tone as well), while maintaining a good amount of realism. The characters are well-written, not the most likable but a long way from detestable as well. The performances from all 6 of the lead ensemble are just great, especially from a hilarious and suave Tony Roberts and Mary Steenburgen. Woody Allen has some fine comic moments too, Jose Ferrer relishes some of the film's best lines, Julie Haggerty is charming and always amuses and Mia Farrow does show some ease in comedy despite it being different to what she's known for(I don't think she deserved that Razzie nomination). The chemistry between all 6 is believable. So overall, a great and overlooked film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" is one of Woody Allen's movies making fun of rich people's relationships. Based on an Ingmar Bergman movie that I haven't seen, it depicts some couples spending the weekend with an inventor (Allen) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen). The six of them then proceed to start having affairs with each other! The movie's downside is of course that Woody Allen started obsessing on neurotic rich people having affairs, and eventually reached an all-time nadir with "Everyone Says I Love You". Even so, what the movie itself shows is some really funny stuff. More than anything, it demonstrates that Allen is at his best when just trying to be funny ("Take the Money and Run", "Bananas", "Sleeper"). Other than that, the movie has some typical Woody Allen-style lines, and an almost mystifying ending. Really interesting. Also starring José Ferrer, Mia Farrow (in her first appearance in an Allen movie), Tony Roberts and Julie Hagerty (of "Airplane!" fame).

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)As long as you don't mind making light of deception, adultery, and plain old cheating on your wife and lover, this is a really well constructed, fast, brilliantly written film.Woody Allen, by nature, has some combination of striving for depths and avoiding them by silliness that is beguiling. It's really fun to see one of his "entertainments" like this (as opposed to his all out comedies or his more serious films) because it carves out an ingenious, lovable world where you don't have to worry about a thing for an hour and a half. There is surprising humor (of course), sight gags and turns of phrase, and the absurdity of situation. But there is also a layer of despair at the universe, too, which is like pepper in the sugar.Now Allen is a director as much as a writer (both, never forget) and he makes movies fluid, visually tight, and fresh in spirit. And he does this in part because he gets great actors and he gets them to perform at their best. That's part of what a great director does, inspiring and making the most of everyone. Here we have Mia Farrow, who is her usual meek intelligent self, and a counterpart, an echo really, played to perfect pitch by Mary Steenburgen. But even more astonishing really is the arrogant, prolix professor played by Jose Ferrar, who never cracks from his erudite Victorianism. And there is Allen himself, playing the same kind of neurotic, feeling, questioning man he is so good at.So there is nothing her not to like. Toss in the parallels to Shakespeare, an homage to Bergman, and the use of Mendelssohn for music (a switch for Allen), and you have a movie that would stand up to studying. Not that it needs study. It's too slight and frivolous to worry much about, and it gets downright ridiculous (or puerile) at times, so don't worry beyond having fun. For some, it might be too affected, and it might have too many lines that seem obvious, or are played with a kind of falseness when genuine intensity might be welcome. But not really. It's a set piece, a play held flat by celluloid, an overly controlled contrivance, a highly successful resolution of intention. When it's done, you won't be changed, you won't cry, but you'll feel good, and will have a good laugh or two to remember.Years later:I have to admit this movie just clicks with me, and every time I watch it I'm aware it's a completely frivolous, minor effort. But I really like it anyway, and I think it has some sparkling lines, really funny comic comeback and expressions. The movie is also one of the famous set of nearly flawless films shot for Allen by the great cinematographer Gordon Willis.The premise here is simple—three mismatched couples get together for a weekend in the country. (Note here—Allen famously hates the country, and this feels like upstate New York in spirit.) We not only see the quirks in the relationships that exist, we see the attempts at new matches in a kind of grab bag of infidelity. That part of the movie is silly and fun.The other theme here is sort of serious, though in comic clothes. And that's whether there is life after death, or a world of spirits in any way. The answer is Allen's wishful one: yes. But he can only approach it in this kind of fantasy, because in the real world he believes otherwise (from what I read). So this is just a postscript after yet another fun viewing. Short and funny.

Woody Allen's spoof of Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night" is one of his weaker efforts. Mia Farrow can be a wonderful actress, but she's just not the go-to person for comedy, and Allen would have done better to stick with her for his more serious work only.Even not very good Allen films, though, are good for a one-liner here and there, and "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" does deliver there. There aren't enough to make up for the film's stupid ending, but there are enough to make it possible to sit through.With this film, Allen was in a bit of a holding pattern between his excellent films from the 1970s and his fertile period in the mid-1980s.Grade: C