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Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Garrett M. Brown, Stephanie Farrow, Will Holt ... see more see more... , Sol Lomita , John Rothman , Deborah Rush , Marianne Tatum , Mary Louise Wilson , Susan Sontag , Irving Howe , Saul Bellow , Bricktop , Dr. Bruno Bettelheim , Alice Beardsley , Ralph Bell , Prof. John Morion Blum , Erma Campbell , Ken Chapin , Marvin Chatinover , Wendy Craig , Derwin Jordan , John Doumanian , Ellen Garrison , Gordon Gould , Gale Hansen , Ed Herlihy , Patrick Horgan , Will Hussung , Michael Jeter , Kim Johnston-Ulrich , Gerald Klein , Jurgen Kuehn , Richard Litt , Peter McRobbie , Jean Trowbridge , Paula Trueman , Dwight Weist , Richard Whiting , Sharon Ferrol , George Hamlin , Stanley Simmonds , Kuno Sponholz , Dimitri Vassilopoulos , Jeanine Jackson , Howard Erskine , Vincent Jerosa , Robert Berger

Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon", is profiled in this mock-documentary. Director Woody Allen appears as Zelig in scenes that purport to be vintage newsreel clips of the 1920s and 1930s, but are ac... read more read more...tually clever recreations, "aged" and scratched-up Citizen Kane-style by special-effects maestros Joel Hynick, Stuart Robinson and R. Greenberg Associates. An appropriately pompous narrator details the life and times of Leonard Zelig, whose overwhelming desire for conformity is manifested in his ability to take on the facial and vocal characteristics of whomever he happens to be around at the moment. He shows up at batting practice with Babe Ruth, among William Randolph Hearst's guests as San Simeon, side by side with Pope Pius at the Vatican, and peering anxiously over the shoulder of Adolf Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Becoming a celebrity in his own right, Zelig inspires a song, a dance craze, and a Warner Bros. biopic. Mia Farrow plays Dr. Eudora Fletcher , a psychiatrist who tries to "reach" Zelig and ultimately falls in love with him (all of Farrow's scenes are in black-and-white and allegedly culled from archive footage; Ellen Garrison, whose resemblance to Farrow is uncanny, plays the older Dr. Fletcher in the interview sequences). In the manner of Reds, the influence of the fictional Leonard Zelig on popular culture is discussed by such real-life notables as Susan Sontag, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow and Dr. Bruno Bettenheim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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18 critics

PG, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Woody Allen

Release Date: July 15, 1983

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DVD Release Date: November 6, 2001

Stats: 827 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (827)

  • cosmo313
    May 20, 2012
    cosmo313
    This is Woody Allen's funny, offbeat, and really cleverly hilarious mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon"- a man with a multiple personality disorder so bad, he compulsively transforms into anyone that he is near.

    The bulk of the film is shot in the style of 19... read more20s/30s newsreels, and follows Leonard through history as he does everything from show up to batting practive with Babe Ruth, appear at the Vatican with Pope Pius and stand behind Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Basically, this film pioneered the same concept and special effects later used to great effect and acclaim by Robert Zemeckis with Forrest Gump.

    This film is a lot funnier, more clever, and more zany, though. Besides his antics with mimicking people and showing up at various historical events, Zelig becomes a celebrity in his own right, and, while being treated and cured by Dr. Eudora Fletcher, he falls in love.

    This is a brisk, funny, very sweet, and terrific film. I loved the ideas and the execution. At a running time of 80 somehting minutes though, this feels really slight and the style seems to overrun the substance. The film does get slightly beneath the surface though, so it's not all fluff. It's not one of Woody's best, but I'd put it near the top of his B-Sides.
  • axadntpron
    November 15, 2011
    axadntpron
    My mind has now been blown by Woody Allen. I mean, I have always liked him. Yet, this film makes me feel as though I am only beginning to scratch the surface of Allen's creativity. The fact that this was made in the 80's only serves to impressive me even more. The special effects... read more are incredibly well done and this film succeeded in looking like a collage of film stock from the 20's. The film may lose steam in the middle, but the impression is likely to stay with you forever. A wholly unique and mesmerizing experience.
  • JonathanHutchings
    October 2, 2011
    JonathanHutchings
    Without hesitation or exaggeration, Zelig is the most creative Woody Allen film I've ever seen. It's debatable whether this film was the first true mockumentary, but it certainly popularized it as a legitimate comedic narrative device (Christopher Guest certainly owes a debt to i... read moret). Not to mention, that, with fairly primitive bluescreen technology, Allen was able to achieve a seamless visual triumph of inserting Leonard Zelig into any timeframe, any historical photo a full 11 years before ILM achieved a similar feat with Forrest Gump. The attention to detail is staggering (apparently, Allen and cinematographer Gordon Willis would not find similar cameras and lenses used in the 20s and 30s to shoot on, they would nick and scratch the film negatives to reproduce a vintage, "burn mark" on the film stock).

    Allen plays Leonard, a man so devoid of identity, so eager to assimilate, that he literally takes on the appearance or, at least, the attributes of anyone he comes in contact with. Mia Farrow plays his psychiatrist, Dr. Eudora Fletcher, and taken in smaller doses, she actually is perfect in this role. There are a few moments when you get to see an extended dialogue between the two, most notably when her brother is filming "The White Room" sessions at her country estate. This is the only time that Allen's shtick gets to flex, as he cracks jokes about teaching a Masturbation class. Advanced. I also loved Zelig groaning about Eudora's terrible cooking under hypnosis. Eventually, Dr. Fletcher is able to cure him, and with his newfound personality, he and Eudora fall in love.

    Allen also introduces the idea of Zelig's story being filmed as a movie, so he inter cuts some of the news sources with scenes from the film (very funny). There were moments early on that I perhaps wondered if he was going to be able to sustain my interest. I thought he might be playing this conceit a little too long. What had, in the first 20 minutes, been enchanting and amusing seemed to dwindle in the middle of the film. Would he really succeed at telling an engaging story in this method? Well, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. He layers so many meanings into his character's transformations, and all of his historians offer different interpretations. The importance of being yourself. How Zelig's journey was America's journey during the tumultuous and wild 20's. He also has a great running gag about Moby Dick that lampoons the Great American Novel.

    At one level, Zelig is a simple satire, a fake documentary about a made-up "human chameleon" celebrity of the 1920's. It's rich with typical Allen touches and lines. But at another, it is a serious examination of how we adulate then try to destroy celebrities in America. At yet another, it is an examination of the Jewish compulsion to assimilate into whatever society we happen to be in.

    But there are even more layers to this film. Allen manages to be laugh out loud farcical through most of this movie, but in the way of all great screen comedians, injects pathos into the film when Zelig, about to be sentenced for multiple crimes committed when he was in his "chameleon states" disappears leaving his heartbroken fiancée/psychiatrist behind.

    And at an even deeper level, it's a rejection of the modern tendency to have to understand what things mean, rather than just appreciating them. This latter bit is shown by an actor discussing his book, "Interpreting Zelig," immediately followed by the late (and brilliant) Susan Sontag, playing herself, disputing this while the subtitle identifying her shows her as the author of "Against Interpretation." Indeed any film that manages to have Dr. Bruno Bettleheim, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow and Sonntag playing in it, commenting on the fictional Zelig, is something that can appeal to many people in many ways.

    Undoubtedly, this reflects the complex character of Zelig himself, who could be so many different things to so many different people. This complexity is, like it is for Zelig, both a curse and its redemption. Rather than just a silly little fake documentary or a complex dissertation on art and philosophy, it's both and neither.

    All this creates a remarkably rich cinematic experience which is genuinely unique, even among Allen's several "mockumentaries" like "The Harvey Wallanger Story," "Take the Money and Run" and "Sweet and Lowdown." It pulls off a difficult feat: it revels in its themes and subtextual complexity, yet it doesn't take itself too seriously at the same time -- a rare comedy that's both funny and legitimately intellectual.
  • kenstachnik
    July 2, 2011
    kenstachnik
    One of my new favorite 2nd tier Allen films. An unusual, funny, charming and cute film that's a delight to watch.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 18, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Wonderfully engaging and absolutely hilarious mockumentary. A masterpiece of the genre!
  • FrizzDrop
    July 28, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Very cute and quaint. Funny, but not overdone, and highly unusual at that.
  • tsigur
    February 20, 2008
    tsigur
    I love the mockumentary genre and Woody Allen does it better than anyone.
  • jennifxu
    June 24, 2007
    jennifxu
    officially one of the most hilarious and FUN movies ever! if before i thought i loved woody allen, it does not even compare to how much i totally, totally idolize him now. this is the first mockumentary i've ever seen and allen pulls it off with extreme panache. i love his choice... read mores of music, always have. the dialogue crackles with one-liners and mia farrow fits perfectly with the 1920s surroundings. the idea is brilliant and omg woody allen should win every oscar he is nominated for because he is truly the greatest screenplayer to EVER live.
  • garyX
    May 21, 2007
    garyX
    Another solid comedy by Woody Allen, this mockumentary about a man so bland he instantly takes on the characteristics of whoever he is with has some brilliant lines and is quite a witty social commentary.
  • pier007
    May 13, 2007
    pier007
    A hilarious pseudo-documentary by Woody Allen. Charm, absurdity and pure joy from start to finish.

View All Zelig Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Bradshaw
December 22, 2011
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

A masterpiece: a brilliant, even passionate historical pastiche, a superbly pregnant meditation on American society and individuality, and an eerie fantasy that will live in your dreams. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 8, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Woody Allen's Zelig (1983) perfected the fake documentary a year before This Is Spinal Tap. Full Review

Steve Crum
December 8, 2006
Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

Hilarious Woody Allen vehicle, a mockumentary with special effects ahead of its time.

Alan Dale
January 17, 2006
Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org

Allen is one of the most recognizable, and least protean, performers.... [P]erhaps ... someone else as Zelig ... could have got the idea across without the blandly explicit dialogue and brought more d... Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 2, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Woody Allen's comedy about a self-effacing man, who swiftly changes identities is original, clever, droll, and extremely well shot by ace lenser Gordon Willis. Full Review

Boo Allen
July 31, 2004
Boo Allen, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Brilliant early film of the woodman shows his creative genius as a filmmaker.

Dennis Schwartz
February 24, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Mildly amusing one-joke move. Full Review

David Nusair
July 25, 2003
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a fairly entertaining little movie...for a while, anyway. Full Review

Ken Hanke
December 1, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Clever, but a 20 minute idea stretched to feature length.

Christopher Null
October 14, 2001
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Absurd and fascinating at the same time. Full Review

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