Andrew and Adrian (Woody Allen, Mary Steenburgen) are having marital problems, but have invited her cousin, an arrogant intellectual (Jose Ferrer) and his bride-to-be (Mia Farrow) to their country estate to be married. Also invited are Andrew's friend Maxwell (Tony Roberts), an exceptionally horny doctor, and his attractive nurse (Julie Haggerty). The attempted infidelities, failed seductions and broken rendezvous are fun but at times tend to feel a bit slight in Allen's A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy. What makes this worth watching is Allen's direction, which is often nothing short of fantastic – some great tracking shots, plenty of long takes, effective cinematography courtesy of Gordon Willis and some perfectly blocked shots, making it one of Allen's best-looking films. What it may lack in substance, it makes up for in style.

Just an alright entry from Woody Allen Some of the genius is missing here This does all the laughs he goes for in a visually charming, sweetly paced picture, yet it comes off as a disappointment because he doesn't go for more It just could've been something brighter, funnier and less draggy in spots The cast is good with a lovely time period to draw from Allen should've been more ambitious though

Writer/director/performer Woody Allen explores previously fruitful thematic elements in this first of a 13-film-long collaboration between himself and Mia Farrow. However, where other films in that celebrated list — like "Radio Days" & "The Purple Rose Of Cairo" — impressed me greatly, "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" greatly disappoints. I'm not sure if it's the stuffiness of the period, the flimsiness of the character work or the oddly placed sci-fi/fantasy(?) elements littered throughout, but I just couldn't invest myself in this narrative. The premise of three couples systematically rendezvousing with one another in secret seems not only like the plot for a decent movie, but an even better one for a Woody Allen movie. In reality, I just didn't care much for any of what was happening in this. Also, I guess Mia Farrow got nominated for a Razzie for her performance? I mean, she's absolutely put forth better work in her career, but, Jesus Christ, it wasn't that bad.

A lot themes of Allen are in display here. Not a remarkable movie but completely watchable. Highlights: the scenes without cut and the amount of dialogue in them, kitchen joke.

This is a fine film, well-written, and like Shakespeare's play containing a confusion of lovers and a magic wood. An especially fine performance from Jose Ferrer.

Put sex in the title and they'll flock to see this weak version of a 1970s 'farce', borrowing bits from Shakespeare to add gravitas.

#WOODYALLENRETRO PODCAST PROJECT A nice getaway and return to lighthearted hijinx from woody with some light introspection on romance.. love vs sex... Its not mindblowing but its fun - Tony Roberts really shines in this one - an entertaining watch

Mia Farrow's usually great, but for a fair bit of this it just seems like she's doing a second-rate Diane Keaton impression. Otherwise very good.

"- How's your marriage? - My marriage is fine.It's not working but it's fine."

(F) 7.8 [Woody Allen]

With more than 40 titles on his resume, Woody Allen's career has rarely been static. He wouldn't be working today if he made the same movie every year. While Woody Allen movies most certainly can be defined reflexively, his style is much more a matter of applying a precise tone to an exact (and usually unique) situation. After beginning his career with wacky comedies like Love and Death and Bananas, Allen moved into dramatic territory. The killer one-two punch of Annie Hall and Manhattan meant that not long after he began making dramatic movies, he had nothing left to prove, and the 1980s saw him move back toward comedies, but many of these films, like A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, are a little more experimental than the comedies Allen made in the 1970s. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is a retelling of Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night, and as such, it's an extremely frothy look at romantic entanglements on a hot summer evening circa 1900. Unlike Bergman's film, this one involves a wedding, as well as a flying bicycle and an orb that reveals the ghosts and spirits of past, present, and future love. Andrew (Woody Allen) and Adrian (Mary Steenburgen) are an unhappily married couple set to host the wedding of Adrian's cousin, the impossibly snobbish philosopher Leopold (Jose Ferrer). He's marrying Ariel (Mia Farrow), who Adrian doesn't realize is Andrew's ex. Also invited is Andrew's best friend, Maxwell (Tony Roberts), a doctor who invites his nurse Dulcy (Julie Hagerty) to make it a party of six. Andrew is a burnt out stock broker who's turned his energy toward his inventions, including the aforementioned flying bicycle. He's able to accomplish quite a bit since he isn't spending any time in bed with Adrian, who shrivels up at the thought of having sex. Andrew's pined for Ariel ever since their courtship ended years ago, and while she's about to marry, she's not sure her feelings for Andrew have ever dissipated. Their relationship was never consummated in the bedroom, and both of wondered for years how their lives would be different if they ever became sexual together. Meanwhile, Maxwell-a real playboy-falls in love with Ariel at first sight. These aren't feelings he's ever known before, and he's willing to kill himself if she doesn't leave Leopold for him. And Leopold, who never thought he'd give up the bachelor's lifestyle, is getting cold feet. He wants to bed a woman-Dulcy?-before giving himself to Ariel for the rest of his life. The relations are obviously quite complicated, but they're also the source of much of the films humor. EVERYONE in the film has an ulterior motive; they all claim at various points to be going for a walk, but none of these six just goes for a walk. Watching Leopold and Maxwell (who loathe each other) accidentally meet while waiting to sleep with the other's partner is gold. They not-so-casually discuss leaves as Ariel crashes the flying bicycle (Oh, that flying bicycle!) and Dulcy gives Adrian a lesson in intercourse. It's a brilliant sequence. The film falls on its face just a bit as it tries to wrap up each character's story and all other sorts of loose ends satisfactorily. If anything, though, its clumsy attempts to do so add a nice dose of absurdism to the proceedings. You won't often see A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy ranked among Woody Allen's best. And certainly, it doesn't measure up to Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, or Annie Hall, but it's a solid second-tier Allen film and a comedy that's as zany as it is sure of itself. http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/midsummer-nights-sex-comedy-review/

Very good Woody film, perhaps underrated.

Standard fun woody Allen movie. Interesting philosophy, incessant conversation, subtle innuendos, abundant talk about sex yet nothing much else and pretty decent acting. What I did miss was the laugh out loud moments.

Due to the release of his new feature film I couldn't resist revisiting a Woody Allen film I have yet to see & although it's no master stroke it was genuinely appealing. The story of three couples & mis matched love & lust with funny results. Woody Allen was great as the crackpot inventor & I can help but love his dialogue. It's the confusion of the characters that makes this film so charming. It's fluffy, intellectual & overall silly. Will appeal to Woody Enthusiasts.

Definitely the weakest link of Woody Allen's movies from the 1980s, but it isn't unwatchable.

Allen's least funny comedy. But it's still entertaining in it's own weird way.

A mixed bag for sure, there's an immediate pleasantness to the proceedings of the film, but unfortunately not a whole lot more. With a few tweaks this could have been great.

Likely the most Wes Andersonian of Woody's movies, here is a movie that adores the time period it's in. All of the characters run around with straw hats, goggles & suspenders with the same sexual frustration that existed in the early 80's, but it's cuter this way. Like Anderson's films the house in the country is filmed like a model, but simply to give us a picturesque view of the country. The 3 couples play badminton, eat al fresco, discuss new contraptions and go for country walks, all while discussing the possibility of an unseen magic world beyond our known reality, and fighting off their animalistic sexual urges (or lack thereof). There are wonderful revelations in the 3rd act, but mostly it's just fun to see the director having fun again with a tone that's been missing since "Love & Death." It's his first film with his muse of the 80's Mia Farrow, and the beginning of their decade long, tumultuous romance.

Woody successfully invokes the Shakespearean spirit of comic fantasy but Mia Farrow just lacks the charm and wit of Diane Keaton

A soufflé worth watching if only for Gordon Willis's magnificent camerawork. Quite enjoyable fare otherwise but not quite up there with Allen's best. If you like him, you'll enjoy it.