review for Husbands and Wives on AllMovie

A docudrama style look at infidelity and marriage amongst a group of fortysomethings, this penetrating film by Woody Allen contains all of his signature one-liners and New York valentines, but with a refreshing sense of irony and brittle humor. Husbands and Wives doesn't stray much from his dissections of romance past, which include the remarkable Annie Hall, but this newer film features a self-reflexive nature absent from many of his previous efforts. The cast is uniformly first-rate, especially Judy Davis as the film's foremost neurotic, and a welcome addition to writer-director Allen's gallery of fine female portrayals. Interestingly, the film opened after a highly publicized real-life scandal involving Allen, Mia Farrow (also featured in the film) and Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-yi Previn. Many critics noted that watching this film was like peering into the private lives of its principal characters, especially in a film whose key theme is remaining faithful in a rocky marriage.