Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When Lenny and his wife, Amanda, adopt a baby, Lenny realizes that his son is a genius and becomes obsessed with finding the boy's biological mother in hopes that she will be brilliant too. But when he learns that Max's mother is Linda Ash, a kindhearted prostitute and porn star, Lenny is determined to reform her immoral lifestyle. A Greek chorus chimes in to relate the plot to Greek mythology in this quirky comedy.
Mighty Aphrodite is a mid-tier Woody Allen comedy elevated significantly by its genuinely distinctive conceit: a literal Greek chorus commenting on the farcical modern-day plot, drawing explicit parallels to Greek tragedy and mythology. This device is inventive and executed with real wit, earning high Novelty marks. Mira Sorvino's Oscar-winning turn as Linda Ash is a genuine comedic achievement, though the rest of the cast is competent rather than exceptional. The plot itself is charming but slight, and the resolution feels a bit pat and fairy-tale convenient, if pleasantly so. Cinematographically, Allen and Carlo Di Palma deliver a workmanlike but unremarkable visual palette — functional rather than inspired. The ending wraps things up neatly with whimsy but lacks the dramatic or comedic punch of Allen's better conclusions.