Director Woody Allen was interviewed on the radio program Fresh Air (American National Public Radio) the other day, and repeatedly insisted that, whatever his fans may think, the characters in his films bear no resemblance whatsoever to the real him. His own marriage to a woman 34 years his junior, or his past alleged midlife relationship with a teenager, for example, are entirely coincidental to the fact that so many of his films deal with that older man wins younger woman theme. Allen's forthcoming release, "Whatever Works," has 61-year-old Larry David falling for 21-year-old Evan Rachel Wood.

Allen seems to deny the obvious — that an artist's life necessarily spills onto the page (as does a critic's), consciously or unconsciously, even if it's in such simple ways as choice of subject or where to focus one's attention. The Fresh Air interview concluded with a lengthy quote from one of Allen's characters — comedy writer Isaac Davis in "Manhattan" — that sounded almost verbatim to comments Allen was making as the "real Woody" during the interview. This leaves the impression that Allen is either oblivious or coy when it comes to acknowledging that his scripts are indeed full of his obsessions, joys, hang-ups and concerns.

Just look at "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which Allen scripted as well as directed. It's a film in Allen's recent style ("Match Point," "Cassandra's Dream") where the classic and constant Woody Allen character — kvetching, neurotic New York City Jewish intellectual who gets the girl — is left out of the script for a change. Allen is better these days when he's moving outside his comfort zone, and that's certainly true here, yet even without Woody in his usual role — or an Allen surrogate like Will Ferrell or Jason Biggs — his personality comes seeping through every frame.