‘Irrational Man’ Trailer: Emma Stone Fixes Joaquin Phoenix in Woody Allen’s Latest

Not a year goes by without a new Woody Allen film, so even when he delivers a so-so product, there’s always the promise of a better film around the corner. This year brings Irrational Man, which is set to make its debut at Cannes next month ahead of its summer release. The first trailer has arrived to promote the Cannes premiere, and looks to feature rather charming performances from Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix.

Just the idea of Phoenix in a Woody Allen film is charming enough, but add Stone to the mix and you might just get charmed to death. The film follows a philosophy professor coping with impotence — both intellectual and physical — and despair, and struggling with a girlfriend (Parker Posey) who has expectations he’ll never quite live up to. Enter Emma Stone, a bright college student who inspires and stimulates Phoenix’s professor, effectively turning his life around.

The only potential issue that arises from the trailer is the perpetual idea that women exist to prop up/rescue men. But this is Woody Allen, and I doubt that’s all there is to this film, which carries his signature neurotic spirit and his gift of witty dialogue. Here’s hoping.

Irrational Man also stars Jamie Blackley and arrives in U.S. theaters on July 17.