Irrational Man
A new philosophy professor arrives on a small town campus near Newport, Rhode Island. His name, Abe Lucas. His reputation : bad. Abe is said to be a womanizer and an alcoholic. But what people do not know is that he is a disillusioned idealist. Since he has become aware of his inability to change the world, he has indeed been living in a state of deep nihilism and arrogant desperation. In class, he only goes through the motions and outside he drinks too much. But as far as sex is concerned, he is just a shadow of himself now: depression is not synonymous with Viagra! For all that, he can't help being attracted to one of his students, pretty and bright Jill Pollard. He enters into a relationship with her which remains platonic, even if Jill would not say no to more. The situation remains unchanged for a while until, one day, in a diner, Abe and Jill surprise a conversation that will change the course of their lives dramatically...
Despite its modest budget of $11.0M, Irrational Man became a box office success, earning $27.4M worldwide—a 149% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Irrational Man (2015) reveals deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Woody Allen's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 35 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.4, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Abe Lucas
Jill Pollard
Rita Richards
Main Cast & Characters
Abe Lucas
Played by Joaquin Phoenix
A nihilistic philosophy professor battling depression and existential despair who finds new purpose through a morally questionable act.
Jill Pollard
Played by Emma Stone
A bright, idealistic college student who becomes infatuated with her troubled philosophy professor.
Rita Richards
Played by Parker Posey
A married chemistry professor who pursues an affair with Abe, seeking escape from her mundane marriage.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Abe Lucas arrives at Braylin College, rumored to be a brilliant but troubled philosophy professor. He drinks from a flask and appears deeply depressed, having lost his passion for life and philosophy.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Despite Jill's growing fascination with Abe, he confesses he cannot feel anything - he's impotent emotionally and physically. His crisis of meaning deepens as he fails to connect with either Jill or Rita.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to At a diner with Jill, Abe overhears a woman at the next booth describing how a corrupt family court judge is destroying her life. He becomes intensely focused on her plight, and an idea takes root: what if he could take action to help?., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jill confronts Abe with her discovery that he murdered the judge. She recognizes the flashlight she gave him was used in the crime. The "perfect crime" is revealed to the one person he loves. His philosophical justifications collapse under her moral horror., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 76 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jill decides she cannot live with the secret and must go to the police. Abe, facing exposure, makes the desperate decision to kill Jill by pushing her down an elevator shaft - revealing his moral philosophy was always self-serving rationalization., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Irrational Man's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Irrational Man against these established plot points, we can identify how Woody Allen utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Irrational Man within the comedy genre.
Woody Allen's Structural Approach
Among the 42 Woody Allen films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Irrational Man takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Woody Allen filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Woody Allen analyses, see Everyone Says I Love You, Celebrity and Interiors.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Abe Lucas arrives at Braylin College, rumored to be a brilliant but troubled philosophy professor. He drinks from a flask and appears deeply depressed, having lost his passion for life and philosophy.
Theme
Jill's voiceover discusses how Abe believes that too much thinking about life has paralyzed him, and that "so much of philosophy is verbal masturbation" - establishing the central tension between abstract thought and meaningful action.
Worldbuilding
We meet the academic world of Braylin College: Jill is an eager philosophy student with a devoted boyfriend Roy; colleague Rita is unhappily married and drawn to Abe; Abe lectures on existentialism and moral philosophy while wrestling with his own meaninglessness.
Disruption
Despite Jill's growing fascination with Abe, he confesses he cannot feel anything - he's impotent emotionally and physically. His crisis of meaning deepens as he fails to connect with either Jill or Rita.
Resistance
Abe debates his existential paralysis with Jill through philosophical conversations. She tries to draw him out while Roy grows jealous. Rita pursues him sexually but Abe remains unable to engage with life meaningfully.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
At a diner with Jill, Abe overhears a woman at the next booth describing how a corrupt family court judge is destroying her life. He becomes intensely focused on her plight, and an idea takes root: what if he could take action to help?
Premise
Abe researches the judge, plans the murder using cyanide in orange juice, and grows increasingly animated. He finally becomes sexually functional with Jill. He methodically works out how to commit an untraceable murder while teaching about Kant and moral philosophy.
Opposition
Police investigate but find no leads. Abe continues his affair with Jill while Rita grows suspicious of his transformation. Jill reads about the judge's death and begins connecting dots. She finds the philosophy book about the perfect crime that Abe was reading.
Collapse
Jill confronts Abe with her discovery that he murdered the judge. She recognizes the flashlight she gave him was used in the crime. The "perfect crime" is revealed to the one person he loves. His philosophical justifications collapse under her moral horror.
Crisis
Abe desperately tries to convince Jill that the murder was justified - a pure moral act that saved lives. Jill is torn between her love for him and her ethical convictions. She struggles with whether to go to the police.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jill decides she cannot live with the secret and must go to the police. Abe, facing exposure, makes the desperate decision to kill Jill by pushing her down an elevator shaft - revealing his moral philosophy was always self-serving rationalization.
Synthesis
Abe lures Jill to a campus building, planning to push her into an open elevator shaft. At the crucial moment, as he lunges at her, he stumbles over her flashlight - the same one she gave him - and falls to his death instead.
Transformation
Jill survives and returns to her normal life with Roy. Her voiceover reflects on Abe's corruption - how a man seeking meaning through philosophy became a murderer. The flashlight that symbolized their bond became the instrument of poetic justice.