Manhattan Murder Mystery started life as a subplot in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), was dropped, then reworked as its own story as a vehicle for Allen and Mia Farrow. That fell through with the break-up with Farrow (and, no, I’m not getting into that here), and so it found new life as the movie that reunited Allen and Diane Keaton. That was a good move all around. If Allen needed anything at that moment, it was to remove him from the specter of Farrow — and to add a note of nostalgia for an earlier period in his career. This provided that — and more. It also gave him a pleasantly retro (though the term had yet to be popularized) vehicle — one grounded in the world of old Hollywood movies with the hapless husband being pulled into a mystery by an overly-imaginative wife (who just happens to be right) who senses a murder that he doesn’t. Its old-fashioned quality added to the nostalgia and the PG rating didn’t hurt.
It can be argued that Manhattan Murder Mystery is a minor work, if only because it lacks the complexity of deeper works like Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). But it’s also more likable than those films — as well as a lot of the Farrow era movies. It is a straight-up thrill comedy-mystery. It has no deeper meaning and lays claim to none. I’m not at all sure that that’s necessarily a bad thing. I’ve never heard anyone complain that Love and Death (1975) — a much wilder, more transgressive movie — lacked depth. What this is is simply a funny, stylish, entertaining comedy with not only great roles for Allen and Keaton, but supporting ones for Anjelica Huston and Alan Alda. On that level — not to mention such comedic highlights as the tape recorder scene (you’ll know it when you see it), the elevator scene (“Claustrophobia and a dead body — this is a neurotic’s jackpot”), and the splendid use of The Lady from Shanghai — it isn’t really minor at all.
A week after Daniel Radcliffe pops up as Jamie Lee Curtis’ and Geoffrey Rush’s son in The Tailor of Panama, here’s Zach Braff as Keaton’s and Allen’s offspring.
I saw this by accident in summer 2002. My parents picked up video requests for me while I recovered from wisdom teeth surgery. I’d asked for Manhattan and this came home instead, which wound up being a pleasant surprise.
I also remember watching Do The Right Thing and Pi for the first time that week, plus at least one viewing of The Royal Tenenbaums.
I assure you this to-be-famous theme is accidental.
Another happy accident.
Accident, perhaps. Happy, perhaps not.
Can’t wait. I’m still a big Woody fan and, just like Blow Out, I’m glad I haven’t seen this one yet so I can see it on the big screen. Bullets over Broadway is my favorite. I also love Zelig, Annie Hall, Sleeper, and Mighty Aphrodite.
My favorites are Manhattan, Stardust Memories, and Love and Death, but — apart from some of the straight dramas — I can’t think of one without merit. I have a soft spot for Bullets Over Broadway because I sat next to Jennifer Tilly during it at the 2006 Asheville Film Festival.
Here’s hoping we get a festival back, even the Action Fest was better than noting.
I wouldn’t hold my breath. It did okay and could have done better if it hadn’t fallen prey to bureaucracy and that woman the city brought in from Charlotte — whose entire experience lay in booking authors for the library — to oversee all things arts-wise. It was she specifically who killed the festival. But since the festival had never made money (these things don’t), the city was glad to be rid of it, though the promised — let’s call it privatized — replacement wasn’t even a shadow of what we had had. The Fine Arts and The Carolina could be brought on board, but the funding and organization…I don’t know where that would come from.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’d want to deal with it. It was a pretty thankless job. There were too many people who had their own ideas of what it should be — basically, a free-for-all where everything that was submitted would be screened — and who didn’t like the guests we had. The idea was it needed “hipper” guests than Jennifer or Tess Harper (I think they were okay with Ken Russell). And to this end, they tried to hold their own — competing — festival at the same time, though the only guest they ever managed to get was Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman. And what did he want? Why, passes to the actual AFF events, of course. I just really don’t think I’m up to that again. And I know I’m not up to explaining yet again why nobody but a very insular set of “hipsters” would show up for Harmony Korine (whose name was put forth twice).
ActionFest could have worked. It came very close to working, once it got past free stunts in the parking lot and focused on the movies being shown. But too many oars in the water and infighting did it in.
Cool. Thanks for the insight.
Cool is perhaps not the word I would choose to describe the situation.
It is a tremendous effort to engineer one of these festivals. They seem to work best when a few people work to make it happen while supporting the vision of one or two. Otherwise it is mayhem and that impacts attendance and the credibility of the event. You r experience with it sounds like a bit of a nightmare.
Well, when you’re dealing with a city, you’re at the mercy of a lot of folks. It is the nature of such things. Now, factor in a group of vocal detractors. It isn’t pretty. Overall, however, it was a nightmare worth putting up with.
I’m always happy there is Woody movie every year but I wonder if he should have retired after Midnight in Paris. It’s always better when artists leave on top. I did enjoy Blue Jasmine however even if it was a “homage” to Streetcar Named Desire.
Nonsense. In the first place, what artists have you seen leave on top? (Dying doesn’t count.) I can’t think of a one. I liked To Rome with Love a lot. I liked Blue Jasmine and think it’s much more than an homage to Streetcar (among other things, I can sit through Blue Jasmine). I adored Magic in the Moonlight. Why would I want to be deprived of those for some false idea of aptness? Allen has made some pretty lousy movies and indifferent ones at every point in his career. If Allen had listened to his detractors, he’d have quit long before he got to Midnight in Paris. Anyway, what does “on top” even mean? Most popular? Made the most money? Certainly it doesn’t mean best. We know how, say, Manhattan holds up after 36 years. Midnight in Paris — from a scant four years ago — hasn’t any real track record at all.
The first examples that come to mind…Seinfeld show, The Police, and the great Gene Hackman retired (no, Welcome to Mooseport is not a good swan song). I’m still glad Woody is making movies. We should clone some filmmakers so we can always have their work “coming to a theatre near you” Woody and Marty get cloned first.
I sure did love this one and it’s in my list of favorite Woody movies. Possible spoiler coming people……….my gut instinct was way off, halfway through I was thinking it was a parlor game set up by Ted the playwright to help spark Woody and Diane’s marriage. Dead wrong on that one. Great cinematography here too and fantastic use of the Shangiai footage.
Well, I suppose it depends on who/what you consider worthwhile, since I am not putting a TV series (and we’re still stuck with its star), a so-so rock band (has Sting actually gone away?), and a wildly uneven actor in the same league as Allen.
Hackman is great! Popeye man?!…….btw, new avatar ok? I figured suggesting another horror movie was a good trade.
Even if I thought Hackman as Popeye Doyle was one of the Great Things, then he must’ve hung around churning out movies for 35 years after his high watermark.
Harold Lloyd in Haunted Spooks (which is what it looks like) is definitely an improvement.