I rented one of my favorite Woody Allen movies last night. No, not Annie Hall … but Manhattan Murder Mystery. I don’t understand why this movie didn’t get more acclaim. It’s one of my absolute favorites of his films, and it makes me laugh OUT LOUD every time I see it.
My friend Mitchell and I went to see it when it was out in the theatres, and completely were enraptured by it. It’s a rollicking ridiculous comedy, of the type they usually don’t make anymore.
Here’s Berardinelli’s original review. He opens with:
What happens when a bored wife thinks her kindly old neighbor commits a murder? Woody Allen attempts to answer the question in his latest cinematic endeavor, Manhattan Murder Mystery.
Diane Keaton (married to Woody Allen) becomes convinced that her mild-mannered smiling next-door neighbor murdered his wife in cold blood. Woody Allen, needless to say, tries to talk her out of her wild theories. But soon she is like a woman obsessed. She peers through the peephole any time she hears any noise out in the hallway, she wanders through her own apartment, theorizing outloud as Woody Allen rolls his eyes. At one point he pleads with her: “Save some craziness for menopause!” Alan Alda plays a mutual friend of Diane and Woody who gets caught up in her excitement. He is a kind of bitter recently divorced guy who holds a reaaalllly passive-aggressive torch for Diane Keaton. Anyway, he gets all fired up by Diane Keaton’s theories. Diane and Ted start to do stake-outs in front of random apartments that have to do with “the case”. Woody Allen thinks they are both loonytunes. His Upper West Side wife is on a stake-out. Diane and Alan Alda discuss “running checks” on this or that lead … but it’s all so funny because … uhm … “run a check”? You’re not a detective. How you gonna do that?
Other characters who join in the lunacy:
— Anjelica Huston plays an author whose book Woody Allen is editing. It is such a funny performance, what my friend Mitchell would call “sheer liquid bullshit”. She is self-absorbed, mildly hostile, aggressive, wears head-to-toe leather, and is kind of casually convinced that she is the sexiest woman in the world. Such an amusing performance. She must have had so much fun.
— Joy Behar and Ron Rivkin play friends of Diane and Woody who somehow get caught up in “the case”. I love both of them.
Has anyone else seen this movie? It’s a comedy in the true Woody-Allen sense of the word. It’s ludicrous, it seems improvisational, but you know it’s not … People race around, hide under beds, behave in ridiculous ways …
But then at the very end, there’s somehow a deeper meaning to all of it. Also at the end there is a kick-ass scene in an old movie theatre, with broken mirrors, Lady From Shanghai being projected behind the actors, everything reflected many many times over through the cracked discarded mirrors, a mirroring effect from the final standoff in the Orson Welles film.
What I really like about the movie (or one of the things) is that Woody Allen makes NO BONES about the fact that Diane Keaton is kind of mildly bored in her marriage, and “the case” is a way for her to keep her life exciting. You never get the sense she’s gonna cheat on Woody, nothing like that … but she has lines that literally go like this: “Are you still attracted to me?” Woody will say, “What are you talking about? Of course I am?” Diane Keaton sits, thinking about this, and then says, in a more excited way, “I wonder if Mrs. Haus knew that her husband was cheating on her!” Or whatever. Like – so obvious. Leaping from: “Are you bored wiht me?” to her obsession.
Diane Keaton is so funny. I’ve gone on and on about her before, but one of the things I particularly love about her is that you never catch her acting. Never. Her work is so alive that you can’t believe she’s saying words that were once on a page.
Her performances in Woody Allen movies (actually, most people’s performances in most Woody Allen movies) seem so spontaneous that people assume that most of it is improvised. Or that Woody will give a general idea of a scene (a la Christopher Guest in his movies) and then let the actors go to town making stuff up. But no – Woody Allen doesn’t use improvisation. All of that dialogue is written down. Which makes the spontanaeity of those movies even more remarkable.
Anyway. Manhattan Murder Mystery. One of my favorites. If you haven’t seen it, and want a ridiculously fun and funny movie, I highly recommend it.
Just to see Anjelica Huston sashay around self-importantly in a black-leather suit, smoking and bragging casually about how she “put herself through school playing blackjack” … It’s not comedy of the “hahaha” kind, not obvious perhaps. But it’s the kind of comedy I love and respond to. Character-driven comedy. She is so hiLARious in this movie, even though she probably doesn’t have one overtly “funny” line.
Oh you are so right about Manhattan Murder Mystery, Sheila! i put it up there with Stardust Memories, Annie Hall and Manhattan as my favorites. And it doesn’t get enough acclaim. Alan Alda is fantastic in it, too.
Sounds a little like “Rear Window”, one of my favorites. I’d watch that one for Grace Kelly’s outfits if nothing else.
I loved Anjelica Huston in “Enemies, A Love Story”.
Diane Keaton should have been the murder victim, she was that irritating.She drove me up the wall, and this movie was a torment.Crimes and Misdemeanors was far superior, though of a different tone.I have seen several vintage Allen films since, and his stuff just doesn’t hold up well.
Somewhere along the way I sort of stopped paying attention to Woody, which I know wasn’t entirely justified. MMM is one I should have seen but didn’t – I’ll hafta put it on the list. Off the top of my head, my favorite three Woody Allen movies are probably Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose Of Cairo and Take The Money And Run. But it isn’t right that I’ve ignored most of his more recent stuff, need to get to work on that…
Manhattan Murder Mystery is a fabulous movie — I daresay my favorite scene is … well, not to spoil it, so I’ll just note one of the lines: (“They’re keeping it refrigerated!”)
Honestly, though — MMM just hits every note and hits it exactly right, at least I thought so. I think you have to like Woody Allen for it to work, because his character is so Woody Allen-ish, if that makes any sense. More so than usual, I mean. But it does a great job of building up from the mundane stuff of life to the thrill of the chase, and it really is funny along the way. I love the scene in the hotel where Larry gives someone a tip and they give him a dirty look, and Larry says, “What are you making that face for? He’s the father of our country!”
sheil, i love it to..ive watched it so many times…Anjelica Houston kills me..so full of herself…gleefully..the scene at dinner when she basicall takes ove the “case” is so funny..and to watch Diane Keaton give up on it because she’s not the center of attention is so subtly brilliant.
also the mirror scene at the end is a reference to The Lady from Shanghai with Rita Hayworth..check it out if u havent seen it..its great! Orson Welles..before he self-destructed..what happened to him..does anyone know?
Hey carlton, listen up dude. The only time you ever comment on this blog is to make obnoxious remarks like that. If you find my taste so irritating, that that is all you ever have to add to the conversation, then please, I beg of you: stop reading my blog.
I don’t give a shit if people don’t like what I like, but when that’s ALL you EVER have to say, I get annoyed.
Go away. Now.
Ben – Yes, that scene with multiple tape recorders NEVER gets old. I am laughing out loud right now remembering it!
Mitchell – I haven’t seen that movie – but that’s the one playing as the shoot-out occurs, right? I think I got a glimpse of Orson in one of those broken mirrors.
Mitchell, right – as Anjelica Huston suddenly takes over and starts using all the crime lingo:
“And then, we nab him.”
hahahaha Such bullshit!
Ben – Right!!! hahaha He’s giving the guy a DOLLAR tip. So clueless.
I love the fake audition they all set up with the bimbo actress. hilarious.
Mitchell, how about when Diane Keaton says with deadly seriousness to Woody Allen when he suggests going to the police:
“This is my case, honey.”
haha
Also when she says, rapturously, “I’m gonna bust this thing wide open.”
hahaha
yes! “bust this thing wide open”…so hilarious!
Oh and Mitchell, how ’bout:
“Don’t gimme Ted!”
Boy – it’s been years since I’ve seen that one. My memories are pretty vague on it, but I remember enjoying it. I seem to recall thinking of it as one of those squirming-while-you-watch “Oh, they’re not going to do that, are they?” types of movies.
wheels:
hahaha Exactly. Like when she sneaks into the guy’s apartment. Like: Diane, you have NO BUSINESS being in his apartment!!