Genre
Comedy | Mystery
Director
Country
USA
Cast
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen, Melanie Norris, Marge Redmond, Joy Behar, Zach Braff
Storyline
Larry (Woody Allen) and Carol (Diane Keaton), a middle aged couples, suspects foul play when their neighbor's (Jerry Adler) wife suddenly dies.
Opinion
After making some pretty heavy dramatic films, Woody Allen once again returns to comedies, and he still has it; "Manhattan Murder Mystery" indeed is a great blend of mystery, suspense and humour, slightly underrated, that shouldn't go unnoticed.
Written by Allen himself and Marshall Brickman, co-writer of "Sleeper", "Annie Hall", and "Manhattan", the brilliant screenplay pays homage to several movies, from "The Lady from Shanghai" to "Rear Window", and mixes dry humour with some light violence that results in some ridiculous, and funny situations.
The plot is quite simple, but fresh and approachable, and having so much humour and suspense at the same time is just too good to be true. Most of the fun though doesn't come from the humour itself but from the characters, and from the fact that they are upper-middle class New Yorkers and make their life so much more interesting by trying to solve what they think might be a murder.
As a mystery, the film doesn't take itself too seriously. It is quite predictable but the point is not finding out who the murderer is, because it's clear from the start, but confirming the couple's suspicion. So yeah, instead of focusing on the story, the film focuses more on the characters and their reactions to situations, and it's great.
After the legal trouble with Mia Farrow, Allen re-cast Diane Keaton, and let me say this, the reunion is just spectacular. There still is such a great chemistry between Allen and Keaton, and they both are in top form. The supporting cast is also impressive, from Alan Alda to Anjelica Huston who gives a terrific comedic performance as a novelist.
If you liked Allen's "Broadway Danny Rose" or "Radio Days", you're gonna love this one.
Written by Allen himself and Marshall Brickman, co-writer of "Sleeper", "Annie Hall", and "Manhattan", the brilliant screenplay pays homage to several movies, from "The Lady from Shanghai" to "Rear Window", and mixes dry humour with some light violence that results in some ridiculous, and funny situations.The plot is quite simple, but fresh and approachable, and having so much humour and suspense at the same time is just too good to be true. Most of the fun though doesn't come from the humour itself but from the characters, and from the fact that they are upper-middle class New Yorkers and make their life so much more interesting by trying to solve what they think might be a murder.
As a mystery, the film doesn't take itself too seriously. It is quite predictable but the point is not finding out who the murderer is, because it's clear from the start, but confirming the couple's suspicion. So yeah, instead of focusing on the story, the film focuses more on the characters and their reactions to situations, and it's great.
After the legal trouble with Mia Farrow, Allen re-cast Diane Keaton, and let me say this, the reunion is just spectacular. There still is such a great chemistry between Allen and Keaton, and they both are in top form. The supporting cast is also impressive, from Alan Alda to Anjelica Huston who gives a terrific comedic performance as a novelist.
If you liked Allen's "Broadway Danny Rose" or "Radio Days", you're gonna love this one.
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