Manhattan Murder Mystery
by Woody Allen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Diane Keaton, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen, Ron Rifkin, Woody AllenDirector: Woody Allen
Brand: Manhattan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-12-15
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Manhattan Murder Mystery
Movie Review: "Goodbye, Mrs. House"
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, okay, so I know that MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY has always been regarded -- by prevailing opinion, at any rate -- as a lesser Woody Allen film, unfit to be considered among the heyday gems such as ANNIE HALL, MANHATTAN, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, but who cares about prevailing opinion anyway? This film is very funny and certainly one of my favorites. (Is that blasphemy?) Although it certainly doesn't have much of a deep message camouflaged behind the one-liners, it is a lot of fun; it even seems like the actors had a lot of fun making it -- which seems somewhat incredible in light of the fact that it was filmed in the deep, dark shadow of the Mia Farrow-Soon Yi Previn scandal. (A recent biography, obviously slanted in Allen's favor, reported that, even after the scandal, Mia Farrow still intended to play the Diane Keaton character in this film and was surprised that she was replaced. In the Farrow version of the film, the couple's characteristics were reversed: Allen was the snoop, and Farrow was the skeptic.)
I've seen all of Allen's films, from the great (HUSBAND AND WIVES, for example) to the barely endurable (CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION comes to mind), and I've seen most of them several times, but MMM is the one I always keep coming back to... the cinematic equivalent of comfort food. The storyline? It's really beside the point, I guess, since it's just a backdrop for Allen and Keaton's very funny interactions as a bored, aging, and -- need it be mentioned? -- neurotic New York City couple. One night, returning from a evening out, they meet their neighbors, the Houses, in the elevator and then join them for coffee. Soon after, Mrs. House drops dead -- or so it seems. But Keaton's character suspects foul play and embarks as an amateur sleuth, much to her husband's dismay. She's convinced that Mr. House is a little "too perky," as she puts it, after his longtime wife's sudden demise, and she stops at nothing to prove her instincts are right.
I have a bad habit -- an affliction, really. I quote movie lines. Yes, I'm one of "those" people. Along with HALLOWEEN (don't ask), I think I quote from MMM more than any other film. There are lots of great lines here, especially when Allen's character become flustered at his wife's often extreme (and illegal, by the way) tactics in solving the mystery -- if it is in fact a mystery at all. He reminds her at one point of her previous stint in psychotherapy, and how, just like a car, maybe it's time for tune-up. This captures Allen's perplexity nicely at Keaton's increasingly aggressive detective work, including a stake-out with a torch-carrying friend played by Alan Alda.
The thing that makes MMM a great movie, without question, is the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Woody Allen. There is such a naturalness in their exchanges that it is difficult to believe that they have not been long-married, and their timing, tics, and mannerisms perfectly evoke a marriage in its doldrums needing a "shot of adrenaline" to enliven it again. (I've made my point. I love this movie. I'll shut up now.)
Summary of Manhattan Murder Mystery
A Manhattan wife is driven to investigate what she thinks is the murder of her neighbor. She enlists the help of a male friend, and her husband, fearing to lose her, reluctantly joins in the chase.Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 15-DEC-1998
Media Type: DVD
Woody Allen was going through his off-screen scandal with Mia Farrow when Manhattan Murder Mystery was produced, so Diane Keaton was brought in to fill the role intended for Farrow. The reunion of Keaton and Allen only improves this already enjoyable Allen comedy, since they're so comfortable with each other's neuroses that they're delightfully convincing as a married couple who suspect their neighbor of murdering his wife. Actually, it's Keaton who obsesses about the possible foul play; Woody just wants them to mind their own business. But pretty soon they've recruited their friends (Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston) as amateur sleuths, and the movie turns into a Nancy Drew mystery for sophisticated Manhattanites. With a typical abundance of Woody Allen witticism and some memorable comic suspense, this engaging throwback to vintage Hollywood mysteries is guaranteed to please even the most noncommittal Woody Allen fans, and the Allen-Keaton chemistry is, as always, a genuine pleasure. --Jeff Shannon
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