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Manhattan (1979)

½ — Manhattan (1979)

Manhattan arrived the year after Annie Hall won Allen four Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director), making it among the most anticipated follow-ups in late 1970s American cinema. Shot in a widescreen 2.35:1 black-and-white by Gordon Willis, often called "the prince of darkness" for his shadowy cinematography, the film was a deliberate love letter to New York City at a time when the city was only just clawing its way back from near-bankruptcy and a decade of urban decay. Allen co-wrote the script with Marshall Brickman, his collaborator on Annie Hall, and the production was backed by United Artists, then still riding the prestige of its director-friendly reputation. Mariel Hemingway, in only her second film role, plays the teenage girlfriend, a casting choice that drew immediate discomfort from some quarters even on release.

Everyone in this film is an unlikeable, unbearable, simpleton. Honestly after seeing the accolades of this film I was expecting something artistic or well acted or well written. It was shit. The opening scenes are a bunch of pretentious unrealistic wet wipes just chatting about art and movies and then Woody Allen starts noncing it up with a 17 year old, pushing the agenda that this is a normal thing. None of the characters are likeable at all, Woody Allen is a horrible actor. Just a whiney, mopey creep. The soundtrack is more Family Guy than anything and the editing (especially scene transitions) is abrupt and awkward. It's supposed to be a romantic comedy but not once did it even make me smile let alone laugh. Terrible movie.

Rating: ½ | Year: 1979 | Watched: 2025-04-12

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