Tuesday Forgotten (or Overlooked) Film: MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993) starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton

I am not a Woody Allen acolyte but I do love New York and I do love mysteries. Though at first I didn't love this film, thought it too meandering around the plot as usual with Woody Allen. But after reading Dorian's wonderfully adoring review of MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, I decided to give it another look-see.

Lo and behold, I am now a convert. I do love this movie even with its meandering faults. Thanks be to Dorian. 

The unfancy title, MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, is exactly what it says, a murder mystery set in Manhattan, a film directed by Woody Allen, screenplay by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman and starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Anjelica Houston, Joy Behar (we love Joy Behar around these parts), Ron Rifkin, Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen.

The big attraction for me, of course, is the setting: Manhattan. The streets, the restaurants (even the famed 21 Club where I (trying not to gawk) once attended a business lunch alongside Helen Gurley Brown, my boss the fashion editor, and several other important business types), the ambience of the film is all so wonderfully New Yawk as I remember it from having spent a good portion of my life there. I love that Allen always shows people walking and talking on location, on the streets of the city. (Well, he lives there, so he should know the best locations I'd think.)

In fact, the murder in the title takes place inside a comfortable Manhattan high rise. (The sort with an awning and a doorman.) On the case are Carol and Larry Lipton (Diane Keaton and Woody Allen) who are, conveniently, neighbors of the murder victim. 

At the beginning and in oh-so-typical Woody Allen style, Larry is all over jittery and reluctant to get involved, Carol is the one who thinks murder is afoot even when everyone else (including the cops) assumes the victim died naturally of a heart attack. But Carol can be persuasive and after many at length conversations, the couple is drawn into a series of fumbling sleuthing adventures which are, in a low-key comedy kind of way, fun to watch. 

Larry Adler, Lynn Cohen, Woody Allen and Diane Keaton - the evening before the murder most foul. 

An elderly couple, Paul and Lillian House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen) are the neighbors which capture Carol Lipton's nosy (let's face it) interest. When Lillian suddenly dies of a heart attack, Carol is suspicious though it was a known fact that Lillian had a heart condition. After much discussion (lots of smart New Yawkese talky-talk going on in this film), with Larry and with skeptical friends, Carol manages to come up with a couple of clues and drags the still VERY reluctant Larry (he'd rather mind his own business in typical New York fashion) into the mix.

That's the plot. Not exactly earth-shattering, but intriguing enough. It's the sort of tale that works best, I would imagine, if you've ever lived or visited New York and gotten a hint or two of the flavor of the city. The 'flavor' of the city is what Woody Allen does best. He knows these sorts of people, he understands the workings of the city and its many well-heeled professionals. 

Though Alan Alda is not my first choice when I think of Manhattan, he actually fits right in as Ted, a friend of the sleuthing couple. Ted has a roving eye on Carol - she, well aware of it, doesn't reciprocate though I don't see how she could not be tempted - I mean, Woody Allen.

By the way: someone explain to me the coupling of Diane Keaton and Woody Allen. Please. Although they look funny enough together on screen (and did in real life). It still takes a bit of work for me to accept that Carol would walk down the aisle with Larry. 

But maybe he makes her laugh. 

Since this is Tuesday, don't forget to check in later with Todd's blog, Sweet Freedom, to see what other forgotten (or overlooked) films, television or other audio/visuals other bloggers are talking about today.

What I Watched the Other Night: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, written and directed by Woody Allen

I know I'm probably one of the last remaining people in the world who HASN'T seen this film, but that oversight has been corrected. This is now, officially, my favorite Woody Allen movie.

I've never been to Paris, but this movie seems almost as good as the real thing. My only quibble is Owen Wilson - an actor I'm not completely taken with. But, okay, I can tolerate him in this luscious petit-four of a movie - Woody Allen's romantic ode to one of the most gorgeous cities in the world.

Woody Allen and Owen Wilson on set

Wilson plays Gil Pender  - a part, I'm thinking, Wood Allen himself would have played in the old days. He's a nebbishy kind of guy (which I must say, in reality, can get kind of annoying) who still hasn't made all his dreams come true. (Though one gets the impression that he is happy enough.)

Gil is a successful Hollywood writer currently working on a manuscript for his first novel. He is inspired by Paris in the rain. But a Paris of a different era, Paris in the 20's is what turns Gil on. Paris when artists and writers toiled by day, partied by night and got ready to leave their indelible marks on history.

Rachel McAdams plays Gil's fiancee Inez,  a spoiled young woman of the sort who feels entitled to a certain way of life and who does not happily indulge her fiance's whims. She is also, between you and me, a bit of a nag.

The couple is in Paris with her parents who are traveling on business. The parents are played to absolute obnoxious perfection by Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy. It is abundantly clear from whence Inez's attitude and view of life springs. The well-to-do parents, by the way, are not thrilled with the idea of having Gil - an obvious liberal with ideas - for a son-in-law. In fact, the parents are not thrilled with much of anything, not even the romantic city of lights. They are seasoned travelers who have decided that they will no longer be 'impressed',

Gil tries to urge Inez to share his love of the city - the city of the past as well as the present - though she would rather spend the day being lectured to by her pretentious (and pedantic) friends.

Okay, so here's the plot in a nutshell: One night Gil goes off walking by himself, to absorb Paris on his own terms, if possible. Ah, but Paris is having none of that, Paris must be absorbed on her terms. At midnight, in a back alley somewhere while Gil pauses to muse, a car comes out of the darkness and stops to pick him up.

Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Inside are the Fitzgeralds who seem pleased and not at all surprised by Gil's company.

And so the adventure begins.

Somehow, Gil is transported back in time on that same block at the stroke of midnight over the next few days. And this is where the film gets most interesting - since it has been cast superbly in these secondary parts. All are played delightfully, as if life in the twenties were all a song and dance and pithy  philosophical discussion in between glasses of champagne. Well, actually, maybe it was.

A car full of 20's notables.

Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson

The only change I would have made to this secondary cast is this: I might have cast Audrey Tatou instead of Marion Cotillard who seems a bit too sophisticated to be interested in a nebbish (even a likable nebbish) like Gil Pender. But again, that's a minor, minor quibble. Cotillard plays Gil's time travel love interest.

Gil, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.

My favorites in the cast are Corey Stoll (with a full head of hair) as Ernest Hemingway. He is perfection as an introspective man given to spouting philosophical platitudes apparently quoted from his books.

As Hemingway he exudes manly physical strength and sex appeal, while speaking mostly in gibberish. He is wonderful.

I also love Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, but then, it's always hard not to like Kathy Bates in anything she does. She is a treasure who, if not for her weight, would probably work lots more. It's a shame that Hollywood can't figure out that Bates is a beautiful talented woman who just happens not to wear a size 2 but so what.

Salvadore Dali charming anyone and everyone who drops by.

Adrien Brody as a young Salvadore Dali almost steals the picture. He is on screen for only a few scenes, but he is memorable and the camera loves him.

Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald too, are played to perfection by Alison Pill and Tim Hiddleston.

I also love the guy who plays Cole Porter (Yves Heck) though he doesn't have much to do but sing one of his songs at the piano

Okay, so who does Gil meet in these nightly spins into the past?

F. Scott Fitzgerald
Zelda Fitzgerald
Cole Porter
Ernest Hemingway
Gertrude Stein
Alice B. Toklas
Luis Bunel
Man Ray
Salvadore Dali
Pablo Picasso
T.S. Eliot
Henri Matisse
Josephine Baker
...and others of that era who appear to be having a grand old time.

Speaking of which, time as we know, has an odd sense of humor and Woody Allen hasn't forgotten that. Near the end we get a couple of surprises which almost don't register until after the movie is over and you have the time to think about  them.

For the few of you haven't seen this lovely and oh-so-lyrical film, I say: drop everything and get your hands on the DVD. I believe this will be the first and only Woody Allen film I will actually buy and add to my personal library.

To view the trailer, please use this link.

(All the photos I've used in this post have been culled from various film sites online. I intend no copyright infringement and will remove any photo if the owner requests it. This post is purely for entertainment purposes.)

Source

This poster that I found online has a bit of the wistful flavor of the film and Owen Wilson's part in it.