Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This movie had that kind of Allen spirit that you come to expect. I thought it could've been one of his best, but unfortunately there is one thing that ruins the whole picture for me....Diane Keaton. She may be the single worst actor I've ever seen. She says absolutely nonsensical quips, always interrupting, stuttering, looking and acting completely too focused-unnatural. It's quite obvious that she, and everyone, is having to improvise certain parts of their lines, and she just cannot in any way, shape or form pull it off. To such a degree that it's completely distracting and off-putting in every scene she's in. Once you notice just how awkward and unnatural she acts/sounds, you'll never look at it the same. And it single handily ruined the movie for me. Now the plot is also a bit thin which I normally wouldn't fault on it's own, but it instead mainly relied on the back and forth of Allen and Keaton, which as you can imagine, was completely unbearable at times. And the camera work at certain parts (not the zooms, I quite liked those) was a bit odd, again staying far away, relying on the whole group or characters to be in shot while they stumble around trying to get hired at a 3rd rate improve club. But there's still some enjoyment to be had with this picture. Perhaps in Allen wasn't starting in it it'd be a 3, but I'm always so intrigued by him while he's on screen.

I'm not a huge fan of Woody Allen's movies after Manhattan Murder Mystery, but I loved Manhattan Murder Mystery. Yes, there was the murder mystery of course, but also the relationship and chemistry between the main characters (Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Anjelica Houston). Whilst I haven't been to NY, I want to visit the place and see where it was filmed!! The twist in the plot line was intriguing and unexpected. The tape recorder scene at the end is one of the funniest scenes in movie history without a doubt. I laughed out loud big time and kudos to the editor. I'm pleased to have Manhattan Murder Mystery on DVD and I can watch this movie over and over again.

I am writing this review hating and loving Woody Allen's movies at the same time. There are his movies that, in theme and structure, seem very similar to me, like Manhattan, Annie Hall and Whatever Works, which also were the movies that first introduced me to his filmography. The awkwardness of his main characters never really struck a chord with me, which is the main gripe I had upon viewing Manahattan Murder Mystery.The alliterative title intrigued me as it suggests a movie in the crime/thriller genre. Hoping this movie wouldn't fall into his usual comedy/romance/drama type of film I was soon very disappointed to find familiar romantic themes like jealousy, infidelity and the resulting, reoccurring matrimonial arguments at the center of the movie rather than a thought-provoking plot. Even though the main characters, Larry and Carol, take on the task of resolving the case of a suspected murder by their neighbor, the film never quite feels like a crime movie. The camera puts the viewer right at the center of the investigation while we watch the scenes unfold from behind of a flowerpot, through a door-frame or a rainy car window. But, unfortunately, the camera not only zooms in on the suspects but more frequently sways to and fro between our main characters during their relentless arguments. While Woody Allen again plays the same role he most often appears to play, I found his hectic, gibberish talking and awkward gestures more off-putting and overdone than in his other movies. By comparison, Dian Keaton's role as Carol was more compelling as, for example, compared to the moment Allen proclaims at the height of the action "Adrenaline is leaking out of my ears!" in the same monotone voice he uses while talking in the conjugal bed. Other common Woody Allen themes are present. Like the title suggests the film takes place in his beloved New York and of course classic movies (e.g. Double Indemnity) appear and are discussed, which I always enjoy about his works. Furthermore, some of the major scenes take place in a cinema which serves as a good setting and is a welcome sight after witnessing tiring disputes in their apartment. After many a quarrel about their further procedure to solve the case and clumsy investigations, that, for me, failed to attach a comedic aspect to the movie the story reaches a rather anticlimactic finale after which the case is rapidly summed up for the viewer.While I like many Allen movies like Zelig, Match Point and Sweet and Lowdown that differ from his generic formula. Sadly, Manhattan Murder Mystery, for me, was not one of them. If you are a fan of his works chances are you will like this movie, but, in my opinion, it is neither a funny comedy nor a gripping thriller. Still I will keep on working my way through his films in hope for another one or two positive surprises.

After 20 years of marriage, and with one son in college, Larry (Woody Allen) and Carol Lipton (Diane Keaton) try to accommodate with each other's interests, and from the very first hilarious exchanges, we get the point on how dramatically opposed they happen to be. To give you an idea, Larry loves watching ice hockey games while Carol prefers to listen to Wagner; she loves Manhattan's nightlife while he'd rather watch the midnight movie in bed. The differences between Carol and Larry get more obvious when they meet Mr. and Mrs. House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen), an old couple living in the same floor. In a remarkably dialog-driven sequence, we feel Carol's enthusiasm to have an extra-time for socializing and Larry's impatience to live and stop enduring Mr. House's collection of stamps. At the end, we're not that surprised by the following discussion about the path their life is taking, their mutual attraction and all that marital existentialism. They have a dinner with friends in the following scene which feels like a reminiscence of "Manhattan", which is not surprising since the setting is one of the film's three titular 'M'. We learn that Carol wants to open a restaurant, Larry believes it's a foolish decision to take so late in life, yet one of their recently divorced friends Ted (Alan Alda) encourages her. We get it; Larry enjoys his life's pacific serenity while Carol desperately looks for a new meaning before it's too late. Many couples face that situation where the ambitions and goals in life suddenly differ, but Allen handles this material with a less polemical tone than the previous "Husbands and Wives" as if he was tired of hostile arguments. He leaves more room for Ted, whose adventurous temperament fits Carol's thirst for newness, not without feeling jealous about that. It's a pivotal, even crucial moment in Carol and Harry's marital life.Yet the title doesn't lie on the film's premise: it's a mysterious crime that will shatter their boring routine. Speaking of the mystery, if the previous scene where they meet the friendly Houses' couple reminded me of "Rosemary's Baby" when Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes met the Castevets, I was even more struck by the plot's similarities when after a night out, Carol and Larry discovers that Mrs. House died of a heart attack. Much more, Mr. House looked unusually cheerful and not too much distraught by the loss of the woman he spent 28 years and planned to be buried with in a twin-cemetery, raising Carol's suspicion. "She had a heart condition," he says, Carol insists that Mrs. House never mentioned that. At that point, we know what she's about, she smells something fishy and whether she's right or wrong matters less than that she finally found an opportunity to live some thrills. And the difference of attitudes between Carol and Larry is the film's comedic basis.Indeed, the conflict between Carol who wants to go further and Larry who wants her to stop, will originate one of Woody Allen's funniest lines: "Is that what you do when I'm forbidding? I'm not going to forbid you a lot, if you do". The greatest delight of "Manhattan Murder Mystery" relies on the way its intricate plot contributes to enrich the human relationships involved in the resolution and vice versa. Carol's amateurish investigation, her growing complicity with Ted, and Larry's clumsy attempts to help her after he understands that his marriage is in peril, are magnificently portrayed. And all these interactions culminate with the help of Marcia Fox, played by a scene-stealing Angelica Huston, a dark and sensual authoress and professional poker-player, so intuitive that she'll even steal Carol's thunder in the crime- solving process, and fascinate both Ted and Larry. As a counterpart to Carol's personality, like Ted for Larry, Marcia Fox will also teach Carol a few things about the word 'jealousy'. After, "Husbands and Wives", a powerful social commentary about marital relationships and an opportunity for Woody Allen to exorcise all the demons resulting from the custody battle with Mia Farrow, "Manhattan Murder Mystery" feels like a moment of pure refreshment. If it's not the best of Woody Allen's rich filmography, not nominated for a Best Original Screenplay or Best Supporting Acting Oscar (while it deserved some accolades) it's still extremely enjoyable and delivers what we'd expect from Woody Allen. And the main pillar of this enjoyment is definitely Diane Keaton's comeback and her incredible chemistry with Woody Allen. Indeed, I have much admiration to Mia Farrow, and she'll be forever associated with some of Allen's greatest achievements, but there has always been a sort of inner sweetness in Farrow that confined to poignancy and even sometimes to pathos, and this characteristic reaches a paroxysm in "Husbands and Wives" where not only her character, but the actress herself looked both unhappy, embodying the marital conflict that was poisoning their lives. Woody Allen said "Mia likes to do funny things, but she's not as broad a comedian as Diane is", although I don't approve the manner but I have to agree with the director, Mia Farrow is fine but as far as comedy is concerned, Diane Keaton has that little sparkle that makes all the difference. Yes, we have the New York middle-class lifestyle, the intellectual discussions with the couples of friends, Allen's neurotic personality ("a dead body and claustrophobia, a neurotic's jackpot"), his distaste for Wagner, a compositor who gives him the "urge to invade Poland" and the whole romantic twists and commentaries on men and women's relationships, all the ingredients for a great Allen's film are here but Diane Keaton is the icing on the cake.And believe me, she's for more than three quarters in what make "Manhattan Murder Mystery" such a delicious pastry, reminding us how a great chemistry she always had with Woody Allen, hell, even when they argue, they're hilarious.