Review of Manhattan (1979) by John M — 07 May 2012

Ultimate charming. Woody Allen plays Isaac, a man who has a best friend who is going through a midlife crisis, and confides in him that he is tempted to leave his wife for someone shinier. Isaac's love life is no picnic, though, as he is a twice divorced man who is currently dating a high schooler.

.. Touching on that briefly, it is initially very disconcerting as an audience member to see their relationship together, especially considering Woody's personal life. This isn't like he is a 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim dating a high schooler, this is a grown man in his forties getting intimate with a 17-year-old.

Regardless, that's a small hurdle to cross for a movie I was wowed by. Now I've really liked all of Woody Allen's recent movies, but I am largely unfamiliar with his older works aside from Annie Hall.

Manhattan feels a lot like Annie Hall, with the one exception being that it has a more focused narrative and is less scatterbrained (not meant as a negative, because Annie Hall really makes that angle work).

It is smartly written with quality jokes, great timing and all sorts of insight on what makes relationships tick. It's a simple story that doesn't cinematographically require much flair (although the scene in the planetarium is breathtaking), but all that does is accentuate how intelligent the script and writing is with a huge exclamation point.

Allen really does cherish this island, and it shows in all of the loving city shots paired with the sweeping music. I really ended up adoring this film.