
Larry and Carol are fairly normal New Yorkers who have sent their son off to college. They meet an elderly couple down the hall and later in the week find that the wife has suddenly died. Carol becomes suspicious of Paul who seems to be too cheerful and too ready to move on. She begins her investigation. Larry insists she is becoming too fixated on their neighbor as all of the irregularities seem to have simple non-homicidal explanations. Ted, a recently divorced friend helps... (Full plot summary below)
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Larry and Carol are fairly normal New Yorkers who have sent their son off to college. They meet an elderly couple down the hall and later in the week find that the wife has suddenly died. Carol becomes suspicious of Paul who seems to be too cheerful and too ready to move on. She begins her investigation. Larry insists she is becoming too fixated on their neighbor as all of the irregularities seem to have simple non-homicidal explanations. Ted, a recently divorced friend helps her investigation and Larry begins to become jealous of their relationship and agrees to help her.
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| USA TodayMike ClarkWoody Allen is rarely a big commercial draw, and whether his off-screen antics will boost his box-office take remains to be seen, but Manhattan Murder Mystery may be his most accessible film since Hannah and Her Sisters. This movie is still pure Allen, but the humor is broad-based, and the "quirkiness" often associated with the director is kept to a minimum. Frankly, it's been years since I've enjoyed the director's work this much. |
| San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannAllenphiles will have a field day mining the film for inside dope. Are the clips from Shanghai and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity — movies in which men are set up for a fall by dangerous women — a sly dig at Farrow? Better to see Manhattan Murder Mystery for what it is: Annie Hall replayed in a minor key by a filmmaker who sees the comedy, tragedy and transience of love and can’t stop playing the game. Allen’s readiness to step on a laugh in favor of feeling may cost him at the box office. But in this time of private hell and public scorn, it will help him endure. |
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzAn engaging life imitates art comedy/crime drama. |
| EmanuelLevy.ComEmanuel LevyA minor-league Allen, an amiable romp that, like The Thin Man, tries to blend suspense with marital comedy, not always successfully. |
| Time OutGeoff AndrewA movie inspired by movie escapism. Minor, but surprisingly, almost defiantly upbeat. |
| New York TimesJanet MaslinAlthough "Manhattan Murder Mystery" struggles with its own contrivances, it achieves a gentle, nostalgic grace and a hint of un-self-conscious wisdom. |
| Common Sense MediaS. Jhoanna RobledoWitty Woody Allen film about marriage and maybe murder. |
| The Hollywood ReporterDuane ByrgeManhattan Murder Mystery is an accomplished balancing act. |
| Boston GlobeJay CarrWoody Allen once described himself as "thin but fun," and the same could be said for his latest effort, Manhattan Murder Mystery. Light, insubstantial and utterly devoid of the heavier themes Allen has grappled with in most of his recent outings, this confection keeps the chuckles coming and is mainstream enough in sensibility to be a modest success. |
| Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumWoody Allen's welcome return to straight-ahead entertainment, after 15 years of slogging through art-house hand-me-downs, happily coincided with a return to Diane Keaton as his leading lady, and she deftly steals the show. |