Amazon.com reviews for
Broadway Danny Rose (1984) More at IMDbPro »

Broadway Danny Rose (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: Often overlooked, Broadway Danny Rose has developed a cult following among select Woody Allen fans; Chris Rock, of all people, says it's one of his favorite films. Allen plays a devoted talent agent for acts whose talent is, shall we say, marginal. But one of his clients, a faded singer named Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), suddenly has a chance to perform for a record executive. Nervous, Canova insists that Rose bring his girlfriend to the show--unfortunately, his girlfriend is Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow), the wife of a big-time mobster. (Farrow's performance is superb and unlike anything else in her career: loud, brassy, and comically obnoxious.) Part caper, part-show biz satire, Broadway Danny Rose would make an excellent companion to Paper Moon; both are a delightful combination of nostalgia and cutting observations about human nature. --Bret Fetzer

The Woody Allen Collection, Set 3 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: This Woody Allen boxed set captures the first half of what could be called Allen's "Mia period," his films from the early 1980s. The lighthearted A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, about the neurotic romping of a bunch of friends at a country house, marks the beginning of Woody and Mia Farrow's film relationship, followed by Zelig, Allen's clever pseudo-documentary of a man who just wants to fit in. Broadway Danny Rose, the tale of a mediocre talent agent who gets involved with a client's wife, is seen as a trifle by some but held as one of Allen's best films by others. But the next two are a pair of undisputed knockouts: The Purple Rose of Cairo, in which the hero of a movie (Jeff Daniels) steps off the screen to help a woeful waitress (Farrow). The ending is at first heart-wrenching, then finds a wistful hope. Hannah and Her Sisters is possibly, after Annie Hall, Allen's most loved movie, with its Chekhovian mix of love and sorrow in the lives of three sisters (Farrow, Dianne Wiest, and Barbara Hershey). Hannah won a number of awards, including Oscars^® for best screenplay and supporting acting for both Wiest and Michael Caine (as Farrow's husband). Finally, the nostalgic Radio Days rounds out the set with a gentle look at entertainment back when people had to dream up their own pictures. These six films represent one of Allen's strongest periods; he moved fluidly from comedy to drama, avoiding big statements but ruefully exploring the foibles of humanity. --Bret Fetzer