New York Stories (1989)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Directors:

Woody Allen
Francis Ford Coppola

Writers (WGA):

Richard Price (written by) (segment)
Woody Allen (written by) (segment)

Release Date:

10 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

One City. Three Stories Tall.

Plot:

A middle-aged artist obsessed with his pretty young assistant, a precocious 12 year old living in a hotel, and a neurotic lawyer with a possessive mother make up three stories.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Painter | Stylized | Aria | Italian American

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Sheldon
Marvin Chatinover	...	Psychiatrist
Mae Questel	...	Mother
Mia Farrow	...	Lisa
Molly Regan	...	Sheldon's Secretary
Ira Wheeler	...	Mr. Bates
Joan Bud	...	Board Member
Jessie Keosian	...	Aunt Ceil
Michael Rizzo	...	Waiter
George Schindler	...	Shandu, The Magician
Bridgit Ryan	...	Rita
Larry David	...	Theater Manager
Paul Herman	...	Detective Flynn / Clifford, The Doorman / Cop
Herschel Rosen	...	Store Clerk
Lola André	...	Citizen

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:14 | USA:PG (Certificate No. 29611) | Finland:S | France:U | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Michael Powell helped with a major story problem in Woody Allen's segment.

Quotes:

Paulette: [to Lionel] Sometimes I feel like a human sacrifice!

Movie Connections:

References "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" (1977)

Coppola segment drags down otherwise good movie

Three 40 minutes short films by three of the greatest American directors; Scorsese, Coppola and Allen. I personally like Scorsese's introducing segment the most, Life Lesson. Even if I personally is not a fan of Nick Nolte, the movie has depth and it's just as good as you would expect from a director like Scorsese. Unlike many other directors, Scorsese manages to capture sexual attraction, in this case felt by the main character (Nolte). Freshly photographed and good ending that makes you recall upon your own life. Not a masterpiece but indeed great.

Coppola's segment "Zoe" is a total disaster. It is beautifully filmed, but the acting and the story is far below good. Better fit for the children's hour on TV. I don't know if the story was supposed to be ironical, a satire of spoiled extremely rich kids on Manhattan, which could be the fact since there were some scenes where the young girl interacts with a homeless man. That could have been a good theme, if it was Coppola's intention, but no matter the case - it just don't work. It is silly and it doesn't feel satirical at all. Another idea is that it was supposed to be funny, a short comedy, however, neither does it work on that layer. It somewhat makes me lose my respect for the director.

Woody Allen's part however is a pleasant refresher after Coppola's borer. Very funny, typical Allen, good acting from Allen's side and good music.

Overall rating is a mere 6, dragged down by Coppola. Without his segment I would rate this movie an 8.