Amazon.com Essentials:
Woody Allen was going through his off-screen scandal with Mia
Farrow when Manhattan Murder Mystery was produced, so Diane
Keaton was brought in to fill the role intended for Farrow. The
reunion of Keaton and Allen only improves this already enjoyable Allen
comedy, since they're so comfortable with each other's neuroses that
they're delightfully convincing as a married couple who suspect their
neighbor of murdering his wife. Actually, it's Keaton who obsesses
about the possible foul play; Woody just wants them to mind their own
business. But pretty soon they've recruited their friends (Alan Alda,
Anjelica Huston) as amateur sleuths, and the movie turns into a Nancy
Drew mystery for sophisticated Manhattanites. With a typical abundance
of Woody Allen witticism and some memorable comic suspense, this
engaging throwback to vintage Hollywood mysteries is guaranteed to
please even the most noncommittal Woody Allen fans, and the
Allen-Keaton chemistry is, as always, a genuine pleasure. --Jeff
Shannon
