#248- Manhattan

Quick recap: Isaac (played by Woody Allen) is in love with his best friend’s mistress, a 17 year old girl and New York City.

Photography By Brian Hamill

Fun (?) fact: This is Woody Allen’s least favorite film, which is a very Woody Allen thing to admit.

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My thoughts: I didn’t think it was possible to loathe every character and still overall enjoy the film, but that’s Manhattan for you. My inner monologue while watching: ‘oh my god, these people are insufferable! Are they trying to be charming, because I just hate them more if so,’ followed by ‘I want to buy a plane ticket to New York City right away and walk around the city listening to Gershwin and maybe take in a few classic films.’ It was a roller coaster of emotions, let me tell you.

I think of myself as a rather open, nonjudgemental person but I just couldn’t get past the creepiness of Woody Allen’s character falling for a 17 year old. And not just any 17 year old, but one that actually looks 17, if not a little younger. Audiences loved this movie, but I’m curious if this was seen as something romantic or if other people cringed too. The other woman Isaac was in love with, played by Diane Keaton, is a step up in the age department but her character seemed too strong of a woman to enter into any relationship. The two of them fit much better than Tracy, the 17 year old, but both were so opinionated that there weren’t many ‘awwww’ moments. And anyway, in the end, Isaac went back to Tracy and begged her not to go to London and I went back to being weirded out all over again.

It sounds like the movie is awful, but it really isn’t and that’s why I’m so conflicted. What I did love was the way Allan captured New York and I loved Gershwin and I especially loved all of the snappy dialogue. Almost every line was quotable and I’m sure I missed some of the humor, although I tried to keep up. And really, although the characters were all awful people, they were awful together and that’s all that really matters. How do you think the show Friends lasted for so long?

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Final review: 4/5, although if I watched it again, I might bump it up to a 5.

Up next: Bob Le Flambeur

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#233- Ghostbusters

Quick recap: Three professors start a business trapping ghosts because, as we all know, bustin’ makes you feel good!

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Fun (?) fact: The bookcase that fell over in the beginning of the film was an accident but was kept in the movie ‘to add mystery’.

Venkman’s animated self creeps me out a bit, tbh

My thoughts: Being a #80s/90skid, my three favorite movies growing up were: 1) E.T 2) The Little Mermaid and 3) Ghostbusters. Now that I have a 6 year old, nothing makes me happier than being able to share with him things I loved, even if he doesn’t quite get it at first:

In the beginning of the film as Venkman is testing students for telepathic abilites:

B: Wow, that girl can read minds!

Me: No, Venkman is pretending that she can because he wants to date her.

B: So…..she’s the ghost?

Suffice to say, this kid was dying to see some ghosts. Naturally, because that’s how life works, I never noticed how many ‘adult’ jokes were in the movie when I was little so it was a little awkward sitting through a few scenes. Nonetheless, he seemed to enjoy the movie and I later heard him pretending to be a Ghostbuster in the bath, so I guess I don’t always suck at this parenting thing.

It surprised me how much of this movie is carried by Bill Murray. He’s hilarious, of course, and the other guys are good, but it’s Murray that does it for me. Knowing that most of his lines were ad libbed makes me appreciate the humor even more. Rick Moranis was much funnier than I remembered, especially the scene at his party. There are so many moments I loved and so many great quotes, but the plot itself was a little meh. Personally, I much prefer the plot of Ghostbusters 2, although it lacks a bit in the jokes department.

It makes me happy that a childhood favorite has held up so well after all these years and I’m glad I got to pass it on to the next generation.

Final review: 4/5

Up next: Lola

#231- There’s Something About Mary

Quick recap: In the screwballiest of screwball comedies, There’s Something About Mary is about a guy (Ted) in love with a girl (Mary).

Ben Stiller as a high school kid will haunt me for a long while

Fun(?) fact: Lee Evans (who plays Tucker) has the most godawful British accent but as it turns out, he is actually British and just exaggerated what he normally sounds like. Actors!

My thoughts: Hello. My name is Mary. YEAH. This movie came out when I was in middle school and has been the bane of my existence ever since then. Not that I needed more fuel for people to tease me about my name- ‘Hey Mary, how does your garden grow?’ ‘Hey, Mary, where’s your lamb?’ ‘Hey, Mary, are you proud?’ ‘Mary Me!’ (actually, that one was kind of funny). The point is, I hated this movie just for that reason and I’m glad to say that now I can hate it because it is the WORST.

All you really need to know about There’s Something About Mary is that it is directed by the Farrelly brothers, who are known for such gems as Shallow Hal, Osmosis Jones and Dumb and Dumber. Now, I have nothing against lowbrow comedy or even the Farrelly brothers in general. I have seen Dumb and Dumber many times and certain scenes still make me laugh. The difference though is that that movie had heart where this one just has jokes about masturbation and killing a dog. Yes, there is a love story but just barely. It’s mostly just a vehicle to get to the gross out stuff and making fun of people who are disabled. I never bought into the whole Ted/Mary dynamic mainly because there wasn’t much there. There is one scene where the two sit around and talk about more meat products needing to be on sticks. This turned out to be a joke that Seinfeld was going to use originally but decided against it so the Farrelly brothers bought it. These guys suck.

And as for the ending, which I’m going to go ahead and spoil because screw you if you want to watch this after my review, it turns out that EVERY guy is in love with Mary. There is a zany cast of suitors throughout the movie with the reveal at the end that Mary’s crazy high school boyfriend, Woogie, is Ted’s best friend and his been patiently waiting for his chance. I cried in despair upon realizing that I had been duped by the Farrelly brothers and hadn’t seen the twist ahead of time. The other reveal that Mary’s ex, Brett, was actually Brett Favre didn’t send me into quite as big a shame spiral, but I was still pretty broken up about the whole thing. Please don’t watch this movie.

Final review: 1/5. I guess you could call this the height of screwball comedies, which just means that it gets much, much worse.

Up next: Cleansing my palette with The Godfather

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#228- Duck Soup

Thank you to Andy (that guy I married that one time) for recommending this movie and helping me to appreciate Looney Tunes just a bit more.

Quick recap: Rufus T. Firefly (played by Groucho Marx) is put in charge of the fictional country of Freedonia. Shenanigans- as well as hijinks- ensue.

Fun (?) fact: Duck Soup is one of the few films where Harpo Marx doesn’t play a harp and now I want my money back.

My thoughts: As hard as I may try, there isn’t much for me to add to Duck Soup. It was funny, although there were so many jokes and goofs that I probably missed some really good ones. So instead, I’m going to rank the Marx Brothers!

Zeppo Marx, 1933

He played the ‘straight man’ in Duck Soup and shortly after this movie was released, quit acting altogether. Fun fact- Zeppo Marx’s least favorite Marx brother is Zeppo Marx.

Harpo Marx

This one is controversial, I know ( shut up, Andy), but my reasoning is this- HIS NAME IS HARPO AND HE DIDN’T PLAY THE HARP. All throughout Duck Soup, Harpo ran around cutting stuff with scissors. It was funny but also a little disturbing. Given the chance of watching another movie, I’m sure he would win me over but he’d damn well better have that harp next time.

Chico Marx

Fun fact- I didn’t even know there was a Chico Marx (or a Zeppo). Chico won me over with his weird Italian (?) accent and sharp comedic timing. I loved the scenes when he and Groucho would argue about something and very quickly change sides. Maybe lesser known of the Marx brothers, but I’d love to see more.

Gummo Marx

Ok, but really, it’s Groucho. Of course it is. Dude’s a genius. Maybe I wasn’t rolling on the floor laughing (or ROFL for all you youngsters out there), but I appreciated his craft. I’ve seen so many impressions of Groucho that it was refreshing to see the real deal. Back to the timing, it was perfect. And before you have a chance to recover from one joke or think too long about it, he has another 5 ready to go. The physical comedy isn’t usually my favorite but I could watch the mirror scene over and and over and not get tired of it.

Final review: 4/5, only because the musical element was a little weird and threw me off when they started singing.

Up next: Pulp Fiction at the Drafthouse!

1001 Movie Nights

Tag Archives: comedy

#248- Manhattan

#233- Ghostbusters

#231- There’s Something About Mary

#228- Duck Soup

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