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Manhattan (1979)

R  |   |  Comedy, Drama, Romance  |  25 April 1979 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 97,013 users   Metascore: 82/100
Reviews: 232 user | 123 critic | 9 from Metacritic.com

The life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.

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Title: Manhattan (1979)

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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
Emily (as Anne Byrne)
...
Michael O'Donoghue ...
Victor Truro ...
Party Guest
...
Party Guest
Helen Hanft ...
Party Guest
Bella Abzug ...
Guest of Honor
Gary Weis ...
Television Director
Kenny Vance ...
Television Producer
Charles Levin ...
Television Actor #1
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Storyline

Forty-two year old Isaac Davis has a romanticized view of his hometown, New York City, most specifically Manhattan, as channeled through the lead character in the first book he is writing, despite his own Manhattan-based life being more of a tragicomedy. He has just quit his job as a hack writer for a bad television comedy, he, beyond the ten second rush of endorphins during the actual act of quitting, now regretting the decision, especially as he isn't sure he can live off his book writing career. He is paying two alimonies, his second ex-wife, Jill Davis, a lesbian, who is writing her own tell-all book of their acrimonious split. The one somewhat positive aspect of his life is that he is dating a young woman named Tracy, although she is only seventeen and still in high school. Largely because of their differences a big part of which is due to their ages, he does not see a long term future with her. His life has the potential to be even more tragicomical when he meets journalist Mary... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

book | writing | love | writer | dating | See All (103) »

Taglines:

Woody Allen's New Comedy Hit

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 April 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Manhetenas  »

Box Office

Gross:

$45,700,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

First film in black-and-white directed by Woody Allen. See more »

Goofs

When Isaac asks Tracy how old he will be when she is thirty-six, she says "sixty-three," and he agrees. Earlier Isaac says that she is seventeen and he is forty-two, which means he is 25 years older than her, and would therefore be sixty-one, not sixty-three. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
[music: the opening of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Voiceover]
Isaac Davis: Chapter One. He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion. Eh uh, no, make that he, he romanticized it all out of proportion. Better. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin. Uh, no, let me start this over.
Isaac Davis: Chapter One: He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else. He thrived on...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, save the production company bumper and the film's title, which appears as part of a flashing neon sign in New York City. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Trelladiko polyteleias (1989) See more »

Soundtracks

Do-Do-Do
(1926)
Music by George Gershwin
Performed by New York Philharmonic (as The New York Philharmonic)
Music director: Zubin Mehta
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Not as I remembered
17 February 2003 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

On the basis of one viewing about 20 years ago, I always considered this my favorite Woody Allen film. Upon further review, I am not so impressed. The cinematography is wonderful (I'm a sucker for New York, too), the acting is ok (Mariel Hemingway better than ok), and there are some good one liners, but, overall I found it boring and self-indulgent, especially in the directing. This film has no real reason for being...it's ultimately inconsequential. That makes me sad and now I have to watch my other favorites to see if they hold up. I still have hopes for Hannah, Misdemeanors, Purple Rose, & Love & Death. This one isn't in the pantheon anymore.


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What's in the content of 'Manhattan' to make it an R rated movie? calcaylor
why did it shot in Black + white ? noom98
Favourite line... history_beckons
New York Movie Recommendations jontolas317
What’s the best version of Rhapsody in Blue available on CD? harryknuckles
He shouldn't have accepted that harmonica. DinahtheCat
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