Critic Reviews

Manhattan (1979) Rank 4 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Manhattan (1979) a score of 3.4506 out of 4

based on (52) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(29)

Very Good

(22)

Good

(1)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

eFilmCritic.com (--)

Woody Allen's follow-up to the Academy Award-winning Annie Hall is a glorious and triumphant wet kiss to his beloved home borough. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at eFilmCritic.com (--)

Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

I recently saw Manhattan again, for perhaps the fifth time, and my absolute joy as I sat there surpassed any other Allen film in recent memory.For a long time, I was unable to choose a favorite Woody Allen film. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) had been a ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

If Manhattan was only a romantic comedy, it would be a very good one, but the fact that the movie has so much more ambition than the 'average' entry into the genre makes it an extraordinary example of the fusion of entertainment and art. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

eFilmCritic.com (Greg Muskewitz)

Allen is a twice-divorced sitcom writer, currently dating a comely 17-year-old high school student (Mariel Hemingway) while juggling the stresses at work and keeping up with his social obligations. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Greg Muskewitz)

Empire Magazine (David Parkinson)

One of Woody's most aesthetically gorgeous films as well as his classic love-hate letter to the city of his soul. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Empire Magazine (David Parkinson)

mazzyboi's movie page (Angelo Aquino)

Ask someone what their favorite Woody Allen movie is (assuming they like his movies in the first place) and there's a good chance that they will say "Annie Hall". I have high regards for that film, which is on my Top 20 films of all time. However, ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at mazzyboi's movie page (Angelo Aquino)

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Woody Allen's Manhattan is not as funny or endearing as Annie Hall. Nor is it as well acted or profound as Interiors. However, this film is an important one in that it reveals a personality type which is becoming more and more predominant in urban areas ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

ToxicUniverse.com (Tony Pellum)

Of the many great eras of American film, the 1970s are often considered a return to form-almost a filmic Renaissance. Here films, directors and actors grew increasingly cynical and increasingly complex. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Tony Pellum)

Chris Jarmick (--)

There's poetry in Manhattan, the poetry of opposites. As Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue plays over lusciously composed black and white images of an idyllic Manhattan, we see picture postcards shots of Broadway, 42nd Street, Central Park, the Skyline and ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Chris Jarmick (--)

TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

Deft comedy set in a neurotic town. People may argue about the relative merits of ANNIE HALL (which took Oscars for Best Picture, Direction, Actress, and Screenplay) vis-a-vis MANHATTAN, which won nothing but is a better and more fully realized film. By ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dan Chodos)

Very few films can make you laugh and care about the characters at the same time, Woody Allen's "Manhattan" has both in spades. A brilliant tale of a contemporary neurotic in the romanticized world of Manhattan. The contrast is as clear cut as Gordon ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dan Chodos)

Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)

Manhattan is considered to be Woody Allen's companion piece to his Annie Hall of two years earlier. They are often said to be very similar: they both star Allen and Diane Keaton, both are about imperfect and somewhat forced relationships, and both have ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)

TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

DVDnett.no

'Chapter One. He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Beneath his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat. New York was his town, and it always would be...' Den svart-hvite Manhattan fra 1979, skrevet og regissert ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at DVDnett.no

Movie Vault (mazzyboi)

Ask someone what their favorite Woody Allen movie is (assuming they like his movies in the first place) and there's a good chance that they will say "Annie Hall". I have high regards for that film, which is on my Top 20 films of all time. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Movie Vault (mazzyboi)

Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)

The visuals... I could weep with joy at how beautiful this movie is. The observatory sequence... Gordon Willis's images made me sigh wistfully, the way you react to one ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)

Teen Movie Critic (Roger Davidson)

Buy this poster at MovieGoods A touching, sentimental tribute from Woody Allen to his home town. He plays a well-known comedy writer, who spends his time trying to juggle his various relationships with friends, lovers and his former wife. He's dating ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Teen Movie Critic (Roger Davidson)

BBCi - Films

"Manhattan" was a milestone in Woody Allen's film-making career and marks the point at which he fully realised his talent. Indeed many critics would argue this is still his best film. Set amidst Allen's own world of Manhattan media high rollers, this ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at BBCi - Films

El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)

Inteligente historia aposentada en una mirada sarcÃ¡stica sobre las relaciones sentimantales mantenidas entre la clase intelectualoide neoyorquina, la cual sirve asimismo para establecer el perenne tributo de Allen a Nueva York, y mÃ¡s concretamente al ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)

Movie Reviews UK

A wonderful homage to New York and a bitingly perceptive portrait of everyday life, as applicable to this group of mixed-up friends as it is to anyone. The jagged skyline of Manhattan has never looked so beautiful or alluring as we soar over its parks ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Movie Reviews UK

Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

Manhattan opens with a snake charmer clarinet wail marking the opening bars of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which combines with magnificent vistas of the New York City skyline to cast a spell that holds right to the bittersweet concluding shot ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

Woody Allen's follow-up to the Academy Award-winning Annie Hall is a glorious and triumphant wet kiss to his beloved home borough. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

"Manhattan" is a play with good cinematography. That is, there's no action scenes, but there is a great deal of dialogue, George Gerschwin music, and shots of New York City. The Gershwin soundtrack is actually intrusive, but the script is excellent. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

filmcritic.com revisits Manhattan

After taking a fresh look at the DVD of Manhattan, it's apparent that this isn't Woody Allen's greatest film. However, it is easily his most beautiful, with breathtaking black & white vistas of the titular city set to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Too ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at filmcritic.com revisits Manhattan

Jay's Movie Blog

It's almost gotten to the point where I dread the Brattle showing old Woody Allen movies - it's hard not to look at them and then wonder just what the hell has happened to the guy in recent years. I mean, sure, we know what has happened to him, but how ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Jay's Movie Blog

Andrew Hicks (Andrew Hicks)

...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Andrew Hicks (Andrew Hicks)

culturevulture.net (Ben Stephens)

The layers of self-awareness and self-referentiality at the heart of this film are dizzying. ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at culturevulture.net (Ben Stephens)

Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Oddly, this film is both absolutely amazing and weirdly unfulfilling. On the plus side, this might be Woody Allen's greatest achievement as a director. Through gorgeous black & white photography and an enchanting Gershwin score, he turns the rather ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The overture is filled with brash confidence: Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," played over powerful black-and-white visions of Manhattan and its skyline, and the mighty bridges leaping out to it from the provinces. The voice is filled with uncertainty and ...read the complete Manhattan movie review at Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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