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Pastiche of Romantic Complications in Manhattan Offers an Ev

Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 10/23/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There is a certain French farcical charm, however calculated, about director Peter Bogdanovich's 1981 urban valentine to romantic entanglements in Manhattan; but just released on DVD a quarter-century later, the film still feels half-baked in execution. Perhaps because Bogdanovich has too innate a familiarity with Hollywood's golden era, there is just too much pastiche and not enough depth to the shenanigans of three private eyes, their put-upon boss and the various women with whom they intertwine most predictably. The characters come in and out of this omnibus tale like Robert Altman's "Nashville" and Jean Renoir's "Rules of the Game", but the results are not nearly as resonant.

Unfortunately, the movie was jinxed immediately when co-star Dorothy Stratten, who became romantically involved with Bogdanovich during filming, was infamously murdered by her husband right after its completion. If the film was meant as the director's launching pad for Stratten as he did previously for Cybill Shepherd in "The Last Picture Show", he is only partially successful this time as the pretty starlet makes a comparatively modest impression as Dolores, the innocent object of obsession for bumbling detective Charles. These two are part of a larger ensemble, which includes Arthur, a long-haired shamus constantly on roller skates, and John, the veteran investigator who finds himself drawn to Angela Niotes, the possibly philandering wife of an Italian industrialist.

Bogdanovich had the good fortune of casting Audrey Hepburn, in her last feature film starring role, as Angela. Even though her story does not even get going until an hour into the movie, a fiftyish Hepburn looks radiantly stylish and is the epitome of resigned grace as an unhappily married woman. In an apparent nod to Bogie, Ben Gazzara performs too close to the vest as world-weary John, while a young, bespectacled John Ritter seems to regale in all his slapstick business as the smitten Charles. Less successful are Blaine Novak as the overly hip Arthur, model Patti Hansen (long since married to Rolling Stone Keith Richards) as bromide-spouting taxi driver "Sam", and a particularly unctuous Colleen Camp as motor-mouthed country singer Christy Miller insinuating herself into everyone else's lives.

Much like a Jacques Demy film ("The Young Girls of Rochefort" comes immediately to mind), the plot unfolds after a long wordless introduction, and character motivations get filled in on an as-needed basis until the film gains some gravitas and then whimpers away. On the DVD's main extra, Bogdanovich states emphatically that this is the favorite of his films in an interview conducted with director Wes Anderson, who also admires the film (as does Quentin Tarantino, who makes it one of his top ten in "Halliwell's Top 1000" book). The details of the location shooting are interesting, as much was done on a modest scale with a minimum of extras, and Bogdanovich gratefully does not belabor the sensationalistic aspects of Stratten's death. He also provides a solid commentary track, and the print transfer on the DVD is relatively clean. I'm not sure the film is completely worthy of rediscovery in a vaunted 25th Anniversary Edition except for Hepburn's near-valedictory work and any lingering curiosity about Stratten."

Mind candy

robert mofford | Vancouver, Canada | 12/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Over the years a cult has grown up around this movie. And most of it centered around the murder of co-star Dorothy Stratten, who it must be pointed out is immensely appealing here. One can only wonder what lay ahead for her had she lived. It's obvious that Bogdanovich(her real-life fiance) tried to turn this movie into a valentine to her. It's just too bad he nearly lost his shirt in the process, because this is certainly a very charming picture.
But it could also be argued that charm is this film's selling point since it offers very little by way of a script. It moves along rather aimlessly from one story to the next, and for a comedy there really aren't all that many laughs to be had. Still, I completely enjoyed this movie. The charm and appeal of all the players more than made up for any shortcomings in the script. Stratten, like I said is breathtaking here and it's certainly no stretch of the imagination why John Ritter, playing the somewhat addled detective assigned to follow her would take more than a professional interest in his work(In an ugly parallel to the film Stratten's real-life estranged husband had her followed in a similar fashion in the weeks leading up to her death). Patti Hansen and Colleen Camp are both great-looking and likeable although Camp's over-the-top character can be grating at times. Audrey Hepburn brings her usual touch of class, as well as a lot of warmth to her part. Ben Gazzara shows a softer, more sensitive side that we rarely get to see. And John Ritter proves that with the right director he can be a comic force to be reckoned with.
An added bonus. The cinematography is top-drawer. New York has never looked so good.
The verdict? Yours to make, really. Just lie back, put your brain and neutral and enjoy. There are a lot worse ways to kill a couple of hours. Enjoy."