Review of Broadway Danny Rose (1984) by Ben E — 12 Aug 2012

Danny Rose: I don't wanna badmouth the kid, but he's a horrible, dishonest, immoral louse. And I say that with all due respect. .

Broadway Danny Rose is a small, brisk, sometimes funny, and most of the time amusing little comedy from Woody Allen. Allen has done much, much better work, but he's also done much, much worse work. It's a film along the lines of A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, where the best thing you can really say about it is that it is amusing. It's doesn't have the same appeal as some of his great works like Hannah and Her Sisters or Manhattan, yet because it is Woody Allen; it is still likable in a way that only a Woody Allen film can be.

We hear a story told by a comedian to a bunch of other comedians about a man named Danny Rose. Danny is a theatrical agent and most of his clients happen to be talentless hacks. One of his clients, Lou Canova, was big time in the 50's, but is now a has been. When people start getting back into the nostalgia music that Lou sings, he has one last chance to make it big again. In order for him to be able to perform well, he wants his girlfriend to see him at the big show. The only problem is that Lou's wife will also be there. So he gets Danny to escort her and act like she's his date. Things go bad when an ex-boyfriend gangster mistakes Danny for her new lover.

What makes this movie go down so much better is Mia Farrow's presence. She's a beautiful girl and a really good actress. She displays a different presence in this film, then were use to seeing from her; especially in Woody Allen films. Allen plays another Allen character, and his jokes remain based on an intellectual level. There's a great scene with some helium though, that displays some dumb humor, and was actually the funny part of the whole film.

Broadway Danny Rose is an average film from Allen. If you like him, this is worth a look as are all of his films. If you don't like him, this won't be the film that will change your mind. It's definitely lesser Allen, but still enjoyable Allen. When it comes to his long, long filmography; this one probably falls near the halfway point when it comes to how good it is. Just don't expect a movie worthy of his greatest and you'll be alright with Broadway Danny.