Review of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) by James J — 17 Apr 2011

I really loved this film. What more could you ask for when Woody Allen and Diane Keaton reunite for a script with plot elements which were originally meant for their '77 classic, "Annie Hall" (that's right, "Annie Hall" was supposed to have a murder mystery woven into the intricate fabric of the film).

If you notice, I tend not to throw around the word "plot" all that much when discussing Woody Allen pictures. Usually he focuses more on characters than that which is happening to them. But in the case of "Manhattan Murder Mystery" plot is what you get, and boy is it fun.

Allen and Keaton play a married couple. He works for a publishing company and she's a... well, she's a busy-body. They seem fairly normal when you put them in the spotlight. Married for 20+ years; over familiar with one another and slightly bored with each others company. They think they've juiced all their is to juice out of their relationship, and when they meet a nice elderly couple who live just across the hall from them, they wonder if they'll be just as old and stale.

However, the neighbors -- a Mr. and Mrs. House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen) -- have a few surprises of their own hidden up their sleeves. For one, Mrs. House has a heart condition which catches up to her a bit too quickly and she buys the proverbial farm. It comes as a shock to everyone. Mrs. House, a woman who prided herself on her physical integrity suddenly drops dead. For Allen's Larry Lipton, it's an easy enough pill to swallow. I mean, people die. It's what we do, right? But not so easy for his wife.

After being woken up in the middle of the night by someone exiting Mr. House's apartment, the curiosity becomes too great for Carole Lipton and her imagination is suddenly sparked toward the possibilities of murder.

One can't help but draw parallel lines between the writing team of Allen Brickman's (co-authors of Annie Hall) story and that of Hitchcock's voyeuristic classic, Rear Window. Instead of living across the courtyard from a presumed killer, they live next door. And instead of James Stewart's broken leg, Allen is rife with neurosis which prevent him from any investigation. In fact, you might say that Allen gives Keaton the role of the inquisitive Stewart and Allen takes more of the passive stance in the case.

Being an Allen film, the film is chocked full of humor which works incredibly well, as this is also a very anxious story. I have never found tension so hilarious which aids in bigger and more hearty laughter than if we were simply coming at it from a standpoint of calm.

Even though this is a clear cut mystery film, the same rules still apply as mentioned before: Allen cares much more for character than plotting (even though the plotting is definitely here to see).