Review of New York, New York (1977) by Melcandy - — 01 Jun 2010

Boy, did I hate this movie at first. Jimmy Doyle (Robert DeNiro) is such an obnoxious character that you just want to stab him in the neck with a fork. He's like Jake LaMotta, but instead of being menacing in a fascinating way, he's bratty in an annoying way.

Not a lout, but a twat. It's not that DeNiro's performance is bad, it's just a rotten character you don't want to watch at all. But around the one hour mark, he starts to pick up a couple of new dimensions and becomes more interesting and more palatable.

I had no problems at all with Liza Minnelli, I thought she was terrific and I found her character sympathetic. As for the film, it's a postmodern take on the classic MGM musicals (with some nods to Powell & Pressburger) that never really nails the comedy very well but eventually drums up some intriguing drama.

There's some wonderful shots, highlighting the stylized artifice of the period. But some scenes are interminable slogs. Not just the lengthy "Happy Endings" musical montage, but the opening scene of DeNiro trying to pick up Minnelli and the extended argument in the car are uncomfortably long.

But there are some really great scenes too. I dunno, I appreciate what Scorsese was going for, but there's so much of it that rubbed me the wrong way. Glad I watched it once, probably wouldn't ever do it again.