It’s easy to skip over a lot of Woody Allen movies when trying to identify his best works, but that’s a testament to the outstanding nature of his strongest efforts more than a statement about those that aren’t mentioned as often. Movies like Husbands and Wives, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Mighty Aphrodite, and others possess their own charms. They feature a unique brand of humor, or smart observations about relationships and general intellectual angst. You can’t expect someone to make an Annie Hall or Purple Rose of Cairo every year.
Bullets Over Broadway hasn’t been forgotten, but it is almost considered minor Allen because it’s perhaps his ninth or tenth best film. It was still good enough to garner 7 Oscar nominations and one win for Supporting Actress by Dianne Wiest. Her performance is rather perfect for this oddball story of a writer who sells out to the mob in order to get one of his plays made. John Cusack in the lead role of the writer finds the right balance between naïve optimist and disillusioned idealist. It’s a shame that this one is so underrated, but it’s also fairly understandable.
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Published: Jun 23, 2013 07:55 pm