Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageBullets Over Broadway (1994)
Director: Woody Allen
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Set in the Runyonesque New York of the Jazz Age, when artists rubbed shoulders with gangsters at speakeasies, this is the story of idealistic young playwright David Shayne (Cusack). With backing from mob boss Nick Valenti (Viterelli), Shayne can direct his new work on Broadway, and even attract stars of the magnitude of Helen Sinclair (Wiest) and Warner Purcell (Broadbent). There's just one catch: Valenti insists that his flapper girlfriend Olive (Tilly) play a leading role. Not only is she terrible, she comes with a shadow, Nick's bodyguard Cheech (Palminteri), who oversees the rehearsals with barely concealed impatience. A merciless satire on the pretensions, hypocrisies and indulgences of theatre folk, this is Allen's fizziest piece in years. It's propped up by two fiercely competitive caricatures from Tilly and Wiest, who completely and appropriately overshadow Cusack's approximation of the inexperienced author. It must be said that this is scarcely new ground, and that the staging is sometimes clumsy, but just when you wonder how much life is left in these stereotypes, Allen pulls off a doozy of a dramatic switch which takes the farce to unexpected, dizzy heights. No! Don't speak! See it!Author: TCh
User reviews of this film
-
- Madison said...
- Posted on Feb 08 2009 14:22 MY favourite Woody Allen film!
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Woody Allen
Producer: Robert Greenhut
Cast: John Cusack, Jack Warden, Chazz Palminteri, Tony Sirico, Joe Viterelli, Dianne Wiest, Jim Broadbent, Jennifer Tilly, Mary-Louise Parker, Tracey Ullman, Rob Reiner, Harvey Fierstein full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 99 mins
Top Stories
Ridley Scott interview
Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback
Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report
Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke
What do you think?
Post your review now