User reviews

I was fond of the fly-on-the-wall style they used to film this. Diane and Woody are masters of improvisation and at no point did I feel like this was scripted - they seemed like a real couple arguing over the suspected murder of their neighbour.

Their arguments in this movie are funny - like really funny. Diane plays a frenzied, nosy woman who pries into the lives of other people to make up for the discontent she feels about her own.

Woody plays a loopy older gentleman who has long since been castrated by his overbearing wife and who spirals into a panic attack every time the mildest stressor appears.

The duo is electric because they compliment each other's delusion well. They are basically tripping over each other this entire movie, blathering barely coherent sentences whilst trying to solve a murder case that in all likelihood never happened.

Except it did, and it turns out this pair of conspiracy theorists were onto something all along. This movie is funny, witty and full of one liners.

The scene in which they, along with their investigative cohorts, concoct a plan to expose Paul and then the following scene where they execute it by phone is pure comic genius. It's rare that I laugh out loud for a film but I did here.

Overall, this is a hidden gem and I consider it massively entertaining. Not to be missed.

• "What would you do if he found you in his house?"
• "I wasn't thinking that far ahead"
• "That far ahead? We're talking two seconds here. All he had to do was look under the bed!"

"Manhattan Murder Mystery" is 50% Hitchcock, 50% Bergman, and 100% Allen. It's frequently laugh-out-loud funny ("you must pay us in small unmarked bills....or, large marked ones, if you want to go that route"), but beyond that, it's a warmhearted, affectionate, insightful look at marriage and middle age. It is also a love letter to New York, and a homage to old Hollywood movies. And it has probably one of the tightest plots of all his films. Woody is very generous about sharing the spotlight with the other three main leads, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, and Angelica Huston. He and Keaton are perfect together and it's a shame they have never worked together again since 1993 - maybe even as the same characters they play here. It's a wonderful film - one of Allen's best. *** out of 4.

Light and insubstantial – the thinnest movie Allen made since 'Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy', but still breezy and fun entertainment, and still manages to have a deeper emotional resonance about working through mid-life crises and relationships. The camera-work is a mix. The first half is annoyingly hand-held much of the time, for no particularly good reason, but the second half has some very nice lighting, and a fun 'Lady From Shanghi' homage at the climax.

A flawed film, that one can pick at if you're in a cranky mood, but also one with wit and panache that you can enjoy if you let go of your inner film critic and just watch a master humorist simply tell a good yarn.

This is the sort of movie I can watch over and over. In one word I would say it is clever. A combination of mystery, suspense, drama, and Allen's ingenious humor, Manhattan Murder Mystery is my favorite Woody Allen movie. Perhaps my favorite movie - period. The plot was fresh, and having such humor with suspense is just too good. Another quality I enjoy in this movie is how Allen avoids an "over-polished" look. For instance, the scene where a neighbor in the hallway asks Paul about a rent increase. The actor appears to stumble for the right word, but Allen let the scene go that way giving it a very natural look. The restaurant scenes also portray realism with multiple conversations at one time; a quality I love in all of his movies. This makes reviewing the movies interesting- you pick up something new each time you watch it! Woody Allen's style is definitely an intelligent humor.

Larry Lipton (Woody Allen) and his wife Carol (Diane Keaton), both in their late forties, go back from a hockey game to their apartment in Manhattan. The middle-aged marriage indulging each other's pastimes of ice jockey and opera. In the elevator, they meet their next-door neighbors Paul (Jerry Adler) and Lilian (Lynn Cohen) House, who are both in their sixties, and whom they actually hardly ever know. Carol is longing to do something with her life, and her curiosity runs wild when her fairly elderly neighbour drops dead. She feels sure the gossipy woman would have mentioned her heart condition. We share Larry's sceptical view of her suspicions, but amazingly it seems there is something going on - especially when the woman turns up alive.

This enjoyable comedy and intrigue film titled ¨Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)¨ balances in the right ratio. A slight murder mystery with a lot of mayhem and confusion in which you have a feisty brew that actually has one or two thrilling, stylish and creepy moments amidst the modish comedy. A bit annoying at first, but little by little it continues to be balanced with fun enough. Light, exciting, entertaining comedy steers clear some of Allen's heavier themes and should keep audiences laughing till the final. Diane Keaton and Woody Allen team up again as two New Yorkers who get involved in a mystery when their neighbor dies under strange circumstances. Woody Allen writing with Marshall Brickman for the first time since ¨Annie Hall¨ and ¨Manhattan¨ makes viewers fall in love with the magic of NYC all over again. Woody Allen originally envisioned ¨Annie Hall¨ as a murder mystery, with a subplot about a romance, during script revisions, Allen decided to drop the murder plot, which he and Marshall Brickman later revitalized in ¨Manhattan Murder Mystery¨. Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman came up with the majority of the screenplay by walking up and down the streets of New York City. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton had trouble keeping a straight face when working together, displaying some uncontrollable laughter between the two, for their laughs were completely spontaneous. Along with the two wonderful protagonists, Allen and Keaton, appears as notorious secondary characters, such as: Alan Alda as Keaton's old flame who still has a yen for her, and publisher Allen's ace author Anjelica Huston, who fancies a mystery almost as much a novelist, adding a good supporting cast: Jerry Adler as the suspicious widower, Lynn Cohen, Ron Rifkin, Joy Behar, among others.

This interesting motion picture was competently directed by Woody Allen, adding the colorful cinematography by Carlo Di Palma, Allen's regular cameraman. In the beginning Woody made usually hilarious films in which he used to act, such as : ¨What's Up, Tiger Lily?¨, ¨Take the money and run¨, ¨Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You¨, ¨Sleeper¨, ¨Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask¨, among others . Subsequently he made several masterpieces. Including a series of movies in which he provided nice direction, investing care enough, wit and warmth, such as : ¨Crimes and misdemeanors¨, ¨New York stories¨, ¨September¨, ¨Radio Days¨, ¨Hanna and her sisters¨, ¨Broadway Danny Rose¨, ¨Zelig¨, ¨Stardust memories¨, ¨A midsummer Night's Sex Comedy¨, ¨Interiors¨, ¨Purple rose of Cairo¨, ¨Manhattan¨, ¨Annie Hall¨, ¨Melinda Melinda¨ and many others . Rating 6.5/10 . Better than average. The movie will appeal to Woody Allen and Diane Keaton enthusiasts.

This is a nice and light Woody Allen comedy about a death in a building that could be a murder. At least Diane Keaton's character thinks so, without really having a reason for that. She plays Carol Lipton, married to Larry Lipton (Woody Allen). They have just met their neighbors Paul (Jerry Adler) and Lillian House (Lynn Cohen) when Lillian dies. Because Paul is not that sad and is too ready to move on Carol becomes suspicious. When she is realizing certain strange events that has occurred her suspicion grows. Larry thinks it is pretty stupid but when a friend named Ted (Alan Alda) does believe her and helps her with the investigation he gets jealous and offers to help after all.

Whether a real murder has committed is not the point, I guess. Allen gives us standard movie situations, ridicules them a little, and betters them then. There is a scene where Allen and Keaton go from an elevator into a basement when the lights fall out. It is completely dark, something we have seen more in thrillers, and for some reason Allen is able to make this cliché thriller scene suspenseful. There are more of these moments. Since this is an Allen film there are a lot of links to other famous movies (the script itself is a little like Hitchcock's 'Rear Window') and famous scenes, the ending in particular does a terrific job in reliving one of the most memorable scenes out there. (It has to with mirrors, I guess you know what movie I am talking about). This light Allen comedy is a terrific mystery story with brilliant touches that will be liked not only by Allen-fans, but by everyone who loves either comedy or mystery suspense.

Charming. Amusing. Playful. A bit silly, but oh so enjoyable. Not the best of Woody Allen, but I would settle for less!

The good: undeniably charming story with great chemistry between the ever lovely Diane Keaton and Woody Allen.

The story is about a neigbour who accidentally (seemingly) died of a stroke, but is seen alive again shortly thereafter. What's going on here?! That's the cliffhanger.

Any fan of Woody Allen has already seen it, but is it worthy of recommendation for those who dont know about Woody Allen's other work? I guess it's inbetween his best and his worst work. So give it a try...

This is my favorite Woody Allen movie and right up there with Annie Hall and Manhattan as one of his best. Woody is at his best when he has Diane Keaton by his side and this proves it. A lot of his more recent movies haven't been good, because he is pairing himself with much younger actresses who aren't as good at this type of comedy or who aren't good at all in the case of Helen Hunt. This movie is hilarious even if you are my age (20). I think it's refreshing to go the video store and rent a comedy that isn't either a stupid spoof, or a teen comedy that plays like a rated R sitcom. This is a comedy that actually has a story, and Woody has the best lines. If you don't like Woody's style though you won't like this, but if you have seen Annie Hall or any of his other movies and liked them then you should love this one.



Zoopansick

This is a definite film for Woody devotees. For me there were some scenes where I couldn't stand his neurotic blabbing any more. He threw though some exceptional one-liners! The rest of the cast did a very good job and I guess they were improvising in some scenes. In general, it's a light comedy, but nothing deeper as some previous Allen films. Also it has a distinctive New York feel.

Manhattan Murder Mystery is a terrific Woody Allen film whit a wonderful mix of murder, mystery and comedy. With an all star fantastic cast; Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston and Jerry Adler.

The reunion of Keaton and Allen together was such a delight, the chemistry between Allen and Keaton, is truly top-notch, remind me of Annie Hall.(Diane Keatons role where actually intended for Mia Farrow, but as most of you know Woody Allen was going through his off-screen scandal at the time..). Like the most of Allens films this also have a witty dialog and excellent character development. And the murder mystery is very intelligent, fun and stylish mystery-comedy. Whit Manhattan Murder Mystery Allen also reunites with writer Marshall Brickman, they wrote Annie Hall and Manhattan together, Like those films, this one contains some very funny one-liners.

Manhattan Murder Mystery is one of Woody Allen's most wonderful movies. 9 out of 10.

Manhattan Murder Mystery, 1993. On clearout at my video store.

Despite the title, more of a comedy than a thriller, but enough of both for most, I'd hazard. Jerry Adler plays an newly-widowed (or should that be 'widowered'?) neighbour who Woody's wife (Keaton) suspects has killed his own wife. Our Woody initially thinks his better half is crazy to suspect such a nice, stamp-collecting avuncular chap, but as the evidence mounts and she gains recruits to her cause from their circle of friends, Woody starts to assist her...not giving away too much here, but the resolution and Woody's involvement in it should produce a satisfying mental 'click' in your brain.

Woody at his best, but let me first get some negative energy out of my system...I found Diane Keaton and Alan Alda a tad weak...Keaton's 'maladjusted rich girl now nearing 50' routine and Alda's constant dirty leers in her direction got a little tiring after a few viewings. I didn't know Alda until this film, and when I saw an 1974 ep of Mash recently, and I'm amazed at how little he changed physically over two decades.

On the positive, Anjelica Huston and Woody are a breeze, both together and with anyone else. Her steel-trap mind and subtle seduction of Woody are wondrous to behold, while Woody himself just reeks of professionalism and his usual widely loved neurotic, Jewish, New Yorker, sarcastic self:

"I just can't listen to that much Wagner, I start to get this uncontrollable urge to conquer Poland!"

In Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Allen delivers a solid mix of mystery and comedy. As with all his films, the dialogue is witty and the plot is creatively conceived. The characters really pull you in with their investment in the peculiar situations they find themselves in, including a great performance from Diane Keaton. Overall, a fine film that nicely pays tribute to classic film-noir.

Woody makes a return to straight comedy here after detours into drama such as "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Husbands and Wives", and confused efforts such as "Alice". Here the story concerns a middle aged Manhattan couple who become involved in the death of the wife of their across-the-hall neighbor. Keaton, as Allen's wife, becomes more and more suspicious about the death and starts to play amateur detective, much to the wise-cracking Woody's dismay. (my favorite line: "There's nothing wrong with you a little Prozac and a polo mallet can't fix.").

Despite Woody's humorous presence, the story never evolves from a murder mystery into the expected zany Allen adventure. There are no tricks or plot surprises here; rather, the story settles into an actual (and rather mundane) murder mystery, enlivened only by Woody's witty lines and a lame love interest between Keaton and Alda. There is an actual suspenseful plot culmination which seems gratingly out of place in an Allen comedy, and the close of the movie seems to stop rather than end. All in all, a subpar effort from the Woodmeister.

I love Allen. He shines in every film I have seen him in. I love his humour and his ability to act and so I was delighted to see him in a role that catered for his style of acting and humour, but also showed a more mature and serious side to his acting.

I watched this movie not knowing what to expect, except that the movie's lead stars (Woody and Diane Keaton) had been given very good reviews about their part in this film. I have to say I enjoyed the film. It was entertaining, funny but yet so sad.

The mystery is actually engrossing!

The film is about two characters who are miserable in their love lives (for different reasons) and in a strange country far from home. Their friendship develops so nicely and quickly that they become so attached to each other that saying goodbye is the hardest thing in the world.

As much as the film shows happiness in the form of the friendship, the film touches you in an all different way towards its end. After seeing this film, I found myself thinking about it all too much afterwards.

With the hand-held camera, no narration, no breaking of the fourth wall and an all around more realistic feel, Manhattan Murder Mystery is a clear follow-up for Husbands and Wives, but transferring that great film's style into a semi-comedic thriller parody doesn't work that well, mainly because Allen's character and his neurotic sarcasm are completely out of place - part of the point, of course, but it gets tiring much too often. Alan Alda, too, plays a generic Alda character that we've seen in Allen films several times before. Diane Keaton is the film's saving grace - it's great to see her work with Allen again for the first time since the masterpiece Manhattan - and she's at her very best, as is Anjelica Huston in a smaller but unforgettable part. All in all, it's worthy enough of a slot in the Woody Allen catalog, and fans will probably enjoy it, but it's not one of his finest moments.

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton reunite in this fine film, and both are in top form. Although it largely abandons the angst-filled themes of many of Allen's earlier films, it replaces it with a playfulness and sense of fun which elevates the film above your standard comedy or mystery. Alan Alda is notable for his fine performance, as well.

By comparison of some of his previous work, including Husbands and Wives and Crimes and Misdemeanors, this is a very breezy and light-hearted farce that has great fun within the genre of films such as Rear Window and The Thin Man. Woody Allen writes and directs with such ease and relaxation and actors Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, and Angelica Huston so perfectly fit the mold he creates that it is simple enough to engage instantly with these characters and follow them as they interact.

It must be said here that the actual murder plot is somewhat predictable and not very original. Yet, that is not the point of Woody Allen's screenplay. Unlike a lot of other writers, he focuses more on the characters and their reactions to these unusual situations; these are not people who suddenly turn into great private eyes when the plot requires them to. They are real, genuine and make plenty of mistakes that make us laugh. Allen gives one of his funniest performances on film and the return of Diane Keaton proves how warm and charming they are together still after all these years. Certainly not a very serious Allen movie, but one for those who aren't used to him to check out as well as more hardcore fans. A delight is still a delight.

Manhattan Murder mystery is the proof that Woody Allen is a great storyteller and that he is capable of surprise. The movie starts with the banal life of a middle-aged couple, and you feel instantly the weight of routine and boredom looming. The movie then turns the situation around very slowly and carefully when Diane Keaton goes completely psycho and starts investigating her neighbour for murder.

The movie had me, when at mid-point; you start to understand that the adventure she build for herself is actually a way to escape her mundane life with Woody Allen. The cherry on top being that it also a way to reignite a missed romance with Alan Alda. The movie had many interesting things going at that point. You start understanding that Woody and her are incompatible romantically and that her Manhattan life is not the fulfilment she thought it would be.

The movie almost immediately drops that idea the moment it is established. It then proceeds with the crime satire and resorts to slapstick kind of humour, and a style that is more reminiscent of parody. It almost feels that the movie was afraid of being serious, and that is why I think it rather dull. It could have used a bit more edge. A bit more about what are Diane Keaton's feelings and why.

The second part is not inherently bad, and it delivers some good laughs but it really pales in comparison with the rich texture of the first part. Once the murder mystery is established as real, the stakes are paradoxically lowered. There is no real reason for any of these characters to care what Paul House did or did not do.

In the second part, the murder plot becomes more interesting yet the characters are relegated to the side. That is why I felt a bit cheated in a way; I would have preferred to have a resolve on the Keaton-Alda-Allen love triangle, rather than framing grandpa Jerry Adler. That being said, the movie is technically very well done and the pacing feels effortless. There are a lot of things shot on the street and in numerous staircases and apartments, and it feels real and authentic. The second part is visually more interesting as well, not only does it involves more people, but it also changes locales frequently. The fun part is that the locations are used in the plot, which again gives the story realism.

At the end, this movie started one way and finished in another, and yet it remained fun. The only regret is that it not would commit to one aspect and resolve it more clearly. Take the Allen-Keaton relationship and put it under stress through the mystery or take this random couple in a regular life and propel them in a wild ride. What we are left with is neither.

In Manhattan, Carol (Diane Keaton) and her husband Larry Lipton (Woody Allen) are coming home late night when they meet their next door neighbors Lillian (Lynn Cohen) and Paul House (Jerry Adler) in the elevator. Lillian and Paul invite their neighbors to drink coffee with them in their apartment and Lillian shows her treadmill to Carol and Paul shows his collection of stamps to Larry. While drinking coffee, the elderly couple tells that they have been married for twenty-eight years and they have a twin tomb in the cemetery. Lillian tells that she is in good shape and uses her treadmill everyday.

On the next night, Carol and Larry go to see The Flying Dutchman in the theater and when they come back home, they learn that Lillian has died of heart attack. A couple of days later, Carol and Larry meet Paul on the street and Carol believes he is too perky for a widower that has just lost his beloved wife. When Carol accidentally finds an urn with Lillian's ashes in Paul's kitchen, she suspects that Paul has killed Lillian and comments with her friend Ted (Alan Alda). They decide to investigate her neighbor and Carol steals the keys of Paul's apartment from the super. She finds that Paul will travel to Paris and not to Caribbean as he had told to Larry and she, with a woman called Helen Moss. When Carol sees by chance Lillian alive in a bus, her curiosity increases and she decides to go further in her investigation.

Yesterday I was setting in order and cleaning my films on the shelf, and I decided to see again the VHS "Manhattan Murder Mystery". Last time I saw this film was in the 90's and I did not recall the story in details. Woody Allen is one of my favorite directors and actor, and that is the reason why I do not dare to say that this film is one of his best films because I love practically all his filmography.

"Manhattan Murder Mystery" has mystery, suspense and the refined and witty humor typical from Woody Allen. One of my favorite moments is when Larry compares the need to Carol returning to her shrink with a GM's recall. Another very funny moment is when the clumsy Larry plays the wrong tape during the phone conversation with Paul. If the reader wants to spend 104 minutes laughing, watch "Manhattan Murder Mystery" since this film is funny even for those that are not fans of Woody Allen. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil):"Um Misterioso Assassinato em Manhattan" ("A Mysterious Murder in Manhattan")

Note: On 23 October 2020, I saw this film again.

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

This movie almost defines delightful--at least for people who already like Woody Allen. (For some, Allen will always be irritating, no matter how brilliant the movie.)

Without a shred of pretension, and without really any suspense in the usual murder mystery way, we get sucked into what is perhaps the most believable of murder mysteries ever. The reason is simple. It's told as if two very ordinary, slightly bookish, not so slightly neurotic New Yorkers stumble on a murder.

It's the story of what we would all do if we thought our neighbor had murdered his wife. The bumbling, the doubts, the revelations, the sneaking around, the giggling.

It helps (a lot) that we have the reuniting of Allen with Diane Keaton, and it's a nice breeze in the room to have both Alan Alda at his ordinary guy best and Angelica Huston as a true New Yorker brimming with confidence and savvy. (Huston is from California, a daughter in the famous movie family. Alda, nicely enough, is a New Yorker for real.)

Don't expect anything deep, hilarious, or clever (three of the many intentions in Allen's movies). But it's really well made, superbly written, acted with utter believability, paced with snap, and filled with small surprises. Using the crack team Allen had in place in this period (set designer, photographer, editor, etc.), almost nothing could go wrong. As long as you like this kind of thing in the first place--a Woody Allen movie in the easy going vein.

I loved it.

When Woody Allen wrote Annie Hall he included a side-plot about a neighbour that died in mysterious circumstances (inspired by real events). However the film didn't have time for it. Here he returns to recycle some of his old ideas.

Clever observation of real life (well the one according to Woody) and some funny lines, but this is so stretched out that you fear it is going to fall apart at the seams. Lots of this comes across as a rehash (Woody is in the literary world (again!) and Keaton is a dits (again!) and Alda is an intellectual writer!) and if you haven't been a fan of his over previous work then this is NOT going to win you over.

The one problem with Woody Allen is that some people see his yacking classes as satire, but I don't think it is. He thinks that is how everybody lives, behaves and talks: People live in nice apartments, eat out a lot, have nice friends who swap barbs. He opened up a bit by including four letter words and sexual references later, but this is part of his old school.

The problem with this piece is that the thriller part has nowhere to go other than the track it is clearly on. Given that it doesn't seem to be anything other than a make-weight I have problems taking it seriously. Woody, If you want to write a thriller, write a thriller, but you seemed frightened of doing it, so you opted to add a bit thriller business to your usual same-old same-old.