Miami Rhapsody

Thin, but enjoyable romp from writer-director David Frankel involves a young, unmarried Jewish woman and her married family and friends--all of whom seem to be miserable and cheating on each other. Ersatz Woody Allen, as it aspires to be, but not quite on the level of, say, "Hannah and Her Sisters". Odd to see Mia Farrow here (playing Sarah Jessica Parker's mother), as this is basically a retread of the work she was doing with Allen earlier in the decade. Parker is infectious, rattling off the sometimes-precious lines with professional aplomb. The supporting cast including Antonio Banderas and Kevin Pollack is lively, yet this tale doesn't have much of a point--and as a film it has no motivation beyond aping Allen. **1/2 from ****

This comedy follows the relationships of a husband and wife, their 3 adult children, and their romantic partners. The couples' relationships cover a spectrum of durations, from the one couple just beginning to plan a marriage, one married for less than 6 months. one with a young child and another on the way, and the long-time married. Only about half of marriages last, and a good portion of the rest suffer from infidelities, neglect, boredom, etc. These are the issues considered by the unwed daughter, played by Sara Jessica Parker.

After watching the movie I went to IMDB to see if Woody Allen wrote or directed it. It seemed very much like one of his. SJP plays the Woody Allen character, very creditably.

See it from the beginning; this is not one to pick up in the middle!

What can I say for Miami Rhapsody. First of all it is very Woody Allenesque but the thing that made those movie good is that Allen really hates himself ,and vents his frustrations on camera talking about all the things that happened in childhood and in his family life. Gwyn Marcus(Sarah Jessica Parker) character never gives any reasons for all her scarcasm she just goes on and on at a annoying pace. She has rich parents so here's my "One-Liner". My brother cheating on his wife so here's my "One-liner". Her character doesn't exist before the movie it like she's born yesterday.

She did not come from a broken home and was not abused as a child so why all the cynicism. A line did mention that she never went out much back in high school because she was so skinny "A Hat Rack" (her words not mine) If so she must have been "Invisible" because she still is skinny.

The movie wasn't so bad it had a good pace the scenes without Parker are actually great even though there are few not that's her fault. The flashbacks are well placed it would have been better if the Writer/director had taken five minutes just 5 min to build Gwyn's neurosis right in the being of the movie and then maybe a Flashback or two then I could have felt connected to her but instead the writer just hands them out to her and all the characters in the film like a lottery. Speaking of the lottery the studio must have had a raffle and the director must have won permission to make this movie in that contest. Finally I would however recommend watching this movie Miami Rhapsody" first and then W. Allen's "Husbands and Wives" second or"Manhattan" to Compare and Contrast the two.

Sarah Jessica Parker is a young, female version of Woody Allen. That's pretty much what you get with this movie. Everyone was criticizing Kenneth Branagh (and John Cusack, to a lesser degree) when they did their Woody impersonations in Celebrity and Bullets Over Broadway. But no one seemed to mind when Parker did it in this movie, which Woody Allen had no link to even though it feels that way. Add Mia Farrow to the mix, and the clone is perfected (nevermind the fact that Mia and Woody were estranged when this was made). I found a few funny moments and lines (the business with the monkeys and Parker's reaction to them is memorable, but again totally out of the Woody school). But in the end this is a second-rate Woody Allen film, best suited for rainy days when there is nothing else to watch and you stumble upon this on cable TV.

"Miami Rhapsody" is a conversational light-hearted chick flick with Parker at the vortex of a Miami's family's many relationships. The film focuses on the Parker character's musings, contemplations, reflections, and conclusions in an easy going, unpretentious, gentle, and lively way. A must see for Sarah Jessica Parker fans and an enjoyable low cal flick for all others.