Rating: PG
Genre:
Comedy
Release Date: 12/15/1998
SubTitles: English/French
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: 2
Run Time: 107 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar
There's a real murder and a real mystery in
Woody Allen's
Manhattan Murder Mystery, but these plot pegs are used mainly to allow
Allen to explore modern urban relationships.
Allen plays a N.Y.C. book editor,
Larry Lipton, married to
Carol (
Diane Keaton, who replaced
Mia Farrow at the last minute, for reasons well publicized at the time).
Carol is a free spirit, ever willing to try new experiences, but
Larry is a wet blanket. When it begins to look like a neighbor has killed his wife,
Carol is eager to investigate the mystery, but
Larry thinks her suspicions are nonsensical and doesn't want to leave his apartment. Undaunted,
Carol finds another "
Nick Charles" in the form of family friend
Ted (
Alan Alda), who joins the investigation, and feels attracted to
Carol and isn't afraid to let her know. Meanwhile, a writer under
Larry's aegis (
Anjelica Huston), who feels romantically drawn to him, also decides to join in the fun. Slightly jealous of
Carol in the face of her budding relationship with
Ted,
Larry reluctantly agrees to go along on her clue-hunting expedition -- and it is he who discovers the corpse, who as it turns out was killed
after Carol started poking around the apartment building.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
