Reviews of Broadway Danny Rose
Displaying all 2 reviews
Jon
4Sep11
One of Woody Allen’s zippiest, most delightful outputs, a farcical black and white comedy with springy streams of dialogue and some choice episodes of clever absurdity. Playing the title role is Allen himself, who as a down-on-his-luck talent manager gives his character an uncommonly endearing, shabby nobility not seen in his other roles. While his acts are dopey and career unsuccessful, his hardwearing dedication makes him an underdog hero of Chaplin-esque vitality. Once the story becomes concerned with a spicy mistress (a fabulous Mia Farrow), vengeful gangsters, and helium tanks, things become more zany while only upping the charm. The riotous journey is made all the more special by an ending that brings a calm pathos to the preceding screwball comedy.
Byron Brubaker
22Jul09
Woody Allen as Rose manages a rag tag group of talent. The sort of talents his clients have are humorous in a young-Woody-Allen-movie kind of way. Mia Farrow impressed me with her attitude and accent. Also with the big hair and sun glasses she was hardly recognizable. This was a very different character she played from the few other performances I’ve seen from her. Forte, as a lounge singer making a come back, plays his part as a vulnerable man. He does a good job, especially in scenes with Allen, but definitely falls into the background as a supporting character. The shaky romance between Allen and Farrow is really the focus of the story. I happen to like Woody Allen’s neebish, neurotic line delivery that he is known for. In this movie he’s the same as usual. However, he has written a lot of good jokes (many of which sound fresh) and gags (I couldn’t help but laugh at the leaking helium scene) for this picture. The black and white cinematography is artistically done. There are references to The Bicycle Thief with an Italian fortune teller from the old world still holding counsel. In fact, a whole bunch of Italian culture is interjected into this story. This includes the lounge singing and an Italian mother of two mafia hit men putting a price on Danny Rose’s head for a family embarrassment. The movie plays something like a combination of Lenny and The Godfather, but of course it has Woody Allen’s touch of comedy and awkward romance.
- Currently 5.0/5 Stars.