I'll Take Manhattan (1987– )

Maxi Amberville tries to save the magazine empire her father built, but her treacherous uncle stands in her way.

Stars:

Valerie Bertinelli, Barry Bostwick, Francesca Annis

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valerie Bertinelli	...	Maxime 'Maxi' Amberville (Cipriani)
Barry Bostwick	...	Zachary Amberville
Francesca Annis	...	Lily Amberville
Jane Kaczmarek	...	Nina Stern
Jack Scalia	...	Rocco Cipriani
Paul Hecht	...	Pavka Meyer
Tim Daly	...	Toby Amberville (as Timothy Daly)
Julianne Moore	...	India West
Adam Storke	...	Justin Amberville
Perry King	...	Cutter Amberville
Kate Vernon	...	Nanette Alexander
Brett Cullen	...	Dennis Brady
Lynne Griffin	...	Candice Alexander
Georgia Slowe	...	Young Lily
Adam LeFevre	...	Booker

Storyline

This is the story of Maxi Amberville and her attempt to save her father's empire from her uncle. It begins when Maxi Amberville's father, Zachary is found at the bottom of a cliff and dies later. Five months later, Maxi and her siblings learn that there is a board meeting that they were not informed of. They discover that their Cutter, Zachary's brother is not only in charge but has just married their mother. And also that Cutter has decided to cease operations on four magazines that have been in the red. When Maxi learns of his she threatens to reveal to her mother some of skeletons in Cutter's closet, unless he allows her to take charge of one of the magazines that he plans to close and if she can make it get into the black, the others will remain in operation. Then the story shifts to when Zachary returned from WW2, a hero, and his family is fawning all over him, which leaves Cutter pretty much out, which is the reason for the animosity between them. Zachary then goes to New York ...

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Plot Keywords:

magazine | marriage | england | divorce | airport | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

El rey de Manhattan

Filming Locations:

Milton, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

I'll Take Manhattan Productions, Steve Krantz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

375 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Cutter and Lily meet for the first time, Pepper Delafield, the socialite whose party they're attending , is played by Katharine Houghton. she's the niece of the late Katharine Hepburn and played her daughter in "Guess who's coming to dinner"

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Connections

Referenced in 3rd Rock from the Sun: Dick'll Take Manhattan: Part 2 (2000)

User Reviews

The Transforming Woman

Oh my. This is so bad in so many ways. It may qualify for my list of worst film experiences I have ever had, and that's quite an achievement. Its not only bad, its a huge investment.

Sure, the production values are poor and the acting is quite literally at the Ed Wood level. But we forgive those shortcomings in other projects that have life. That's supposed to be supplied here by our spunky heroine who redeems herself. There's supposed to be some narrative folding here: the story is about a story-telling organization, a magazine company, that reinvents itself as the woman who is doing the reinventing reinvents herself.

She previously was a spoiled rich girl, incapable of a real relationship. Well, it could have worked, but what we have here is a personal reinvention because she says so.

Why did I waste so many hours of my shortening life on this drek? Because it is a nominally folded project that has Julianne Moore in it.

There are many filmmakers that I follow, but very few actors and she's one. There's a very special quality a few actresses have. It may not matter to many others, this quality, but I find it fascinating. Its the ability to enhance a self-referential narrative by assuming a dual persona: the character of course plus some other dimension that observes, mirrors or annotates that character. It creates an intimacy between the viewer and the film, placing the actress partially in the role of storyteller as well as token.

Its a skill that is much discussed in certain circles, and indeed in late 91, a small group of like-minded actors met to develop their skills in this direction. These workshops became quite famous, coalescing on Checkov projects. In '93 they were talked into an extremely folded film, producing something you really must see: "Vanya on 42nd Street." That experience sent our Julianne into the world of intelligent film, where for five years she was our most interesting and intelligent actress. Then around five years ago, she started to waver. The reason could simply be weariness, appreciation of the costs, or investing in a relationship that she didn't want to risk.

But the question still matters a bit about what she was like before those appreciated workshops?

As it happens, she's in this project in a very minor role. She plays an actress, which in later times she would have wrestled into value in spite of the lunkheads around her. She doesn't. For some reason during this part of her career she tried to play the pretty girl only. Eyes, smile twinkling. Its as lackluster as what surrounds her.

What a transformation, from a nobody to a somebody, apparently through the sort of reinvention this movie thinks about but doesn't accomplish. But she did, and I suppose we should celebrate what we have.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.