Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

11 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

The new comedy from Woody Allen

Plot:

When he discovers his adopted son is a genius, a New York sportswriter seeks out the boy's birth mother: a prostitute.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Adoption | Adultery | Sex | Greek Mythology

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Lenny
F. Murray Abraham	...	Leader
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Amanda
Donald Symington	...	Amanda's Father
Claire Bloom	...	Amanda's Mother
Olympia Dukakis	...	Jocasta
Michael Rapaport	...	Kevin
Mira Sorvino	...	Linda Ash
David Ogden Stiers	...	Laius
Jack Warden	...	Tiresias
Peter Weller	...	Jerry Bender
Rosemary Murphy	...	Adoption Coordinator
Steven Randazzo	...	Bud
J. Smith-Cameron	...	Bud's Wife
Jeffrey Kurland	...	Oedipus

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sex-related material.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Denmark:A | Finland:S | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Magnolia Pictures

Trivia:

When Lenny and Linda are at the restaurant we see several framed photos of celebrities on the wall nearby. Some of the celebrities featured are actors Robert De Niro (a still photo from Raging Bull), Leonard Nimoy, Brooke Shields, James Garner and musician Chuck Mangione.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the scene after Cassandra tells Lenny that his knee caps will be broken, the shadow of a boom mic is visible "following" him as he paces while talking on the phone to Amanda.

Quotes:

Lenny Weinrib: I'm not a violence person! I write about boxing and hockey and football!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hongos (1999)

Soundtrack:

I've Found a New Baby

Woody tempts fate

Woody Allen gives us an unconventional friendship with a Greek tragedy (Or comedy) as its backdrop. Story is about a sports writer named Lenny (Allen) who is married to Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) and she works in an art gallery but their marriage is on the rocks so Amanda suggests they adopt a baby but Lenny at first says no. After they adopt a boy they name Max it takes no time for Lenny to change his mind. As Max grows Lenny is very curious about who left him for adoption and he starts snooping around until he tracks down Max's real mother. Turns out his real mother is Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino) who is a hooker and sometimes porno actress and Lenny sets up dates with her (No sex) and gets to know her better. He doesn't tell her that he has adopted her son and a friendship develops between the two. Meanwhile, Amanda is having an affair with Jerry (Peter Weller) and she moves out. Lenny tries to help Linda improve her life and sets up a date between her and a local boxer named Kevin (Michael Rapaport). During the course of this film Lenny talks to members of a Greek chorus who chant out what he should and should not do and sometimes they break into song! Three of the Greek chorus members are F. Murray Abraham, David Ogden Stiers and Olympia Dukakis. This is one of Allens funniest films in years and Sorvino steals the picture. I could listen to her talk that dialogue all day long. One of the many lines that stand out is when on a date with Rapaport she tells him she dated a pinball champion, but two guys strangled him! Sorvino appears on the surface to be just another kooky hooker but as the film develops we start to really care for her character and Sorvino adds just the right amount of charm and realism without forgetting the comedic elements of her role. One of the reasons the friendship between her and Allen works so well is because Sorvino displays her own sharp and quick wit to their spirited conversations. Allen has never used four letter words in his films but he does here and it seems appropriate with Linda's background and the violent pimp that Lenny goes to visit. The cinematographer is the great Carlo DiPalma and he's shot several of Allens films as well as "Blowup". The colors are interesting in several shots and the color yellow is very prominent. The focus of the story is about Allens character tempting fate by intruding in on Linda's life and trying to change it. This is clearly one of Allens best films and Sorvino is just terrific in a career making performance.