Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

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

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Pamela Blair, Rene Ceballos, Woody Allen

Won 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pamela Blair	...	Greek Chorus
Rene Ceballos	...	Greek Chorus (as René Ceballos)
Elie Chaib	...	Greek Chorus
George De La Pena	...	Greek Chorus
Joanne DiMauro	...	Greek Chorus
Denise Faye	...	Greek Chorus
Marian Filali	...	Greek Chorus (as Marianne Filali)
Angelo Fraboni	...	Greek Chorus
Scott Fowler	...	Greek Chorus
Seth Gertsacov	...	Greek Chorus
Patti Karr	...	Greek Chorus
Fred Mann III	...	Greek Chorus
John Mineo	...	Greek Chorus
Christopher Nelson	...	Greek Chorus
Valda Setterfield	...	Greek Chorus

Storyline

Lenny and Amanda have an adopted son Max who turns out to be brilliant. Lenny becomes obsessed with finding Max's real parents because he believes that they too must be brilliant. When he finds that Linda Ash is Max' real mother, Lenny is disappointed. Linda is a prostitute and porn star. On top of that, she is quite possibly the dumbest person Lenny has ever met. Interwoven is a Greek chorus linking the story with the story of Oedipus.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | adopted son | greek chorus | adoption | new york | 

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Taglines:

The new comedy from Woody Allen

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sex-related material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poderosa Afrodita

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$6,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sweetland Films, Magnolia Pictures, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2005 interview with "Vanity Fair", Woody Allen stated that even after their bitter and much-publicized breakup, he considered casting Mia Farrow as his wife Amanda, saying that he believed she would be the best actress for the role. In response to this, his casting director Juliet Taylor replied, "What, are you nuts?"

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Goofs

The scene at the school where Lenny and Amanda consider sending their child was shot at the City & Country School in New York, a world-famous progressive K-8 school in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan. During their visit, a school administrator mentions that the child's test scores are acceptable. In real life, however, the school does not use standardized-test scores when considering prospective students.

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Quotes

Chorus: Lenny, don't be a schmuck!

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Crazy Credits

The Greek Chorus does the "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles At You)" song-and-dance production number over half the credits.

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Walkin' My Baby Back Home"
(1930)
Music by Fred E. Ahlert
Lyrics by Roy Turk
Performed by Dick Hyman

User Reviews

How close to home do you want to get?

I have just watched Woody Allen's magnificent movie again for the first time in almost 10 years and am more convinced than ever that it is one of his most under-rated films (but then, how do you judge an artist - by his individual works or by the overall body of his work?). And if suddenly I feel I am getting too serious here, let's just say that this is a very funny film.

By now there is no escaping the fact that Woody Allen's films are largely autobiographical in that he uses what is happening in his own life to fuel his storylines. For an audience this is sometimes only apparent in hindsight as the tabloids are quick to exploit Woody's foibiles. But he beats us to it, and for that reason "Mighty Aphrodite" deals us a killer blow - it is very, very funny but in dealing with adoption, children and in marriages on the verge it is also very moving. I laughed till I cried (the juxtaposition of the Greek chorus with the contemporaneous is a brilliant device) and finally I just cried.

As to the movie itself, it is beautifully photographed and brilliantly edited (and with some inspired choreography) and acted to the highest order: (Helena Bonham-Carter standing in for Mia Farrow just as well as Kenneth Branagh stood in for the Woodmeister in "Celebrity" - and how incestuous can we get here). But the final word has to go to Mira Sorvino who is funny, touching and inspired. Sometimes (not often) the Academy gets it right and her Oscar was one of their finest hours.