Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman

Stars:

Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Jerry Adler

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Larry Lipton
Diane Keaton	...	Carol Lipton
Jerry Adler	...	Paul House
Lynn Cohen	...	Lillian House
Ron Rifkin	...	Sy
Joy Behar	...	Marilyn
William Addy	...	Jack, the Super
John Doumanian	...	Neighbor
Sylvia Kauders	...	Neighbor
Ira Wheeler	...	EMS Doctor
Alan Alda	...	Ted
Anjelica Huston	...	Marcia Fox
Melanie Norris	...	Helen Moss
Marge Redmond	...	Mrs. Dalton
Zach Braff	...	Nick Lipton

Storyline

Larry and Carol are fairly normal New Yorkers who have sent their son off to college. They meet an elderly couple down the hall and later in the week find that the wife has suddenly died. Carol becomes suspicious of Paul who seems to be too cheerful and too ready to move on. She begins her investigation. Larry insists she is becoming too fixated on their neighbor as all of the irregularities seem to have simple non-homicidal explanations. Ted, a recently divorced friend helps her investigation and Larry begins to become jealous of their relationship and agrees to help her.

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Plot Keywords:

being followed in a car | cheap hotel | dead body in elevator | reference to warren comission | reference to orson welles | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language, and for elements of violence in a comic murder mystery

Did You Know?

Trivia

Woody Allen was inspired in part by The Thin Man (1934) series of movies, modeling his main characters after Nick and Nora Charles.

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Goofs

At their neighbors' house, Carol prepares coffee in the kitchen. She makes filter coffee and puts a can of water under the filter. You have to pour water in the machine to warm it up and then go through the filter. The can will be filled with coffee in the end.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Larry Lipton: C'mon, you promised to sit through the hockey game without being bored,
Carol Lipton: [overlapping] I know, honey, I promised.
Larry Lipton: and I'll sit through the Wagner opera with you next week.
Carol Lipton: I know.
Larry Lipton: I already bought the earplugs.
Carol Lipton: Yeah, well, with your eyesight I'm surprised you can see the puck. Wow, yay, come on.

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Connections

References Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

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Soundtracks

Out of Nowhere
(1931)
Music by Johnny Green (as John Green)
Lyrics by Edward Heyman
Performed by Coleman Hawkins and His All-Star Jam Band
Courtesy of EMI Records Group
By Arrangement with CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Lightweight but fun Allen

Light and insubstantial – the thinnest movie Allen made since 'Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy', but still breezy and fun entertainment, and still manages to have a deeper emotional resonance about working through mid-life crises and relationships. The camera-work is a mix. The first half is annoyingly hand-held much of the time, for no particularly good reason, but the second half has some very nice lighting, and a fun 'Lady From Shanghi' homage at the climax.

A flawed film, that one can pick at if you're in a cranky mood, but also one with wit and panache that you can enjoy if you let go of your inner film critic and just watch a master humorist simply tell a good yarn.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Filming Locations:

21 Club - 21 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,015,360, 22 August 1993

Gross USA:

$11,330,911

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,330,911

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono) SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1