To me, this movie is perfection.

Perfectly adorable

Expected more

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Now, I'm not a Woody Allen fan by no means at all. I've seen bits from some of his other better movies. You don't really have to be a fan though, to know that he has made better films than this one. You just get that feeling here. It's oddly not a long movie either, and I really felt even though I knew what the story was, it really wasn't given a chance. We go back and forward from old these geezers in New York café, who reminisce over this small time talent agent (Allen), the sort you don't want to be represented by, to Allen trying to fix up one of his clients, who's cheating on his wife, with a mistress, that Woody then gets attached to. Bad news, the mistress is attached to the mob, so begins, a semi screen time hell for Allen, when he's chased by mobsters. I really didn't think the angle of these four dudes in the café telling old stories worked, if only to put a different spin on the norm of Allen's movies. Probably if you look at it that way, yeah, but I just felt the whole film was too shallow, that kind of skimmed instead of sailed. Allen has made much better movies than this. I found the film, filmed in black and white, moderately entertaining with good acting from of course, Farrow and others, one gangster dude, who was in Seagal's Out For Justice. You be judge. Still, definitely a watch for Allen fans, where you could well find short changed with this one. The glass playing act did impress me though.

Although Mia Farrow is billed as Woody Allen's co-star, few fans will recognize her as she hides behind dark glasses and a convincing Bronx accent. But Woody Allen himself is as delightfully neurotic and bizarre as usual. Nick Apollo Forte (a singer making his only movie appearance to date) is just wonderful as the not very able or amiable singer riding the crest of a nostalgia wave. There are some gloriously funny throwaway lines, but for all its marvelous weirdness and wackiness, the script seems to have been only halfway thought out and too quickly committed to paper and camera. I think it would have been much funnier with more work.

A bunch of old-time comedians eating at a deli recall the hopeless tireless talent manager of terrible acts, Danny Rose (Woody Allen). Lounge singer Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte) is on the comeback and needs Danny's help with a problem. Lou is married with kids and having an affair with Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow) who was gangster Johnny's former girlfriend. Danny pretends to be Tina's beard which raises the ire of the jealous gangster and his momma.It's a charming combination of characters and feel of a particular world. Woody Allen's Danny Rose is utterly hopeless and endearing. Nick Apollo Forte fits the over-the-hill lounge singer although I would love the role to be played by an actual actor. Mia Farrow is simply great. This is a particular movie with its particular charm. There are a lot of unknowns in the movie. That's also part of the charm but at times, I wish for more experienced actors.

Danny finds himself in a series of complications, due to his willingness to help a friend. He (Woody) is suddenly thrust into a tussle with the mob when a lounge singer enlists him in helping him get his mistress (Mia Farrow) to attend his big night. Danny, with the girl, is making people jealous and becomes the object of a mob hit. I love that the little guy with the glasses makes people jealous. Sort of Chaplainesque in a way. Things change and people escape all kinds of trouble, but Danny remains true-blue and is very heroic in his role. He takes the high road and ends up where he started. He does get a sandwich named after him, however. Not bad. This is a delightful movie with Allen allowing himself great flexibility as an actor. The supporting cast and a whole lot of comedians make it a worthwhile couple of hours.