Memorable, crazy movie

best movie i've ever seen.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

In New York in 1928, a struggling playwright (John Cusack) is forced to cast a mobster's talentless girlfriend (Jennifer Tilly) in his latest drama in order to get it produced. The film received numerous Oscar nominations. Just in the acting category, we have: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – Chazz Palminteri. Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Tilly. Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – Dianne Wiest. Interestingly, Wiest won. Personally, I would have given the award to Tilly between the two of them.Although I love Woody Allen and I tend to enjoy mob stories (writing mob history is how I bay my bills), this somehow is not one of my favorite Woody tales. I think it is the lack of a real intellectual undercurrent. There is some talk of "the art and the artist" and even Nietzsche gets tossed around a bit, but this seems a bit light. Of course, when he is pumping out a movie a year for 50 years, I suppose not every one is going to be a philosophical gem.

Woody Allen films are not for everyone. Not much happens in them, people keep on talking, there are very few overtly dramatic scenes and the films are generally always quirky. But the fact that he is a master director and a brilliantly artistic storyteller can't be denied. Although his style is very lighthearted, but in a Mozart- esque way, it is deceptively so. He can be hit or miss at times due to the immense rate at which he makes films, but when he is in form, he is absolutely marvellous. Bullets Over Broadway is an example of him being at the top of his form.Bullets Over Broadway is set in 1920s New York which clearly is an era that Allen is fascinated by as he explored it again in one of his subsequent films 'Midnight in Paris' although that was set in Paris. The script beautifully explores both the Broadway as well as the organised crime scene in New York during that time, but in a quintessentially Woody Allen-esque quirky , humorous way. It is the characters and ensemble that make this film fantastic. Every character is colourful, funny and also deep. The central theme that runs through the film is the dilemma that a true artist can experience when he is faced with a decision of picking one option between success or staying true to his/her artistic creations. Should an artist make any compromise just to ensure the success of his work, or should he keep his work uncontaminated even if it is at the cost of commercial failure? Allen also makes a subtle commentary about why we should accept who we are instead of trying to be something that we are not which will ultimately give us fulfillment. While all that might sound heavy, but the film tackles these issues in the most quirky, understated and hilarious manner possible.John Cusack plays the struggling playwright David who is the quintessential Woody Allen character that the director himself has played throughout his life and Cusack is good at it. David is paranoid, neurotic, insecure, slightly delusional and can be manipulated. The character of Helen Sinclair played brilliantly by Dianne Wiest seems clearly inspired by the character of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. She is loud, over the top, at times cranky and also one who still lives in the past and can't let go of her memories. Olive Neal played by Jennifer Tilly arguably provides the most amount of laughs in the film. Tilly is absolutely fantastic as someone trying to be an actor who clearly isn't good at the craft. The character of Cheech played by Chazz Palminteri is thematically probably the most essential character in the context of the screenplay.Palminteri provides great range to the character and makes us like him even though he is a gangster. The ones mentioned along with other characters played by Tracey Ullman,Jim Broadbent,Joe Viterelli,Jack Warden,etc. make the film an extremely colourful experience.The script by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath is beautiful. It essentially captures the aura of the theatre scene in the 20s and the gangster angle serves as a masterful complementary element. The screenplay is witty, sharp and Allen's direction elevates the film to a higher level.Bullets Over Broadway is probably not my favourite Woody Allen film, but it has certainly become of my favourites of his films and that's saying a lot. Allen's style of storytelling is not too dramatic, but it has a serene quality about it that keeps you engaged and makes the film linger in the viewer's thoughts. Bullets Over Broadway is one of his best.

"Bullets Over Broadway" doesn't work for the same reason other Woody Allen comedies he's written but not starred in don't work. It's very simple, having someone else playing a character that has all the Woody insecurities and mannerisms leaves one wishing for Allen to be playing the part, and feeling cheated that he isn't in the film. Such is the case with John Cusack's playwright character. What you get is a Woody Allen clone that simply can't deliver the comedy intended by Allen. The cast is game, but fine comedians Jennifer Tilly, Jack Warden, and Rob Reiner, don't deliver enough chuckles to overcome the lack of Woody Allen playing the part he obviously was meant to play. - MERK

This was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The only other Woody Allen movie I've seen is "Annie Hall", and I liked this so much more! The reason I wanted to see this movie was because Jennifer Tilly stars in it; furthermore, she was nominated for an Oscar because of her performance in it. In the middle of this crime/comedy, I realized why. I predicted that the mobster would shoot her because she wasn't as good as the understudy in the play that she was forced to be casted in because her boyfriend, the mobster (Joe Viterelli) was funding the production for an aspiring and talented writer who had recently made flops because as he claims "I wasn't able to direct them." This play he was able to direct. It's well-known that actors and actresses who play characters who die in film are more likely to be nominated or to win an Oscar. While Jennifer Tilly played the stupid moll, mobster's girlfriend well, her death should have been the addition that made her win. Unfortunately, Diane Wiest won in a very overacted performance. This movie is hysterical, and makes you realize that art can come from the most unexpected of places10/10