Such a frustrating disappointment

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

In these three short stories set in New York, Allen boils a funny but flavourless chicken, Coppola conducts a disastrous flute solo, and Scorsese paints a masterpiece.

This is three separate stories directed by three quintessential NY directors. The first "Life Lessons" is directed by Martin Scorsese. Lionel Dobie (Nick Nolte) is a successful artist unable to paint. His assistant Paulette (Rosanna Arquette) is moving on after their romance but he's still clinging on. Her presence fuels his jealousy and his paintings. Francis Ford Coppola directs the second part "Life Without Zoë" with school girl Zoë (Heather McComb) living in a luxury hotel. The final story "Oedipus Wrecks" is directed by Woody Allen. Sheldon (Woody Allen) brings his fiancé Lisa (Mia Farrow) to meet his overbearing mother (Mae Questel). His embarrassing mother disappears after a magic box trick.The Scorsese part is basically one dysfunctional co-dependent relationship. These characters don't change. It's a couple of grumpy people bouncing off of each other. I don't love this section but I do get the angry relationship. The Coppola section is just one rambling string of scenes. The little girl doesn't have enough charisma. There isn't enough fun or magic which is sorely needed in a story reminiscent of 'Eloise at the Plaza'. The Woody Allen section is the most fun. It's whimsical and mildly comical. It brings a smile to my face.

New York Stories (1989) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Three legendary directors come together for this anthology film but sadly the end results really don't live up to the hype. When it comes to these type of movies they're always uneven simply because you have different styles and so forth but I always ask myself if any of the shorts are good enough to where you'd want to see them expanded into features and in the case here only the first film would be worthy. Even though all three films open with credits that tell you who directed them, anyone familiar with their work would be able to tell even without the credits.Martin Scorsese's "Life Lessons" features an artist (Nick Nolte) struggling to find his painting in time for his big release party but while trying to finish up he's also struggling to find a connection with his assistant (Rosanna Arquette) who he has been having a sexual affair with. This here is without question the best of the three films because you have a fairly interesting story that is perfectly directed. I really loved the way that Scorsese never really explains what the story is and instead he just gives us little pieces and hints as the film moves along. It also doesn't hurt that you've got Nolte giving a terrific performance as he doesn't have to say much but you can see everything in his face. Arquette is also very good in her role as is Steve Buscemi in his brief part. The real star here however is editor Thelma Shoonmaker who does some of her greatest work here. This is especially true during the painting sequences, which are just downright beautifully filmed and the way they are edited is just something masterful to watch.Francis Ford Coppola's "Life Without Zoe" is the worst of the bunch and centers on a lonely 12-year-old girl (Heather McComb) who doesn't have any real friends until one day she meets the richest boy in school who is also friendless. I've seen this film a few times now and I keep hoping that it eventually makes sense but it never does. This is a pretty bad movie on so many levels but the majority of the blame has to go to Coppola because the story makes very little sense and his direction is so lifeless that you really wonder if even he cared about what was going on. Right from the start it's just impossible to get caught up in the story, the characters or to really care about anything that's going on. McComb gives a very good performance in the lead and Talia Shire isn't too bad as her mother but the film on the whole is just bad.Woody Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks) features Allen playing a 50-year-old lawyer who still can't get away from his mother. One day he introduces his mother to his fiancé (Mia Farrow) and the three take her kids to a magic act where the mother mysteriously disappears. A few days later she re-appears over the skies of New York City where she starts telling all of her son's secrets and embarrassing him even more. I think this third film has a few interesting moments and it has a rather clever idea but in the end it just never fully comes together. I never thought any of the embarrassing stories that the mother tells were all that funny and I'd say more than anything they're just annoying. Even Allen, the actor, doesn't appear to be at the top of his game as this character is just something that feels tiresome. Farrow isn't much better as she just sleepwalks through her part.NEW YORK STORIES, in the end, is a pretty disappointing affair with only Scorsese's film really coming to life and being something worthy. The Coppola short is one of the worst things he's ever done and the Allen film isn't too bad but it's just rather lifeless compared to the director's other films.

I have viewed the "Life Lessons" segment of New York Stories probably 80 times. I use the film religiously in my college writing classes.The assignment I give my students is to define art for Lionel, for Paulette, and for themselves. After some analysis, students realize that a big problem between Lionel and Paulette is that they view art differently. Paulette constantly needs external validation ("Can you tell me if I'm any good or not") while for Lionel art is a compulsion - his life and art feed off each other. Students who are able to get past Lionel's somewhat dysfunctional personality are able to understand and discuss some very important concepts about what it is to be an artist.I would highly recommend "Life Lessons" to anyone teaching art, aesthetics, writing, or theater classes. It's a great way to initiate a discussion about art.