Manhattan (1979)
94%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 8 nominations
One of Woody Allen’s early classics, Manhattan combines modern, bittersweet humor and timeless romanticism with unerring grace.
Manhattan is like a love letter to New York City, but instead of gushing about the bright lights and big dreams, Woody Allen focuses on the neurotic, overintellectualized inhabitants. It’s a refreshing take on the city that never sleeps, and the black and white cinematography adds a touch of nostalgia that makes you feel like you’re watching a classic film. Plus, Meryl Streep plays a lesbian before it was cool, so you know it’s ahead of its time. Overall, Manhattan is a must-watch for anyone who loves New York or just wants to see Woody Allen at his best.
Production Company(ies)
Revolution Studios, Red Om Films, Hughes Entertainment,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel – 301 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some language/sexual references
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 36m
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Language(s):English, French, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 14, 1979 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 5, 2000
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep, directed by Woody Allen, written by Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by John Pym, Stanley Kauffmann, Tara Brady, Gary Arnold, Richard Brody, Jaime N Christley, Brandon Judell, Sarah Brinks, Mike Massie, Allen Almachar, MPAA rating R, Charles H Joffe, produced by Charles H Joffe, United Artists, New York City, romanticism, modern humor, bittersweet, middle age, divorce, television writer, brainy writer, mistress, high school girl, friendship, infidelity, entangling romances, black and white photography, George Gershwin score, realistic situations, witty humor, dialogue, characterizations, avoidance of clichés, late 1970s New York, cinematography, unique story, poignant, hilarious, engaging
Worldwide gross: $154,906,693
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $256,922,445
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 568
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 28,017,715
US/Canada gross: $94,011,225
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $155,923,500
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 498
US/Canada opening weekend: $18,711,407
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $31,034,039
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 437
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $55,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $91,220,942
Production budget ranking: 452
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $49,122,477
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $116,579,025
ROI to date (est.): 83%
ROI ranking: 1,002
Diane Keaton – Mary Wilkie
Mariel Hemingway – Tracy
Michael Murphy – Yale
Meryl Streep – Jill
Anne Byrne – Emily Pollack
Director(s)
Woody Allen
Writer(s)
Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Producer(s)
Charles H. Joffe
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (68) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (4)
Allen has always had difficulty harmonising his comic talents and the skittering form of his films: Manhattan is a temporary resolution gratefully received.
July 31, 2018
John Pym
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
What George M. Cohan did with the Stars and Stripes in 1919, Allen is doing with neurosis in 1979: waving it, telling us that as long as we’re proud of it, we’re all pretty damned OK. That’s the real romance of Manhattan.
January 9, 2018
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
A pretty and problematic picture that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
June 14, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
With Manhattan, a sparkling romance about the overspecialized anxieties of overintellectualized New Yorkers, Woody Allen has bounced back from the sobriety of “Interiors” to an exhilarating new comic high.
December 18, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Allen serves up a nostalgia that was utterly of its time; he incarnates an idea of the city that, even now, remains as strong as its reality and refracts his disappointed ideals into high existential crises.
September 3, 2012
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Gordon Willis’s too-dark lensing is an ideal match for the Scenes from a Marriage-inspired sequences of marital and amorous discord.
January 31, 2012 | Rating: 4/4
Jaime N. Christley
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
By the way, Isaac’s wife, played by Meryl Streep, has left him to become a lesbian. This wasn’t that popular a move back in 1979. In fact, Meryl did it before New York magazine even had a “Lesbian Chic” cover.
June 15, 2021
Brandon Judell
Huffington Post
Fortunately, this film has a quick run time of 96 minutes so you only have to be around these obnoxious people and their trite problems for a short time.
April 1, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
One of Woody Allen’s very best works, with a screenplay that stands out amongst his numerous projects as original and satisfying.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Woody Allen establishes all the life, beauty, and romance that come with living in New York City.
August 14, 2020
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
Manhattan (1979) was an acclaimed, mature, B/W masterpiece enhanced by a George Gershwin score (performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta), telling about infidelity, entangling romances and situations…
September 29, 2019 | Rating: A+
Tim Dirks
Filmsite
The gorgeous black and white photography recalls the smoky images of a New York that existed perhaps only in portraits on a wall, but it also evokes the way its lead character, and by proxy Allen himself.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row…
Plot
Marisa Ventura is a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City, who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall, a handsome heir to a political dynasty, who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa’s true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart, even though the distance separating them is just a subway ride between Manhattan and the Bronx.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Manhattan includes Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy, and Meryl Streep, who plays Isaac’s ex-wife who left him for a woman.
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