MovieChat Forums > Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) Discussion > this movie proved how much better a foil...

this movie proved how much better a foil Diane was vs. Mia

posted 16 years ago by ellery-6
6 replies | jump to latest

Let's face it, this is not of of Woody's strongest films in and of itself. The script/plot was flimsy, to say the least, with many a recycled joke (how many times has Woody done that one about a Polo mallet!)

But Woody and Diane's chemistry elevate MMM to one of Allen's best. Before I saw this movie, I assumed that the reason I preferred his older movies (pre Mia) were because they were just better. (There are some exceptions of course: Hannah, Crimes). But then this movie came out, and I realized that Diane just made his movies better, especially if they are 100 percent comedy. Had she been in his films of the 80s, I'm pretty sure that I would have loved them as much as I did his films of the 70s. Again, Hannah and Crimes excepted.

I actually like Mia and she was wonderful in Hannah but if you want to see a really "nutty" Allen movie, well, she just doesn't have the spark to cut it. This movie would have been terrible had she been in it.

Also as someone else said Woody and Diane are so relaxed and at ease in this movie it doesn't even look like they are acting. Its just all so effortless.

Also LOVE Alan Alda in this movie; in fact, in ALL of Allen's movies! I have never cared for Angelica Huston so I could have done with out her (although she was more tolerable here than in Crimes).

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Emunah 15 years ago

There's a difference between the two. Woody and Diane work better together in comedies like Sleeper or Annie Hall, while Woody and Mia work better together in dramas like Hannah and her sisters or Husbands and wives... but yeah, I agree his chemistry with Diane is better, but again, its all about the material that makes it seem that way. If Woody and Diane were in Husbands and Wives together, for example, they'd look to have the same kind of friction and tension that Woody and Mia tend to have onscreen as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFtYpLV4EPo

[–] O_Possum 15 years ago

I think Keaton and Allen are great when they're both rambling on at the same time. They both seem to be in their own little world.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19910506,00.html
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[–] IForgotMyMantra 13 years ago

Yes, I agree (although I think that in MMM, Allen is HER foil). Mia is adequate in most of her movies but watching this for the umpeenth time, it's a clear reminder of the chemistry that Diane and Woody had. I don't think there's a single Allen/Farrow movie where I wouldn't be more intrigued had Keaton taken the part instead. Imagine her in Purple Rose of Cairo, or even something mediocre like Alice or September. They would have been more interesting movies.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] sacrednerve 9 years ago

I think Keaton is simply a better comic actress. More naturally funny and more at ease with slapstick humor. Also, I think her chemistry with Allen is much different than his chemistry with Farrow. Keaton is somewhat tomboyish and in a lot of her scenes with Allen, they seem more like buddies than romantic lovers. I think that gives a different flavor to their work together. Farrow and Allen always seemed like a romantic couple, never like friends. Their chemistry was much more marital, much less breezy.

I also completely disagree with you about Huston in this film! I thought she really stole those scenes at the end of the film when they were all plotting.

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