Manhattan (1979)

I guess there isn't much I can say about Woody Allen that hasn't been said myriad times already, but I watched this movie, so I'm going to write about it. I'll let you know that I have not seen a great number of his films, and in fact have mostly seen his "lesser" or "crappier" works like Anything Else, Everyone Says I Love You (which for a musical sequence starring Edward Norton I will always cherish to some extent), Cassandra's Dream, and Scoop. But I know some people who are way into this guy, and so I have been endeavoring to get more into this movies.

Pretty much all I ever knew about Manhattan was that it was in black and white, it had something do with that city Woody Allen loves so much, and everyone is obsessed with its music. But actually, it's about relationships! Isaac Davis (Woody Allen) is a neurotic, urban, sex-driven comedy writer who is dating seventeen-year-old Tracy (Mariel Hemingway, who was actually only 18 at the time). He has fun with her but feels he should be dating someone closer to his own age (also someone legal). He becomes attracted to his best friend Yale's (Michael Murphy) mistress, Mary (a frizzy-haired Diane Keaton). She is pretentious and nervous and likes the idea of his unmarried status. Also there is a subplot about Isaac's left-him-for-a-woman ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) and her incredibly personal book about their breakup. The relationships intertwine and go back on each other: Mary maybe still has feelings for Yale, Yale maybe wants to leave his wife for Mary, Yale and Isaac will always be best friends, Isaac wonders if he should have broken it off with Tracy just because of her age, et cetera.

Overall I liked it, but not as much as Play It Again, Sam or Annie Hall (which are sort of in the same category of 70's romantic comedies in which he also stars). The story wasn't as engaging, and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. I think the issues of Isaac's and Tracy's relationship are the most interesting. Though still in high school, she believes her love is serious and should be taken seriously, regardless of its recipient's age. Love between people of disparate ages is often scoffed at in our culture, but I think it can be just as real as a relationship between people of the same age. The fact that Isaac so readily believes that Tracy couldn't have a significant attachment to him just because she was seventeen speaks to preconceived notions about "young people". I'm glad that when the issue is addressed again later in the film, he approaches it in a different way and sees her as a person, not just an age.

Anyway, great job, Woody Allen. I look forward to seeing more of your movies. FYI: Vicky Cristina Barcelona was pretty good.