Movie of the Week: Manhattan Murder Mystery

So I came across this movie late one night and never got to finish it. It was so funny and intriguing I had to download it. The movie is about Larry (Woody Allen) and Carol Lipton (Diane Keaton) who one night happen to go to their next-door neighbors' house, whom they've never met before, for drinks. The next day they come home to realize the neighbor's wife has died of a heart attack, the only problem is that the husband seems a little too perky and apathetic about the fact that his wife just died. Always one to jump to conclusions, Carol immediately starts to play around with her suspicion that her neighbor killed his wife. Encouraged by her also imaginative friend Ted, Carol begins to snoop around the neighbor's apartment, pulling at straws really, and begins to realize that there might be more truth to her theory than she realized. The movie further develops as Carol and Ted begin to run around New York City, trying to find answers, only to find that every place they go deals them more questions.

What makes this movie so entertaining, apart from the murder mystery dynamic, is the comedic timing between Allen and Keaton. Allen's character has no desire whatsoever to pursue Carol's crack-pot ideas, and so his unwillingness and sarcasm lends to some very funny interactions between the two. In classic Woody Allen fashion, the movie has a very conversational atmosphere, which makes it seems like the actors aren't acting at all, which is an element I love in movies. The audience thinks throughout the entire movie that everything is just a misunderstanding, that Larry and Carol will finally confront the neighbor and that he will divulge that Helen was just his niece, that his wife had a twin, etc. (this will all make more sense when you watch the movie), but it is quite a pleasant surprise when the audience realizes that Carol's theories weren't so far-fetched after all. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good mystery and a good laugh to distract us from the garbage that Hollywood today calls "a comedy film", but also to witness a great reunion between Woody Allen and Diane Keaton since "Annie Hall".

Song of the day: "Sing Sing Sing"- Benny Goodman and his Orchestra

Until next time,

Sary