Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte
Woody Allen has always been divisive. Ask a room full of people what they think of him and they’ll split as swiftly as if you asked them whether or not a certain savoury breakfast spread took their fancy. And this much is true, I think: that if you hate him then you may as well just stop reading now. Try another column instead (the ‘blind date’ section’s good this week, I hear). But if you love his stuff, give me a minute, and I’ll tell you why Broadway Danny Rose is one of the best.
Allen, of course, is Danny Rose, the leading man; but for once Danny isn’t really Allen. Too often a good idea falls apart because too much of the limelight is hogged by his autobiographical leads. Granted, there’s no Annie Hall or Manhattan without his neurotic, introspective philosophising, but Allen is something else as well; he’s a storyteller, and this film is one of his best examples of that.
As our hero – a hapless talent manager for second-rate Broadway acts – he gets dragged into a love triangle between his only talented act (Nick Apollo Forte’s washed-up lounge singer, Lou Canova), Canova’s mistress Tina (Mia Farrow) and her ex-boyfriend, whose mob connections (and misinterpretations) lead to a price on Danny’s head. The ensuing scramble is a great tale: self-contained and sharp, with a thoroughly human charm. The main reason it stands up though, is that, unlike so many films out there, its strengths lie in the subtlety of its wit and simplicity of its story.
Verdict - A captivating tale: Allen at his best.
5 Stars
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