Manhattan

Classic First Date RomCom

I am going to start out with my favourite date movie Manhattan. In order to show anyone this film you must first establish their feelings on Woody Allen, as I find they are often quite polarized. Even if the person is seemingly indifferent you must ensure they would not be offended by the fact that the film opens with him dating a 17 year old. FORESHADOWING.  I like to watch it early on as I know if someone doesn’t like this film we might have issues. 

TIME & SETTING: Make it a sunset film, ideally viewed on a wide screen, but almost anything goes

SNACKS AND FOOD: If watching it at home I would highly recommend Chinese takeout, in those perfect white boxes, it screams New York.

TYPE OF DATE: It is borderline film nerd, but if they liked or have heard good things about Annie Hall, its sure to impress.

FACTIOD: Woody hated this film so much he offered to direct his next one for free if Manhattan was shelved

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What is with the whole young girl thing?

Can we really have faith in people? (loaded question) 

FAVORITE QUOTE: 

"If the four of us are walking home over the bridge and a person was drowning,

would we have the nerve...               
Would one of us have the nerve
to dive into the icy water and save them?            
It's a key question.

l, of course, can't swim,
so I never have to face it"

The jist of it:

Everyone has heard of Annie Hall, and it is easy to see why people might confuse the two. Both are set in Manhattan and involve a romantic entanglement between Allen and Keaton.  Where it differs is mostly on style. Shot in 1979 and entirely in Black and White (if you hate this, trust me you will barely notice and it makes you seem cultured) it is a homage to the beauty of Manhattan.  From start to finish we are consumed by beautiful spanning black and white scenes,  all inspired by Gershwin's music. Love or hate the city this movie makes it impossible to deny its architectural prowess. Oh yeah and there is a plot. Like most of Woody’s films he is neurotic, and his relationships are equally so. Manhattan is a cynical take on the love triangle, Woody meets Diane, dumping the 17yr old high school student he has been dating. He moves in with Diane only to discovers she has been stooping (Joe Guy) his friend. All the classic Woody themes are here and the script is cleverly crafted by Allan and Brickman who first joined to create Annie Hall It’s comedic, visually impressive, and ripe with content for post movie discussion.