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Sidewalks of New York
Edward Burns definitely channels Woody Allen as the director, screenwriter, and star of a quirky rom-com from 2001 called Sidewalks of New York that looks at the interlacing relationships between six New Yorkers that loses focuses about halfway through, but the superb ensemble cast keep the viewer invested.
OK, let's see if I can get this straight...Tommy (Burns) is a TV producer who meets a commitment shy schoolteacher named Maria (Rosario Dawson) in a video store. Maria is commitment shy because of her failed marriage to Benjamin (David Krumholz), a doorman who really wants to be a musician who still has feelings for Maria. Benjamin finds distraction in an effervescent young waitress named Ashley (the late Brittany Murphy) who is having an affair with a married dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci), who is married to Annie (Heather Graham) a tightly wound real estate agent who is trying to get Griffin to confess to his affair while trying to find an apartment for Tommy.
The construction of Burns' screenplay is clever if not terribly original. The film actual begins as a documentary where the six principals are being interviewed with the first question asked is when they lost their virginity. It's kind of a cute opening for the movie, but it goes on a little too long as after every major scene from a relationship, we find the character explaining what happened in the scene we just saw. Not to mention that the documentarian starts interviewing secondary characters who really don't care about. Burns also introduces a couple of major plot twists way too late in the story that really slow down the movie. This might have something to do with why the film feels five hours long.
Burns does display a little imagination with the camera and displays the same kind of skill as Woody Allen utilizing Manhattan as a cinematic canvas. This movie floats all over the city following these deeply flawed and neurotic characters who will provoke all kinds of emotions in the viewer. I also liked the fact that the movie didn't tie up everything we had seen in a neat little bow.
Burns did work wonders with his hand-picked ensemble cast though, with standout work from the always watchable Murphy, lighting up the screen as Ashley. I have to admit I have never enjoyed David Krumholz more as Benjamin. This guy has been making a movies since he was a kid and this the first time he has really made me sit up and take notice of him. Best of all, was the brilliant Stanley Tucci, in one of his greasiest performances as the married dentist. Tucci loses himself in this Oscar-worthy performance playing one of his most unlikable characters, which is saying a lot since the actor has played more than his share of skeevy characters over the year. Also a quick shout out to Dennis Farina, who steals every scene he has as Burns' dad. It definitely goes on a little longer than it needs to, but Burns does display skill as a filmmaker and it's never boring.
Edward Burns definitely channels Woody Allen as the director, screenwriter, and star of a quirky rom-com from 2001 called Sidewalks of New York that looks at the interlacing relationships between six New Yorkers that loses focuses about halfway through, but the superb ensemble cast keep the viewer invested.
OK, let's see if I can get this straight...Tommy (Burns) is a TV producer who meets a commitment shy schoolteacher named Maria (Rosario Dawson) in a video store. Maria is commitment shy because of her failed marriage to Benjamin (David Krumholz), a doorman who really wants to be a musician who still has feelings for Maria. Benjamin finds distraction in an effervescent young waitress named Ashley (the late Brittany Murphy) who is having an affair with a married dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci), who is married to Annie (Heather Graham) a tightly wound real estate agent who is trying to get Griffin to confess to his affair while trying to find an apartment for Tommy.
The construction of Burns' screenplay is clever if not terribly original. The film actual begins as a documentary where the six principals are being interviewed with the first question asked is when they lost their virginity. It's kind of a cute opening for the movie, but it goes on a little too long as after every major scene from a relationship, we find the character explaining what happened in the scene we just saw. Not to mention that the documentarian starts interviewing secondary characters who really don't care about. Burns also introduces a couple of major plot twists way too late in the story that really slow down the movie. This might have something to do with why the film feels five hours long.
Burns does display a little imagination with the camera and displays the same kind of skill as Woody Allen utilizing Manhattan as a cinematic canvas. This movie floats all over the city following these deeply flawed and neurotic characters who will provoke all kinds of emotions in the viewer. I also liked the fact that the movie didn't tie up everything we had seen in a neat little bow.
Burns did work wonders with his hand-picked ensemble cast though, with standout work from the always watchable Murphy, lighting up the screen as Ashley. I have to admit I have never enjoyed David Krumholz more as Benjamin. This guy has been making a movies since he was a kid and this the first time he has really made me sit up and take notice of him. Best of all, was the brilliant Stanley Tucci, in one of his greasiest performances as the married dentist. Tucci loses himself in this Oscar-worthy performance playing one of his most unlikable characters, which is saying a lot since the actor has played more than his share of skeevy characters over the year. Also a quick shout out to Dennis Farina, who steals every scene he has as Burns' dad. It definitely goes on a little longer than it needs to, but Burns does display skill as a filmmaker and it's never boring.