I try very hard to separate the art from the artist, but there are some personalities where I just can’t. Woody Allen is one of those. Ronan Farrow’s claims come from a person who is both simultaneously experienced at exposing powerful people for their deeds but also is not exactly an unbiased source when it comes to his mother’s ex. But there’s something about Woody Allen and how often his cinematic stand-ins that just struck me as creepy, especially later movies when he aged but his character wasn’t much different from most of his older movies and the actresses he was romancing onscreen were staying the same age. But man, I heard Bullets Over Broadway was good, and it is on my Fill-in Filmography.
I opted to go for it since Allen doesn’t appear in this one, and I figured John Cusack wouldn’t be doing an Allen impression like some of Allen’s stand-ins. Besides, it’s a period piece, and if nothing else, Allen’s musical choices will be period appropriate for a change.
Aspiring playwright David Shayne (Cusack) wants to direct his next play. He’s tired of actors and directors changing his words and intentions, so he’ll do it himself. Small problem: he doesn’t really have any financial backers. Then his manager Julian (Jack Warden) finds one: mob boss Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli). Nick just has one condition: his untalented mistress Olive (Jennifer Tilly) must have a part in the play. She’s given a small role while David brings in his dream lead: legendary Broadway diva and heavy drinker Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest). His other actors are all onboard, but then there’s Cheech (Chazz Palminteri), one of Nick’s henchmen, who is spending time in rehearsals as Olive’s bodyguard.
But then something unexpected happens. David’s basic play is good but not great. His dialogue is too heavy-handed and unnatural. Cheech, however, has a natural gift for play-writing and begins making suggestions, suggestions that make David’s play even better. Cheech is willing to stay quiet about his improvements–he comes from a line of work that requires secrecy–but as time goes on, Cheech gets really invested in the play’s success. How long will it be before his natural gangster instincts kick in? And what’s going on with David and Helen?
Yeah, I may not be the biggest Allen fan, a fact that makes it easier for me to avoid his work, but this was actually a really charming movie. It was a fun diversion for a Sunday night. Wiest was a hoot as a self-centered star who didn’t ever want other people to speak while Jim Broadbent’s character, an actor who falls off his diet, has a nice visual gag going as his waistline increases in just about every scene. There’s Rob Reiner as a blowhard artist and Tracey Ullman as a starlet who just seems to want to pamper her dog, and it all adds to a lot of general fun.
But best of all was Palminteri, whose performance manages to best combine an aspiring artist and a mid-level member of the mob. His gradual change from disinterested bodyguard to a guy who will use mob tactics to produce a theatrical masterpiece, all while being kinda humble about it–he really seems to see his work improving the script as just something you do for the boss–makes the movie what it is. Without Palminteri, a really fun movie becomes a lot less fun. With him? Well, I think I can see why this one is considered one of Allen’s best.
I’m still not eager to see more of Allen’s work though.
Grade: A-
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