Critics often tend to brush off Woody Allen’s lighter comedies. Broadway Danny Rose might not be as profound or audacious as the films recognized as his masterpieces, but it still scored a lot of brownie points for me thanks to the simple reason that it is a lovable and delightful urban comedy. And, for all its humour and funny gags, it also comprised of a fine, albeit subtle, dose of pathos and, well, what surely counts as Woody’s favourite theme, a nostalgic look at New York. The film, shot in glorious black-and-whites, opens with a group of men discussing the life of a quirky agent who has just demised. And while discussing about this likeable man called Danny Rose (played wonderfully by Woody himself), who has the habit of signing up losers and has-beens and treating them as his family, the film concentrates on a particular strand of his unassuming life. He has under his wing an alcoholic crooner named Lou Canova and is desperate to do anything to bring Lou’s career back on track. While trying to do so, Danny ends up facing a whole lot of problems, ranging from trying to woo Lou’s neurotic mistress (played with élan by Mia Farrow) to attend his big concert, to finding himself to be the target of a couple of gangsters out for his life. The film is a charming, bittersweet, humorous, melancholic, witty and intelligent work that no Woody Allen aficionado should give a skip.
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/Urban Comedy/Showbiz Comedy
Language: English
Country: US