Just seen the film..
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cnicknz — 16 years ago(February 05, 2010 10:30 AM)
Maybe there was no one in the theater when it was only three weeks old because word of month on the movie was bad. Even with the cool concept of telling a realistic story against a proto-M-G-M backdrop, the central characters were not appealing to the general public. The DeNiro character was so loutish that I hated him to begin with and I ended up disliking Minnelli's character for putting up with him. Everyone I know was looking forward to this movie and a lot of us admired its quality, but didn't really like it.
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xingcztarre — 18 years ago(July 31, 2007 10:51 AM)
I saw this last week, on TCM. HUGE disappointment. This movie is not under rated at all, it is very much rated correctly. I knew something was wrong with the movie during the Francine and Jimmy exchange at the beginning when she says "No." about 20 times. Great writing! i also saw a lot of 70's hairstyles in the club. DeNiro - I didn't buy him for a second. He seemed like a mobster pretending to play the horn. And his standby improvised dialogue - just repeat it: "I care about you. I care about you. I care about you. I care about you. I care about you." (as he's smacking her) What woman would stay with the jerk? So unbelievable. Just so much bad feeling going on. I hated this. I give a 3 out of 10.
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dorislg11 — 18 years ago(July 31, 2007 01:07 PM)
I agree with your review "xingcztarre". I was about to give this movie up as a waste of time until I heard Jimmy play the sax and Francine began to sing. Too much time taken in the beginning to make these two gel. I mean Jimmy is a girl's worse nightmare. Not a very likeable character. I am not a Liza fan and not sure if I will finish the movie. I was a pre teen during this period of time when WWII ended and I grew up with the big band sound and know the singers, the bands and the music very well. I so wanted this movie to be good. I am counting on Scorcese to make it work. To be continued after I watch it to the end if I can stick with it.
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lancekoz — 18 years ago(November 30, 2007 07:17 PM)
Ditto y'all. I saw it when it just came out and was disgusted, and again on TCM tonight, just as bad. Depressing with few redeeming moments, it was as if someone just wanted to use DeNiro and Minelli as the stereotypes they could be known for. He, a confused, macho abuser, her as a the confused suffering female hanger-on. There is none of the depth the characters had in Cabaret, for instance. And the sound production here is very bad, totally fake sounding during the songs.
And I really don't understand Scorcese. He could make something visually arresting like Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but sometimes his films have the worst, cheesy lighting and over-romanticized sets and camerawork, like this one and the Age of Innocence. He had his hand in many projects, but I find only a few of them are worthwhile movies. -
killacam-2 — 16 years ago(May 17, 2009 08:49 AM)
The beep people say charcaters have no depth? De Niro's character is definitely a jerk, but he loves his wife and his passion for music is unquestionable. Minelli's performance is tour de force, both as struggling wife and as performer. Many people in reality have similiar issues as them. This is also one of the most stylish movies of 70's. Show me another flick that portrayed artistic and clubic scene of NY of that times in more accurate way. "NY NY" is the most underrated Scorsese work to date.
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reader_527 — 17 years ago(May 18, 2008 01:03 AM)
I agree. Huge disappointment. I felt the film couldn't decide if it was a stereotypical musical or a lampoon of one. The characters had no depth - she's got no spine and he's an egotistical self-promoter. I think they should have stuck to a script.
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HellsThorn — 17 years ago(June 10, 2008 02:44 PM)
the characters were very deep. it was obvious too, the looks, the body language. You felt for the characters by the end of the movie. De Niro and Minnelli are both superior actors and this movie showcased that. This is my favorite MS movie, though i love most of his movies. This grabbed my attention a lot better than Taxi Driver which i feel has dated horribly. this movie is still powerful, still exciting, and the chemistry can be felt between your fingers.
9/10 -
SeisCinemaSeis — 16 years ago(December 21, 2009 08:26 PM)
The problem with this "noir musical" (as Scorsese himself described it) is the fact that it's kinda "bipolar". The musical numbers are terrific, the acting performances, both from Liza and Robert are top notch. Scorsese's stylish direction is at its best. HOWEVER the storyline is a mess, there are lots of plotholes and incongruities. Apparently the movie had to be trimmed down from a 4+ hours version, so most likely lots of key scenes were deleted, hence the chaotic structure and inconsistent narrative that plagues 'New York, New York'.
Anyway it was an enjoyable if a bit convoluted film experience. -
OneFilmLover — 16 years ago(February 06, 2010 01:12 AM)
As a diehard fan of Scorsese I admit this is my least liked of all his films. Scorsese himself even admits the whole film is a misfire (this was done during his heavy troubled coke days).
Oddly the way I feel about the film is the first 20 minutes- celebrating V-J in the club- is great, a fantastic opener that promises a compelling film. And then that compelling film doesn't show for at least two hours. There's a few bright moments here and there but nothing truly gels.
But I am a sucker for big slavish musical numbers so the Happy Endings number does rekindle my spirits in the film and actually helps the lead in to the final 20 minutes work. The final scenes understated scenes between Francine and Jimmy have some real emotion and I love Jimmy's bit with kid.
For me an hour out of the film works magic. It's just that the movie is almost 3 hours long.
There. It's on the Internet. Thus it's official -
franzkabuki — 15 years ago(December 04, 2010 11:25 AM)
Its a gorgeous piece of cocaine-fueled excess from a time when Scorsese was still a young, exciting cinematic mind thriving on high energy & not the polished dullard hes become during the 00s. NY NY has got so many great things going for it - the amazing production design with plenty of creative touches such as using obviously fake backgrounds for reality scenes, mirroring the protagonists stagebound lives; one of De Niros best performances that remains woefully underrated till this day; despite the 2,5+ hour runtime, the flow of images and sound is impeccable throughout, brimming with unbridled energy and imagination; the largely outstanding musical numbers (and Ive never been a fan of showtunes - quite the opposite in fact). And despite all the stylistic over-the-topness theres an undeniable emotional maturity to the way the main characters are depicted as nuanced, conflicted human beings. Overall its a pretty impressive & authentic-feeling examination of celebrity and the life in show business. In my opinion, NY NY is without doubt THE most underrated film in Scorseses filmography. 9/10.
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