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Movies / On DVD / Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway

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Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

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Reviews Counted:53

Fresh:51

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.9/10

Consensus: Some of Allen's sharpest, most inspired late-period comedy.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: David Shayne (John Cusack, in performance his character that of a young Woody Allen) is an idealistic young playwright whose life (and play) is about to be turned upside down as it heads toward... David Shayne (John Cusack, in performance his character that of a young Woody Allen) is an idealistic young playwright whose life (and play) is about to be turned upside down as it heads toward Broadway. In order to gain financing for GOD OF OUR FATHERS, Shayne agrees to hire Olive Neal (a wonderfully high-squeaking Jennifer Tilly), the actress/girlfriend of Nick Valenti, a potential backer--who also happens to be a gangster. Unfortunately, the lass proves to be not only talent-free but ditzy to boot, a hindrance since she is supposed to play a psychiatrist. But Cheech, Olive's hoodlum bodyguard, proves to be more intuitive artistically than anyone would suspect, as his contributions improve not only Olive's performance but the quality of the flailing play as well. Meanwhile, Shayne must contend with an odd assortment of actors, including the neurotic Eden Brent, with her omnipresent, yapping dog; the pompous Warner Purcell, a corset-wearing overeater; and haughty leading lady Helen Sinclair (a fabulous Dianne Wiest), the aging, boozing diva with whom Shayne begins a romance. The laughs keep coming like rapid machine-gun fire in this riotous Woody Allen farce. [More]

Starring: John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Jack Warden

Starring: John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Jack Warden, Chazz Palminteri, Rob Reiner, Mary-Louise Parker, Harvey Fierstein, Jim Broadbent, Tracey Ullman, Joe Viterelli, Debi Mazar, Tony Sirico

Director: Woody Allen

Director: Woody Allen
Screenwriter: Woody Allen, Douglas McGrath
Producer: Robert Greenhut

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 20, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Bullets Over Broadway
  • Big city mobsters and the Broadway stage collide hilariously in this side-splitting all-star comedy that had audiences and critics rolling in the aisles! John Cusack (HIGH FIDELITY) stars as David Shayne, an idealistic young writer who'll do anything to get his first Broadway play off the ground -- even if it means teaming up with the mob! Surrounded by a wacky cast of characters including a gangster's ditzy girlfriend (sexy Jennifer Tiley, MADE IN AMERICA), a tipsy actress (Dianne Wiest, PARENTHOOD), and a mob hit man (Chazz Palminteri, A BRONX TALE), Shayne's got to pull it all off before the curtain falls and bullets start to fly!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Bullets Over Broadway

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    No! Don't speak! See it!

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out

    [A] deft period farce, his most enjoyable movie in years.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    08/12/08
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    A sharp, fast, laugh-out-loud comedy.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    08/12/08
    Channel 4 Film

    Not Woody's worse, but it's nothing to write Hall about.

    comment Comment
    02/08/04
    Alex Sandell
    Alex Sandell
    Juicy Cerebellum

    One of Woody Allen's most inspired and ingenious ideas, played by a dream cast.

    comment Comment
    04/28/03
    Blake Davis
    Blake Davis
    KFOR Channel 4 News

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    03/24/07
    Brian Tallerico
    Brian Tallerico
    UGO

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/29/03
    Carol Cling
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal

    Don't speak - just enjoy the movie.

    comment Comment
    11/08/02
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    TheMovieChicks.com

    Most of the way this one is a riot, the comedy that Allen fans have been waiting for.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Chris Hicks
    Chris Hicks
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    Great fun all around.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    10/27/05
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/10/05
    Chuck O'Leary
    Chuck O'Leary
    Fantastica Daily

    Woody Allen at his finest. Wiest is sensational.

    comment Comment
    04/19/08
    Clint Morris
    Clint Morris
    Moviehole

    Overrated.

    comment Comment
    11/20/07
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    The best movies Woody Allen made in the '90s by a fairly large margin.

    comment Comment
    09/10/05
    Dan Fienberg
    Dan Fienberg
    Zap2it.com

    An amusing and clever parody of the hypocrisies of the Broadway theater.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    03/24/05
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Buzzes with classic one-liners, bright performances and off-the-cuff contemplations about love, art and death.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Very entertaining.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    02/14/03
    Dragan Antulov
    Dragan Antulov
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    Woody Allen at his best -- a gem of a Broadway fable with a crafty premise, a raft of brilliant actors at the top of their form and a bouncy, just-for-pleasure attitude.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Edward Guthmann
    Edward Guthmann
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/07/03
    Elias Savada
    Elias Savada
    Nitrate Online

    Essentially a backstage comedy about artists and gangsters in 1920s New York, the film doesn't break any new ground but it's pleasantly amusing and benefits from charming turns from Diane Wiest as the grand dame and John Cusack as the young artist.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    05/08/06
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
     
     
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