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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

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    Very entertaining.

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

    An honest attempt at creating farce, albeit one that tweaks the age-old artist's dilemma throughout.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    The most insightful and deliciously droll look at show business since Robert Altman skewered Hollywood in 1992's The Player.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    You can watch Bullets Over Broadway with the sound off and have a thrilling time. You can listen to it from the next room and achieve total bliss.

    Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
    01/24/06
    Nick Davis
    Nick Davis
    Nick's Flick Picks

    As one-liningly sharp and self-deprecating as you'd expect. If not more so.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Mark Dinning
    Mark Dinning
    Empire Magazine

    The movie is very funny and, in the way it follows its logic wherever it leads, surprisingly tough.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Boasts juicy performances.

    Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
    01/09/02
    Stephen Farber
    Stephen Farber
    Movieline

    If not bowled over, we're at least won over.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    04/12/02
    Rick Groen
    Rick Groen
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    Has more laughs packed into its exquisitely orchestrated 99 minutes than anything [Allen's] done in nearly 20 years.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    John Hartl
    John Hartl
    Film.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    The most substantive, accessible -- not to mention the funniest -- film that the prolific writer-director has made in years.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Hal Hinson
    Hal Hinson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    Mr. Allen has drawn on autobiographical specifics in other films, but this may be the one in which he speaks most seriously from the heart.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A backstage comedy bolstered by healthy shots of prohibition gangster melodrama and romantic entanglements.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/31/08
    Todd McCarthy
    Todd McCarthy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Great fun all around.

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

    Its view of human nature is not very flattering ... but the characters are endearing all the same, in spite of their hang-ups.

    Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
    01/15/05
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Looking Closer

    Allen has created one of his post purely entertaining films in years.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Scott Renshaw
    Scott Renshaw
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    I give it a mild thumbs up -- I had hoped for more, but it is funny.

    Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Steve Rhodes
    Steve Rhodes
    Internet Reviews

    The performances, however, are very enjoyable, with first honors going to Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    08/12/08
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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