New York, New York

What is fantastic and wonderful about this film is the music, the sets and when Liza Minnelli sings. Liza is superb in her performance and Robert DeNiro plays a character that is arrogant, brutal and slightly erratic in a way that only DeNiro can perform. His character is quite disturbing to watch as the film takes a serious turn. There are several twists and turns in this film. Try to see the 2 hours + 44 min. version that includes more of the "Happy Ending" musical number that features Larry Kent. Beware of prints that have been cut down to 153 min. and 137 min. This film is at its best in the 164 min. form. I enjoy the performance of the woman who sings "Honeysuckle Rose". Whether this movie has a happy ending is something to behold. It can be best interpreted by the viewer. Some woman (and men) may say "hurray" for Liza while Alpha-males may be on the DeNiro's character's side. Watch Liza for her excellent, dramatic performance. This is one film I wish they could have made a sequel to.

Girls, are you looking for that special someone? That special guy that will mock you when you're happy and kick you when you're down? Belittle your triumphs and hover waiting for you to mess up? Envelope you in a cozy cloud of never-ending contempt? Now you can have him on DVD for 164 minutes! He'll take everything you accomplish as a personal affront to himself, he'll bully and cajole you into dating him, sleeping with him, even marrying him! Not only that, but for a limited time he will get you pregnant, cheat on you, drive you to drink heavily while pregnant, beat you up, then walk out on you when you have the kid! And best of all he doesn't have a centime of charisma or anything that will explain to anyone why you put up with it. Supplies are limited, must have a daddy complex, no purchase necessary you can rent it at your local video store. The misogyny and misanthropy on full display in "Raging Bull" get a try-out here. Pardon me if I still think Scorcese is a great filmmaker while not loving one of his most successful movies: instead of real drama I found most of "Raging Bull" to be "SMACK! Were you looking at him!? Were you >Smack!<" then cut to six months later ">SMACK!<" Well it is a stretch of the imagination to think that nobody would have killed Jimmy Doyle in "New York, New York" just for being so unremittingly irritating. He's such a scumbag that when the band fails under his command he says it was the musicians' fault which is proved wrong when the uptight but consistent piano players turns the band into a success and Jimmy shows he has no class by disrupting their show. I think DeNiro became confused between avoiding pandering and creating a character that we would root to see fail. And look how much it takes for her to finally leave him, he has to leave her and his child for six years first beforeher great triumph is that she doesn't come back for even more. Who wouldn't want the father of their child to say to them after an incredibly successful concert, "I'm proud of you, in a way. In a way I'm not, but in a way, I am"? This film just doesn't cut it, mainly because of that. The old sets are great, the recreation of the MGM musical ("Happy Endings" sequence) is great, the songs are all right, and if they could conquer what DeNiro did to the character they could turn it into an okay stage musical. One surprising thing is how poorly Liza Minelli lipsynchs. She'll be hitting a high note and not opening her mouth at all when we all know she looks like an open airport hangar whenever she tops out. I'm sorry, this film was so irritating it just makes me want to snipe at it. If anyone ever says that DeNiro had irresistible charisma then this film proves them wrong. He blew it. And by the way: Liza Minelli plays a girl who has to struggle but makes it big, then in the play within a play ("Happy Endings") she plays a girl that only makes it big in her dreams. In reality it is a lot more convenient to be born the daughter of Judy Garland.

Train wrecks are disturbing, because there is something about them that makes us want to watch. That pretty much describes this movie. I am not a big fan or DeNiro or Scorcese - and I like Liza only a little - but I'm a huge musical fan. One of the things I like about musicals is the inevitable development between the two lead characters. That doesn't exist on any level with these two characters. The 'marriage scene' is highly disturbing. When Jimmy "proposes," it sounds like a threat. When he manipulates her into marrying him, it is controlling and abusive. The only logical reason I can see for Liza's character even being remotely interested in this guy is that at the beginning of the film she seems to be on something of a rebound; there is a song that hints as to the psyche of her character, and why she might be attracted to this evil self centered man. (I think the song is called, 'The Man I love")other than that, there is NO logical reason for her to respond to this horrendous mockery of a man who deserves love. He does nothing to earn her respect, to validate her response to him, or to encourage tender or compassionate love. Liza's character seems always on the verge of breaking out of the 'little woman role' that is representative of women of that period. If she had done that, this would have possibly been redeemable. But as it is, the strength of the female lead is furtive and amorphous - and ultimately,the failure of the female lead to develop is one of the harshest disappointments of this film.

I wouldn't describe "New York,New York" as a musical,rather it's a film about music that uses some of the conventions of the musical. One of the leads,Mr Robert de Niro neither sings nor dances.The other, Miss Liza Minelli,does both. Mr de Niro plays a jazz musician,a good one but not a great one. Jazz musicians tend to be obsessive about their music.This can interfere with their acquisition of social skills.Mr de Niro's character possesses poor social skills. Miss Minelli's character is a little more polished and a lot more talented.I can understand her admiring Mr de Niro's saxophone playing but I cannot accept her marrying him.He is,basically,a pig. She is going to go far - he is going to go to Butte,Montana.That is patently obvious very early on.He might be a good sideman,but he's a lousy leader.If he were to be honest with her he'd say "Stick with me kid and I'll drag you down". He is no better a father than he is a husband and they split up. Mr Scorsese is not in the happy endings business. Mr de Niro carries on playing his saxophone in 3rd rate venues,Miss Minelli becomes a big star. There is not a lot of plot to get in the way of the music. Mr de Niro considers he has musical integrity - jazzspeak for earning peanuts,Miss Minelli has sparkly dresses and big hair. The "big number",later adopted by Mr Frank Sinatra as his own,is full of N.Y. slick self-regard,but undeniably well done. Mr Scorsese doesn't seem much interested in "nice" characters although there are a few dotted about in some of his films,rather like "token" presences.The token count in "New York,New York" is quite low. It is not a film I watched with much pleasure.

Ms. Minnelli's vocal talent is the only saving grace of this movie. At this time and age, (2000's), very few people can relate to the dysfunctional relationship between the two leading characters. This explains why the plot was set at a time before psychiatric help is commonly available. before there were strong laws against stalkers and abusive spouses. The only sequel that would be befitting this movie would be if the child of the two characters would grow up to be like Jim Morrison or Kurt Colbain, self-destructive adolescents. The only thing that would make sense why this movie is made is if both the writer and the director are trying to release their own demons of a psyche.

I have not seen any of Martin Scorsese or Robert De Niro's other, grittier films, but I definitly enjoyed their work in this under-rated 1977 musical drama. Scorsese certainly came up with a brilliant idea - Contrasting the glitz and glamour of the 1940s and 1950s movie musicals and jazz nightclubs with a harsly realistic story about a can't-live-with, can't-live-without relationship between a charming but abusive jazz saxophonist and a vulnerable but strong singer - and in many ways it pays off. De Niro gave a great performance; he can go from likeable to dispicable in a breath. Really fascinating to watch, and I can certainly see why so many people consider him brillian. Liza Minnelli, as his wife, is also great. Of course, her singing is incredible - in standards like "The Man I Love," the delightful "You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me," which in true Hollywood fashion she launches into out of nowhere and performs so well (Backed up by De Niro on sax) that they both land a job at a club, and "You Are My Lucky Star" and new songs written for the film by Kander and Ebb like "But the 'World GOes Round" and, of course, the title tune - and her acting is also subtle, shaded, and sympathetic. Not to mention how fetching (And eerily like her mother, Judy Garland) she looks in Theordora Van Runkle's period costumes. She is just as good as, and perhaps even better at times, than she was in her more famous performance in "Cabaret." SHe and De Niro really should have been Oscar-nominated for their powerful performances here, and Scorsese really should've gotten a nod as well. But the film flopped, so the Academy didn't notice. Which is really too bad, because this movie definitly deserves another look, especially in its restored version which includes a fantastic production number cut from the original print, "Happy Endings," performed by Minnelli and Larry Kert, Tony in the original Broadway production of "West Side Story," that does a great job of reiterating the movie's themes. True, the film is a little too long and slow at times, and there's more than a little unneccessary footage that didn't really need to be there, but all in all it's a very interesting, under-rated gem. It certainly has gotten me interested in Scorsese and De Niro's other films...

Whose misguided decision was it to make Robert De Niro's character a complete creep throughout this picture? Playing an impatient, hot-headed saxophone player in New York City on VJ Day, De Niro meets lovely Liza Minnelli at a party; she turns out to be a talented songbird, yet his jealousy and paranoia quickly puts their musical romance on the rocks. You have to laugh at some of De Niro's over-the-top stupidities (the movie would be a real downer if you didn't), yet director Martin Scorsese doesn't provide enough relief from De Niro's outbursts. "New York, New York" is certainly handsome enough, and the songs (chestnuts and new additions) are terrific, but the plot builds no momentum and Liza's love-interest comes off as somewhat masochistic. Who would stay with this guy so long? Heavy-handed, heavy-going movie has the feeling of an expensive experiment, and Scorsese at times appears to be winging it with his leads. Minnelli searches in vain for a tighter direction, and she doesn't look comfortable with dramatic improvisation (her song numbers were probably carefully planned out, and in these instances she shines). The finale is moving--almost in spite of itself--and the picture may actually have something to say about abusive relationships and letting go. There are moments of heartbreak and passion, but just as many scenes with nothing but flailing about. **1/2 from ****

Isn't it irritating when your are so ready to love a movie and it turns out to be boring. In the 70s I ran a cinema and we were very excited to screen NYNY. The trailer was excellent, the look and style of all the imagery on display was there for the lapping up........and then the movie went on and on and on repeating scenes and showcasing probably the most irritating leading male character ever in a film.....until the next Scorcese film with an Italian who beat up women. In the film trunk of the 35mm print was a note: "You can leave out reel 7" and we did and we didn't..and it made NO difference to the film if we did...reel 7 was yet another visit to a nightclub and yet another fight. The one part we all wanted to see was the well publicized 17 minute Happy Endings number which to our collective horror was cut to 3 minutes. Years later it was all there, reel 7 and the whole number, but the labor requited to just sit there all through it....well I haven't been that bored since I saw the stupidly cruel remake of Cape Fear and the second half of CASINO. NYNY should be soooooooo good. I wish it was.

source: New York, New York

Trailer—New York, New York