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Bullets Over Broadway
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Wikipedia article
'Bullets Over Broadway' is a 1994 American black comedy crime film directed by Woody Allen, written by Allen and Douglas McGrath and starring an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly.
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Allen and co-writer Douglas McGrath for Original Screenplay, Allen for Director, Wiest & Tilly for Supporting Actress and Palminteri for Supporting Actor. Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for her performance, the second time Allen directed her to an Academy Award. It's considered one of Allen's best works.
Summary
In 1928, David Shayne is an idealistic young playwright newly arrived on Broadway. Desperate to gain financing for his play, 'God of Our Fathers', he is convinced by producer Julian Marx to cast actress Olive Neal, the girlfriend of gangster Nick Valenti, in a minor role.
Compensating for his frustration with the demanding and talentless Olive, Shayne is thrilled to cast alcoholic faded star Helen Sinclair in the lead role, along with the dieting British thespian Warner Purcell. Rehearsals are soon thrown into chaos when Olive shows up escorted by Cheech, a mob henchman, who insists on watching rehearsals.
Eventually Cheech starts giving notes on the script to Shayne, who is initially angered by the intrusion but quickly realises the ideas are excellent. Cheech, who barely learned to read before burning down his school, has a natural talent for playwriting, but is not interested in taking any credit. The cast members herald the revised script as genius, disparaging his initial draft as dull and pompous.
Buoyed by their imminent success, Shayne and the actors succumb to their vices. His partner, Ellen, catches him cheating on her with Helen. Warner indulges in overeating and begins an affair with Olive, which he attempts to break off when Cheech threatens his life. Growing increasingly frustrated with Olive's poor acting, Cheech tries to have her fired from the production. After Shayne reminds him he can't get rid of Olive, Cheech murders her and dumps her body in a river.
Olive's murder is widely assumed to be part of an inter-gang conflict, but Shayne immediately senses the truth and argues with Cheech. Regretting his mistakes, Shayne is dismayed to learn that Ellen is leaving him for his hedonistic Marxist friend Sheldon Flender.
On opening night, Valenti accuses Cheech of the murder, which he denies. Henchmen Rocco and Aldo chase Cheech backstage while the play is being performed, shooting him. With his dying words, Cheech gives Shayne a new final line for the play. The play is a critical and commercial hit, but Shayne skips the after party to confront Flender. He confesses his lack of talent and proposes marriage to Ellen, who accepts his newfound desire to leave high society.
Cast
* John Cusack as David Shayne
* Dianne Wiest as Helen Sinclair
* Jennifer Tilly as Olive Neal
* Chazz Palminteri as Cheech
* Mary-Louise Parker as Ellen
* Jack Warden as Julian Marx
* Joe Viterelli as Nick Valenti
* Rob Reiner as Sheldon Flender
* Tracey Ullman as Eden Brent
* Jim Broadbent as Warner Purcell
* Harvey Fierstein as Sid Loomis
* Brian McConnachie as Mitch Sabine
* Stacey Nelkin as Rita
* Edie Falco as Lorna
* Benay Venuta as Adoring Theatre Patron
* Debi Mazar as Violet
* Magorzata Zajczkowska as Lili
* Tony Sirico as Rocco
* Tony Darrow as Aldo
* Shannah Laumeister Stern as Movie Theatre Victim
Production
The film's locales include the duplex co-op on the 22nd floor of 5 Tudor City Place in Manhattan.Barbanel, Josh. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304692804577286003872833824 "Selling a Tudor City Treasure"] , 'The Wall Street Journal', March 18, 2012
The film's title may have been an homage to a lengthy sketch of the same title from the 1950s television show 'Caesar's Hour'; one of Allen's first jobs in television was writing for Sid Caesar specials after the initial run of the show.
The film featured the last screen appearance of Benay Venuta. Allen cast her in a cameo role as a well-wishing wealthy theatre patron. She died of lung cancer months after the film opened.
Soundtrack
*Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!) - Written by Dan Russo, Ernie Erdman and Gus Kahn - Performed by Al Jolson with the Vitaphone Orchestra
*Crazy Rhythm - Lyrics by Irving Caesar - Music by Joseph Meyer (songwriter) & Roger Wolfe Kahn
*You've Got To See Mamma Every Night Or You Can't See Mamma At All - Lyrics by Billy Rose - Music by Con Conrad
*Make Believe - Music by Jerome Kern - Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II - Performed by The Three Deuces Musicians
*That Jungle Jamboree - Written by Andy Razaf, Harry Brooks & Fats Waller - Performed by Duke Ellington
*Lazy River - Written by Hoagy Carmichael & Sidney Arodin - Performed by New Leviathan Oriental Fox Trot Orchestra
*Nagasaki - Music by Harry Warren - Lyrics by Mort Dixon
*Let's Misbehave - By Cole Porter - Performed by Irving Aaronson and his Commanders
*You Took Advantage Of Me - Music by Richard Rodgers - Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
*When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin' Along - Written by Harry M. Woods
*Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me) - Lyrics by Sidney Clare - Music by Con Conrad - Performed by Eddie Cantor with Henri Rene and His Orchestra
*Thou Swell - Music by Richard Rodgers - Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
*At The Jazz Band Ball - Written by Nick LaRocca & Larry Shields - Performed by Bix Beiderbecke
*Poor Butterfly - Music by Raymond Hubbell - Lyrics by John Golden - Performed by Red Nichols and His Five Pennies
*That Certain Feeling - Music by George Gershwin - Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
*Who - Music by Jerome Kern - Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach & Oscar Hammerstein II - Performed by George Olsen
Reception
'Bullets Over Broadway' received a positive response from critics. The review-aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports 95% positive reviews from 60 critics, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The consensus reads, "A gleefully entertaining backstage comedy, 'Bullets Over Broadway' features some of Woody Allen's sharpest, most inspired late-period writing and direction."
Janet Maslin of 'The New York Times' described the film as "a bright, energetic, sometimes side-splitting comedy with vital matters on its mind, precisely the kind of sharp-edged farce [Allen] has always done best." Todd McCarthy of 'Variety' similarly called it "a backstage comedy bolstered by healthy shots of prohibition gangster melodrama and romantic entanglements" and wrote, "In its mixing of showbiz and gangsters, this is a nice companion piece to Allen's 'Broadway Danny Rose', and about as amusing." Roger Ebert of the 'Chicago Sun-Times' praised the film, writing that "'Bullets Over Broadway' shares a kinship with a more serious film by Allen, 'Crimes and Misdemeanors', in which a man committed murder and was able, somehow, to almost justify it. Now here is the comic side of the same coin. The movie is very funny and, in the way it follows its logic wherever it leads, surprisingly tough."
The film grossed $13.4 million in the United States and Canada and $24.1 million internationally for a worldwide total of $37.5 million.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="7"| 20/20 Awards
| Best Director
| Woody Allen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actress
| Jennifer Tilly
|
|-
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Best Original Screenplay
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|-
| Best Production Design
| Santo Loquasto
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Jeffrey Kurland
|
|-
| rowspan="7"| Academy Awards
| Best Director
| Woody Allen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actress
| Jennifer Tilly
|
|-
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Santo Loquasto and Susan Bode
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Jeffrey Kurland
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| American Comedy Awards
| Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
| Jennifer Tilly
|
|-
| Tracey Ullman
|
|-
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Artios Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting Comedy
| Juliet Taylor
|
|-
| rowspan="6"| Awards Circuit Community Awards
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Best Original Screenplay
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Santo Loquasto and Susan Bode
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Jeffrey Kurland
|
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Cast Ensemble
|
|-
| Honorable Mentions (The Next Ten Best Picture Contenders)
| Woody Allen
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actress
| Tracey Ullman
|
|-
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| British Academy Film Awards
| Best Screenplay Original
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|-
| British Comedy Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Comedy Film
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Chlotrudis Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Movie
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Faro Island Film Festival
| Best Film
| Woody Allen
|
|-
| Golden Globe Awards
| Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Guldbagge Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| Woody Allen
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| Independent Spirit Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Feature
|
|-
| Best Supporting Male
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| Best Supporting Female
| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|-
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| National Board of Review Awards
| colspan="2"| Top Ten Films
|
|-
| National Society of Film Critics Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Sant Jordi Awards
| Best Foreign Actor
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
| Chazz Palminteri
|
|-
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
| rowspan="3"| Dianne Wiest
|
|-
| Society of Texas Film Critics Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Writers Guild of America Awards
| Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
| Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath
|
|}
Year-end lists
* 4th National Board of Review* 4th Glenn Lovell, 'San Jose Mercury News'
* 4th Sean P. Means, 'The Salt Lake Tribune'
* 5th Robert Denerstein, 'Rocky Mountain News'
* 8th Peter Travers, 'Rolling Stone'
* 8th Kevin Thomas, 'Los Angeles Times'
* 8th John Hurley, 'Staten Island Advance'
* 10th Yardena Arar, 'Los Angeles Daily News'
* 11th Janet Maslin, 'The New York Times'
* Top 9 (not ranked) Dan Webster, 'The Spokesman-Review'
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) Bob Ross, 'The Tampa Tribune'
* Top 10 (not ranked) Dennis King, 'Tulsa World'
* Top 10 (not ranked) Howie Movshovitz, 'The Denver Post'
* Top 5 runners-up (not ranked) Scott Schuldt, 'The Oklahoman'
* Honorable mentions Mike Clark, 'USA Today'
* Honorable mention Duane Dudek, 'Milwaukee Sentinel'
* Honorable mention Michael MacCambridge, 'Austin American-Statesman'
* Guilty pleasure Douglas Armstrong, 'The Milwaukee Journal'
Stage musical
Allen adapted the film as a stage Jukebox musical, titled 'Bullets Over Broadway the Musical'. The musical is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, produced by Julian Schlossberg and Allen's younger sister Letty Aronson, with a score from the American songbook using songs from the 1920s and 1930s. The new musical premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on April 10, 2014.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/189909-The-Verdict-Critics-Review-Woody-Allen-Musical-Bullets-Over-Broadway "The Verdict: Critics Review Woody Allen Musical 'Bullets Over Broadway'"] playbill.com, April 10, 2014 A staged reading was held in June 2013.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/179080-With-Reading-Underway-Woody-Allen-Musical-Bullets-Over-Broadway-Will-Test-Legs-in-Fall-Lab "With Reading Underway, Woody Allen Musical 'Bullets Over Broadway' Will Test Legs in Fall Lab"] Playbil, June 12, 2013 The cast features Zach Braff as David Shayne, Brooks Ashmanskas, Betsy Wolfe, Lenny Wolpe, and Vincent Pastore.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/179577-Zach-Braff-Brooks-Ashmanskas-Betsy-Wolfe-Vincent-Pastore-Set-for-Bullets-Over-Broadway-Opening-in-April-2014 "Zach Braff, Brooks Ashmanskas, Betsy Wolfe, Vincent Pastore Set for 'Bullets Over Broadway', Opening in April 2014"] Playbill, June 27, 2013 Marin Mazzie stars as Helen Sinclair,Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/185162-Marin-Mazzie-Lands-Coveted-Leading-Role-in-Woody-Allen-Musical-Bullets-Over-Broadway?tsrc=hpt2 "Marin Mazzie Lands Coveted Leading Role in Woody Allen Musical 'Bullets Over Broadway' "] playbill.com, December 5, 2013 and Karen Ziemba appears as "Eden Brent."Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/186325-Karen-Ziemba-Joins-Woody-Allens-Bullets-Over-Broadway-Casting-Now-Complete?tsrc=hph "Karen Ziemba Joins Woody Allen's 'Bullets Over Broadway'; Casting Now Complete"] playbill.com, January 9, 2014 Musical supervisor Glen Kelly has adapted and written additional lyrics for songs including "Tain't Nobody's Bus'ness," "Running Wild," "Let's Misbehave" and "I Found A New Baby". The musical closed on August 24, 2014, after 156 performances and 33 previews.Gans, Andrew and Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/curtain-comes-down-on-woody-allen-musical-bullets-over-broadway "Curtain Comes Down on Woody Allen Musical 'Bullets Over Broadway' "] playbill.com, August 24, 2014
References
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