Film

Manhattan

Name: Manhattan
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 1979
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep

Woody Allen's black-and-white love letter to New York — Gordon Willis's photography and Gershwin's score doing as much work as the script. It's witty, self-aware, deeply New York in its rhythms: smart people talking their way into affairs they know are bad ideas. Gorgeous to watch, uneasy to sit with now, given who's on screen and what the story asks you to forgive.

TMDb rating

7.7

If you liked this

Annie Hall1977

The film that invented the modern romantic comedy's neurotic, fourth-wall-breaking voice — funnier, looser, and somehow even more quotable than Manhattan, with Allen and Keaton at their most electric together.

But Same director, same anxieties, same New York apartments — if you want variety rather than more Allen, skip it.

Crimes and Misdemeanors1989

Allen's most morally serious film, weaving a murder plot into the same questions about self-justification and getting away with it that quietly haunt Manhattan's ending.

But Darker and less playful — there's a genuine crime thriller running through it, not just romantic hand-wringing.

Hannah and Her Sisters1986

A warmer, more forgiving Allen ensemble piece — three sisters, their tangled loves, and a script generous enough to let almost everyone off the hook in the end.

But Softer edges and a happier outlook than Manhattan; if you wanted more bite, this might feel too kind.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sweet Smell of Success1957

Manhattan's black-and-white love letter to New York has a nastier, more clear-eyed ancestor from two decades earlier — same city, same visual glamour, used here to expose ambition and moral rot rather than romanticize them.

Crackling, venomous dialogue and Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster at their most predatory, shot in a New York that looks gorgeous and feels like a trap.

But No romance, no warmth, no jazz score to soften it — a much colder, meaner film than Manhattan.

Husbands and Wives1992

Shot like a documentary falling apart in real time, this is Allen at his rawest, using handheld camera to catch the exact moment marriages start lying to themselves.

But Deliberately ugly, jittery camerawork replaces Gordon Willis's elegance — a rough watch if you came for the visuals.

When Harry Met Sally...1989

The friendliest possible antidote — same wit, same city, same walk-and-talk structure, but built to make you believe in love rather than doubt it.

But Sweeter and safer than anything Allen would attempt; the ambiguity and discomfort you might want just isn't there.

The Apartment1960

Black-and-white, bittersweet, and set in a New York where charming men keep making selfish choices — Billy Wilder got there first, with more heart and less self-pity.

But Older pacing and studio-era restraint might feel quaint next to Allen's more explicit, talkier style.

Frances Ha2013

Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's own black-and-white New York love letter — looser, younger, and far kinder about the mess of figuring your life out.

But Lower stakes and a scrappier, mumblecore energy; don't expect Manhattan's polish or its darker undertow.

Lost in Translation2003

Swap Manhattan for Tokyo and jazz for ambient hum — same ache of an unequal, unresolved almost-romance between two people who probably shouldn't.

But Much quieter and slower; if you want dialogue-driven wit, this near-wordless mood piece will test your patience.

Marriage Story2019

A contemporary, unsparing New York relationship drama that owes a real debt to Allen's talky rhythms, minus the self-mythologizing — just two smart people hurting each other well.

But Emotionally exhausting in a very different way — this is about a marriage ending, not beginning, and it won't let you laugh it off.

Scenes from a Marriage2021

Same fascination with intelligent people narrating their own infidelities and self-deceptions as they happen, but stripped of Allen's humor and stretched into a slower, more merciless format.

A devastating, precise, six-part dissection of a marriage collapsing in real time, told through two people who never stop talking, analyzing, and hurting each other articulately.

But It's long, subtitled Swedish television, and offers none of Manhattan's charm, jokes, or music to cushion the pain.

American Beauty1999

Takes the exact discomfort Manhattan asks you to shrug off — an older man's fixation on someone very young — and makes it the horror at the center of the story instead of a punchline.

Kevin Spacey gives one of the great performances of American unraveling, and the film finds its own dark, suburban humor in a very similar midlife fixation.

But Broader, less subtle satire than Allen's, and an ending that swings hard into melodrama and violence.