Manhattan Murder Mystery

Let's face it — Woody Allen should never have abandoned comedy. Oh sure, Crimes and Misdemeanors was a distinguished statement film, and Husbands and Wives inadvertently acquired a confessional touch. But Woody is no Bergman(either Ingmar or Ingrid). Which is fine. After all, Bergman is no fun.

Comedy is Allen's true art. One of the great pleasures of his latest work, Manhattan Murder Mystery, is that it's funny. Off-beat, to be sure — but funny.

In Manhattan Murder Mystery, Allen and Diane Keaton play a middle-aged couple whose long marriage is swamped by mid-life crisis. He's a book editor whose newest author is an alluring female adventurer(Anjelica Huston). Keaton s temptation comes in the form of an old friend (Alan Alda), who's suffering through a divorce.

Fortunately, a mysterious death in the apartment next door intervenes in their unraveling marriage. Murder soon becomes the adhesive that rebonds their relationship.

The movie almost works as a neurotic variation on The Thin Man films. Somewhat reminiscent of Nora Charles, Keaton enters the chase with an increasingly manic sense of excitement. For most of Manhattan Murder Mystery, Woody is the skittish straight man to Keaton's hyper sleuth. This is Keaton's finest performance in years (though it's a bit like Annie Hall possessed by Jessica Fletcher).

The quirky chemistry that previously clicked between her and Allen is still there. Though her role was originally written for Mia Farrow (who was too busy filing charges against Allen to do the film), Keaton resonates in the part.

The only weak link in the movie is Allen himself. His performance seems distracted, as if he was spending most of his time conferring with attorneys (which he was). But he also seems uncomfortable returning to his early, nebbish persona.

He does, however, get some of the best lines in the movie. When Keaton warns him that they could be living next door to a murderer, he shrugs, "Well, New York is a
melting pot."

Manhattan Murder Mystery is Alley's most enjoyable film in years. But it does make one wonder what it will take to drag him out of the confines of New York's upper West Side. It's nice-looking, but isn't there a city that goes with it?