Sidewalks Of New York Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
In a city of 8 million people, what are the odds the perfect two will meet?
In A City Of 8 Million People - What Are The Chances Of Meeting The Right One?
Six New Yorkers have an interrelated series of relationships. TV producer Tommy, who's just broken up with his girlfriend, has a short relationship with commitment-phobe Maria, who he meets in a video store, and also hooks up with married real-estate agent Annie, who he meets while apartment hunting. Annie is open to a relationship because her husband, Griffin, is cheating on her, which she slowly comes to realize through talking to her friend/co-worker who's gone through the same thing. Griffin, a 39-year-old dentist, is cheating with 19-year-old waitress Ashley, who he picked up in a park; she realizes she can do better when Ben, a hotel doorman and aspiring musician, tries to pick her up, in a belated attempt to recover from his divorce a year ago from schoolteacher Maria (the same Maria from the video store). Most of these relationships seem driven more by a desperate need to be in a relationship than actual love.
| Penny Balfour | Young Hooker |
| Edward Burns | Thomas 'Tommy' Reilly |
| Michael Leydon Campbell | Gio/Harry |
| Nadia Dajani | Hilary |
| Rosario Dawson | Maria Tedesko |
| Kathleen Doyle | Katy |
| Dennis Farina | Carpo |
| Heather Graham | Annie Matthews |
| Leah Gray | Dental hygienist |
| Timothy Jerome | Dr. Lance |
| David Krumholtz | Benjamin 'Ben'/'Benny' Bazler |
| Libby Langdon | Make-up girl |
| Alicia Meer | Elevator girl |
| Brittany Murphy | Ashley |
| Ted Neustadt | Doctor |
| Edward Burns |
6.50 out of 10 (2902 votes)
Visitor Reviews
The Cinematic Return of Katz's Delicatessen
posted on 25 Mar 2009As a New Yorker I salivated at the scenes from Katz's Delicatessen on Houston (pronounced HOUSEtun) Street. Remember that scene from "When Harry Met Sally?" No orgasm here but a possibly sadistic director put a full plate of Katz's pickles and pickled tomatoes at the screen's edge.Interestingly, the monstrously thick sandwiches that are the restaurant's pride are replaced here with offerings that might be found in any ho-hum suburban diner. Perhaps the director feared that the Holy Grail of pastrami sandwiches would distract from the dialogue.The semi-documentary style of the film, replete with jumpy frames, works but what makes the film interesting is that every character is recognizable to New Yorkers and, I'll bet, plenty of folks who do not live in my or any other big city.Dishonesty in relationships, adultery, longing to meet the right lover - this is the stuff of many movies and little of the character portraits in "Sidewalks of New York" is particularly new. What propels the film are the well-acted parts. Stanley Tucci is a husband with a mistress but without a clue as to his own utter banality. Heather Graham is good as a wife who slowly realizes that life requires hard choices. That's also true of many women who find themselves in unexpectedly sterile marriages. The rest of the cast gives good performances with just a slight exaggeration, in some scenes, of the types we know too well. All three female protagonists receive the salty and knowing advice of the stereotypical, less attractive but wise and witty, girlfriend. The guys are less lucky. Again, real life!One painful part of the film was several scenes in which the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are a backdrop. I would not have wanted them excised but knowing so many who died were in the buildings while the scenes were shot viscerally chilled me.
Woody Below 14th Street
posted on 16 Jan 2009Burns pays homage to Woody Allen (you could do a lot worse) by disporting six attractive and prolix actors up and down the island of Manhattan (they actually get below 14th Street!). I like the sub-genre, perfected by Eric Rohmer (please see him!) of populating a beautiful city with beautiful people who talk about love, and Burns's characters have a lot of funny things to say when they do.While it's probably a good instinct on Burns's part to shy away from sentiment and melodrama, it might have been misplaced in this case: the characters and the audience have earned, by the end, a little more generosity.Like Allen, Burns seems to like actors (always a good sign in a director) and his find here might be Nadia Dajani, who plays the Judy Davis/Joanna Gleason role here, perfectly.Glass half empty? Derivative. Glass half full? Homage. Mine's half -full.
Yet another good Edward Burns film!
posted on 08 Jan 2009I saw a screening of "Sidewalks of New York" back on September 6 in Washington D.C. and I never saw the trailer or heard much about this movie going on, which is sometimes a good thing. I knew some of the cast involved, but that was about it. So, those were my thoughts going in, and the movie itself is quite simple.
Someone decides to film eight peoples lives that shows their ups and downs.
Tommy (Edward Burns) is looking for an apartment after his girlfriend kicks him out. Annie (Heather Graham) plays a real estate agent that helps out Tommy. Annie is married to Griffin (Stanley Tucci) who plays a dentist and is having an affair with Ashley (Brittany Murphy). Carpo (Dennis Farina) plays a friend of Tommy's. Ben (David Krumholtz) plays a doorman who just got divorced from Maria (Rosario Dawson). The story comes out of all some of these stories tie together, for example, Ben is always going to the coffee shop that Ashley works at trying to get a date with her. Tommy meets Maria to get back in the game. There are some really funny lines - and it is 103 minutes long not counting credits. I believe this opens in Washington on Sept 28th, NY/LA on Sept 21st. Hopefully some other major cities will get this movie because it is one of the few date movies to have come out this year and it is really enjoyable. 8.5 out of 10.
Great Movie
posted on 19 Nov 2008Being a Rosario Dawson fan it was only a matter of time before I would get around to seeing this film. After being disappointed with "Down With Love," more so with the script than with her character development I was not expecting much from this movie. I got a lot more than I bargined for. This is an excellet film with and excellent cast that really is a joy to watch.Although this is a great movie, there were a couple of things that I would have changed. The subject matter can get a bit redundant and and also the interviews can to. But that is just nit-picking. This is a great film that is worth renting whether you are a girl or a guy. This film really sparked my interest and even though I did not agree with some choices that were made in the end, I really liked this movie.
Good film making
posted on 09 Nov 2008It was a snowy Sunday and I went to see this film because I am missing New York so much out here in Reno, Nevada. The dialogue is smart and witty. The acting is real, the directing first rate. Ed Burns reminds me of a young Woodie Allen without the neurosis (which I am glad to be rid of). I really didnt want the film to end. On that note I would have made a few editorial choices a bit differently but otherwise, Dennis Farina,Ed Burns, Turturro, and the fabulous women (*especially that beautiful actress whose name escapes me who played Maria). I found myself laughing way too loudly and then the rest of the audience seemed to realize this was funny. It is I suspect a very New York movie with a unique New York humor but it was a little gem. I think it rates an Academy Award Nomination.
Low budget reality
posted on 03 Nov 2008If you liked "Sex And The City", "She's The One", "The Real Blonde" and "Your Friends And Neighbours", you will like it. Good thing is, they are not all Gucci, Dior or Dolce-Gabbana, nor they are trailer-trash immigrants, rather they are a bunch of confused New Yorkers from different social levels who simply tell their stories to the camera. This is a more or less general picture of Americans, they get fat, get bald, cheat around, get busted, and in the end seem to be some sentimental hypocrite patriots. They break up, they make up. They desperately try to figure out the fine line between lust and logic. They identify themselves with dogs and bitches. You would come to pity them. One of the characters tends to think that getting laid is a huge issue for him where the actual huge issue with him was his knowledge in Geography. He needs to get back to school rather than getting back to his ex-wife. If one rarely travels overseas and think that moving across country is a big life-time deal, their mind will also end up like this, and rest of the world outside USA wouldn't even exist for them. Stanley Tucci, Dennis Farina and Brittany Murphy's performance are quite good, though Brittany Murphy's hair always annoys me. Edward Burns and Heather Graham were not bad. Realistic plot has been combined with a special scene-plan in this movie. Looks like a "hopping-shots" technique that suits the theme and mood of the movie. 7 out of 10.
Well written and realistic
posted on 28 Sep 2008Edward Burns once again shows that he's an excellent writer and this is a pretty good film about the relationships of several people. Each character is well drawn out and the dialogue is especially good. Burns has the characters look into the camera and talk about what's going on with them and what they are feeling like its a documentary. I'm not a big fan of this technique but it does work okay here. Brittany Murphy is very good and shows a lot of natural charm and Rosario Dawson has an interesting role. The only part that doesn't quite ring true is Stanley Tucci as the cheating husband. Why would anyone cheat on Heather Graham? But for the most part its an extremely well written film and all the actors are very good. Nothing elaborate but very honest. You have to appreciate it for that.
Low budget, small crew, quick shoot = excellent pseudo documentary film about sex and relationships in NYC.
posted on 26 Sep 2008Ed Burns is quite talented and this is probably his best work so far. He wrote, directed, and starred in "Sidewalks of New York" where six characters ultimately are intertwined. Some are just splitting up, others are beginning new relationships, and they are all intertwined.. Because of a hand-held camera and fine acting it takes on an almost believable documentary style. Almost, because we can never forget that Ed Burns, Rosario Dawson, Stan Tucci, Heather Graham, and others are actors. Although it is a comedy, the smart script makes lots of meaningful observations about relationships. Well done, it held my attention all the way through and it ended right where it should have.
There are no cracks in these Sidewalks; this is a great film by Burns, who is totally overlooked as a film maker
posted on 05 May 2008Tommy (Edward Burns) is a television production man in Manhattan. His girlfriend has just given him the heave-ho from their joint apartment, stating she doesn't want kids and sees no future for them. Tommy is miffed because he gave up his own digs to move in with her, at her request. He temporarily bunks with his boss (Dennis Farina). The boss man is womanizer, boasting that he's slept with 500 women and left most of them "baying at the moon". Nevertheless, Tommy wants his own place so he gets in touch with NY realtor, Annie (Heather Graham). They begin at search for a suitable habitat, becoming friends in the process. Annie is married to a dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci). Annie wants children but, unknown to her, Griffin is having a fling with a 19 year old transplant from Iowa (Brittany Murphy) and he has been neglecting Annie in a big way. The young lady, Ashley, detests meeting Griffin in hotel rooms but has fallen for Griffin's lying promises. There is an attractive young doorman interested in her, too. Meanwhile, the doorman's beautiful ex-wife, Maria (Rosario Dawson) has met Tommy at the video store. Although she has dated no one since her stinging divorce, she begins a brief affair with Tommy. How will things shake down on the sidewalks of Manhattan? This is a great film and a tour de force for Burns, who wrote and directed it. Certainly, he is one gifted movie maker, as evidenced by his earlier films, including The Brothers McMullen and She's the One. In Sidewalks, he again probes relationships in the modern era, when sex can be around every corner and the more traditional marriage of an earlier age is absent. In doing so, Burns shows his brilliance for a balanced dissection, for he presents differing viewpoints in the course of the flick. All of the players here, from the scumbags Tucci and Farina, to the lovely Dawson to the very attractive Graham, Murphy, and Burns himself, are simply great. Add on a nice NYC setting, some terrific costumes and some great production values and you have a fine looking film as well. The story and direction are faultless, as Burns uses many interesting techniques to tell his tale, including testimonies and flashbacks. Watch out for a bit of rough language and sexual conversation, if that is important to you. However, there are truly no cracks in this Sidewalk, it is one wonderful film. Get your hands on a copy soon, very soon. And, here's hoping Burns will continue to make many more films.
Sex issues and anything else we must discuss
posted on 28 Mar 2008Greetings again from the darkness. Picked this up on video and again am impressed with Edward Burns' ("The Brothers McMullen") keen eye and ability to capture everyday frustration. Wonderful ensemble cast including a quirky, tanned, womanizing Dennis Farina. David Krumholtz does his best Woody Allen imitation, but Rosario Dawson and Brittany Murphy ("Don't Say A Word") steal their scenes. The quasi-documentary style is effective most of the time, but we do get way too much Stanley Tucci, although his role plays right into his difficult to like persona. Krumholtz has the best one-liners and makes a nice transition form irritating ex-husband to head-over-heels boyfriend. Director Burns explores how every relationship is driven by sex - even the relationships where no sex exists. This is somewhat of an overstatement but it serves him well in making his point. Burns is a decent actor, but I question is range. As a director, I love his eye.
One of the good New York movies
posted on 24 Jan 2008When I first saw this,I only wanted to see this because my favorite actress Rosario Dawson was in it.But then I started liking it.One of my favorite characters is Ben,who always follow Maria around playing his guitar.My favorite song is"A girl like you".This shows the lives of New Yorkers any the way people are fasinated with them.And who can blame them?They live in a cold city with 8 million people,and like the tagline says,what are the odds that the right ones will find each other? This shows their struggle of love,marriage,and finding themselves along with a partner.I give this movie 9 out of 10.
Great movie!
posted on 17 Dec 2007I rented this cause there was nothing else to rent and just finished watching it -- I LOVED it. I am buying it tomorrow. Not as good as No Looking Back (but this doesn't have Jon Bon Jovi crying in it, so it can't be as good as No Looking Back) but a great movie. Maybe it's because I feel like Heather Graham's character at this very moment, but I can't say anything bad about it. Highly recommend it!!!
Burns needs to move on
posted on 09 Dec 2007"Sidewalks of New York" feels like a retread of Ed Burns' earlier works. Once again we have a bunch of intermingling couples who do nothing but talk talk talk and obsess about relationships and their personal insecurities with them. When I first saw "The Brothers McMullen," I was surprised at how drawn into the story I was. But this story (as was also the case with "She's the One") seems way too similar to "McMullen." Things that were forgivable in that film are growing tired and distractive: Everyone meets in a classical "cute" way from the golden era of cinema. Everyone coincidentally runs into each other at the most convenient moment. Most of the characters are forgettable, and their relationships are not very believable. The film isn't very funny, and most of the running jokes fail. The film also doesn't live up to its title in that New York is shot in a most un-passionate, unflattering way--this better not appear on any list about the best films depicting New York. Burns puts alot of trust into improvisation, apparently telling his actors to just "roll with it." But he seems to feel that realism and improvisation can substitute for substance, and this is not true--many actors rant on and blurt out lines that don't feel genuine, almost forced by improvisation, when Burns should have just shouted "cut" and done a retake. The phony "interview" moments when the fictional characters speak to the camera, react to something offscreen, or ask if they should "start over" come off equally unnatural. Performances are bland for the most part, save Dennis Farina. Heather Graham comes off particularly bad, at one point I even thought I caught her fighting a smile, ready to bust out laughing during a "serious" scene.Once again, we have a self-hating, self obsessed older male jerk who has an affair behind his insecure wife's back, we have a young idealistic kid who romances a girl with immediate promises of love and marriage, and again we have Ed Burns meeting someone by fighting over a material object--in "McMullen" it was an apartment, in "Sidewalks," it is a copy of "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It's not that I hate this movie, its just that I see a lack of passion in it. It is almost as if Ed Burns doesn't trust his ability to move on, and that leaves us with total mediocrity. Grade: C-
Effin great!
posted on 27 Aug 2007Excellent writing, casting, directing, acting. Rich and lovely cinematography. (Especially considering the budget -- can't believe this was made in 16 days!)Plot is casual and active, and deep like the ocean, about various people connecting/not connecting. Scores some heavy-duty points, making you see yourself and others, cringeing and celebrating, and laughing all along. Stanley Tucci is fantastic, and so is everyone else. Dennis Farina - oh my Goodness...takes his typecasting and RUNS with it like a track star! He would be the best thing in the movie, except EVERYONE is so darn good. (I would never have guessed that two very different characters are played by the same actor until I saw the credits.) Edward Burns has a great soulful face for such a "normal" looking guy.Goes just a *little* softee towards the end, wrapping and tying the stories into a moral alloverview.As far as gender-politics goes, this movie is extremely sensitive without being sappy. The man who made it must be very "in touch with his feminine side." Certainly he can look at his "own kind" very unkindly when it's called for (which it is a lot here! :D). He's got a sharp and relentless eye which is also very affectionate. Shows women and men in all their shapes and sizes (an inside joke you'll get when you see it :D).Keeps you going non-stop with people-action, while undercurrents subtly explore and question our abilities to be honest with ourselves, and with others.A great movie, the people seemed SO real, and thinking is definitely stimulated. Deeply affecting and funny. All that and a BIG bag o' chips!
Ed Burns useta be good...
posted on 25 Aug 2007He lost his edge when he got famous. This is a film that follows the love lives of a series of characters, all of whom are dislikeable and uninteresting. Anyone who can make Rosario Dawson unappealing must SUCK as a director. This was a personal catharsis for Mr. Burns, whose inability to cope romantically has produced for us an unnecessary film. Oh, and Ed Burns is a bad actor as well.
Since there hasn't been an Eric Schaeffer movie in a while...
posted on 10 Jun 2007....I went to SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK looking for a masochisticfix. And there aren't many actor-writer-director-producers whogenerate the kind of pain that Edward Burns can. I stayed,however, to be surprised by this sweet and upbeat knockoff ofWoody Allen's HUSBANDS AND WIVES, which uses the same
wobbly hand-held camera, some of the same plot contrivances,and even some nicked Woody dialogue. (At one point, thephilandering dentist played by Stanley Tucci asks a loudlyaccusatory colleage, "Ya wanna yell it a little louder? I think thepatient in the last room didn't quite make it out!") Superbly cast and engagingly enough written, the movie is mild asa neck rub, but the conviction of the actors makes it fun. RosarioDawson blocks her yearning with an implacable toughness as alonely grade-school teacher, and there is a fantastic couple ofsweet dumb lugs in Brittany Murphy and David Krimholz--twodim-bulb sweeties whose kisses on the nose take you back to anearlier period of movies. Burns somehow has evoked an
absolutely Woodyesque performance by the usually greasy buthere right-on-the-money Tucci, and a bizarrely Mia Farrowish onefrom a frumped-down, supposedly Ivy League Heather Graham. The oddity of seeing this picture is that a day or two ago I sawDONNIE DARKO, which is filled to brimming with visual ambitions,film-history commentary, straight-from-the-id surrealism andsnarky subversion. And yet this conservative and plainspokenpicture, unoriginal in almost every sense, is utterly fascinating,humanly and aesthetically, where DONNIE DARKO is an uttersnore. Does this mean that American filmmakers have ceased toknow how to jolt the audience...or merely that I have grown old andsquare?
Enjoyable Woody Allen Light
posted on 06 Mar 2007Usually one or two light but clever independent comedies are released during the year. Sidewalks of New York is one of those. These are the films that provide alternatives to the often overproduced Hollywood films. I love these films even when they are imperfect. From the beginning of the film I got the feeling I was watching a Woody Allen film. That feeling faded as the deepness and the dialogue are much inferior to Allen's ingenious work, but Burns can be congratulated on having made a Woody-light film. Even those are rare to come by. The dialogue is still good and witty. This is a smart relationship film and it entertains all the way.There are many interesting characters in Sidewalks, but the standout scene-stealer is Dennis Farina. Extreme sexists are always funny, and Farina fits the role perfectly. My biggest concern with the casting is that Ed Burns directs himself as the lead character, and in retrospect I realize that he is the only male character in the film who isn't ridiculed. Questionable.A couple of sidenotes. Sidewalks was postponed after September 11th. I have no idea why people wouldn't want to see this film because of what happened. Also, notice that the trailer for the film contains a scene where Heather Graham asks Burns if he wants to go out to dinner. This scene is absolutely not in the film, and the film takes another twist. Strange how movie trailers are getting more and more manipulative.Rating: 7/10
Interesting,absorbing character driven drama
posted on 29 Jan 2007STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsA documentary film-maker follows seven people who's love lives inadvertently interwine around each other around and asks them for their views on the matter as well as the complications and scenarios that can arise from it.There's Tommy (Edward Burns,also directing) a slickly dressed,distinctly New Yorkan movie producer who starts a relationship with school teacher Maria (Rosario Dawson) but ends up developing feelings for real estate seller Annie (Heather Graham).Annie is married to Griffin (Stanley Tucci) a dentist,who's cheating on her with Ashley (Brittany Murphy),a waitress at a cafe.Ashley starts getting hit on by parking valet Ben (David Krumholtz),Maria's ex.Over the course of the film,we see how the lives of these apparently different but under-lyingly connecting people pan out.I'm not sure if this is his directorial debut or not,but if it is,Burns has hit a high note.Setting it in what must be his home city,his authentic New Yorker accent plays well against the backdrop of the film's setting.He also has some marvellous chemistry in the scenes with Dennis Farina in the supporting role as his father Carpo.All the characters are very well-written and very easy to connect with on a personal level with the documentary style one-to-one commentary each one of them is provided with,matched by strong performances from those playing them.The script is also strong and sparkling and provides much witty lines and good dialogue for the cast to work with.Where the movie falters slightly is with the flow of the story,with not quite enough emotional and stable depth invested in to either the plot or the characters for the climax to have the full emotional impact that it could and should have had.Overall though,Burns has taken a clever concept and made it work wonders.Highly recommended.****
Finally, a modern romance I actually like.
posted on 28 Nov 2006I am a massive fan of Woody Allen's films, such as Annie Hall, Manhattan and Husbands and Wives. They simultaneously amalgamate witty romance with this inevitable melancholy that comes with it all. I must admit, I have never seen an Ed Burns film before, nor have I seen him act much before, except for Saving Private Ryan. So this was a new venture for me.It's safe to say, I was very surprised by this film. It has a style and form similar to that of Allen's Husbands and Wives. Ed Burns is very likable, and has great charisma as an actor. Graheam really shows her worth as an actor in this film - though I loved her in Boogie Nights and Swingers as well. Tucci, Murphy and Krumholtz are all on top form too.It's an entertaining piece of cinema, one that didn't take itself too seriously and indulge in those oft-walked streets of New York. It was fresh, young and truthful, with characters that have shades to them, and aren't just two dimensional cut outs.I highly recommend this film to everyone.
Woody Allen imitator
posted on 06 Aug 2009In the DVD commentary, Ed Burns says he wanted to make a movie that was "completely different." Who is he kidding? It's so close to Woody Allen that if it were released as a Woody Allen movie people would accept that Woody had made it. The mannerisms (e.g., people stammering and saying "you know" a lot, the jokes, the hand-held camera)... now don't get me wrong, it's done well, and beautifully filmed and acted ($1 million dollar budget, shot in 17 days? Hard to believe). I hope to see more of lovely Rosario Dawson - omigod, those lips! - and Brittany Murphy's star is rising as we speak. Stanley Tucci needs a toupe. He is an OK actor, nothing special, but I don't want to see this man's ugly bald head.