When one of their neighbors suddenly dies, the Liptons (Woody Allen, Diane Keaton) begin to suspect that her husband is a killer… This hugely enjoyable but lightweight comedy with Hitchcockian flavors was originally going to be the story for Annie Hall (1977), but Allen found use for it a decade and a half later. Watching him and Keaton back together again for the first time since 1979 is part of the fun; so is Alan Alda as their buddy who keeps coming up with theories on how the neighbor might have gotten away with murder. Very effective blend of comedy (Allen has many funny lines) and thriller, especially when we get closer to the truth.
1993-U.S. 108 min. Color. Produced by Robert Greenhut. Directed by Woody Allen. Screenplay: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman. Cast: Woody Allen (Larry Lipton), Diane Keaton (Carol Lipton), Alan Alda (Ted), Anjelica Huston, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen… Ron Rifkin, Joy Behar, Zach Braff.
Trivia: Braff’s film debut. Mia Farrow was originally going to play Carol.Â
Quote: “I can’t listen to that much Wagner, ya know? I start to get the urge to conquer Poland.” (Allen)
Last word: “It was an idea Woody had years and years ago and I guess he put it in the drawer, but, then after we had done a bunch of films he said, ‘I’ve got this idea, why don’t you write it?’ And so we talked about it a little bit – you know, just a couple of conversations – and then I went off and wrote it. But, then, something happened and it was one thing or another and Woody ended up directing it and he was in it, too – but, it had nothing to do with ‘Annie Hall’, really. It was its own thing.” (Brickman, Broadway World)
