I watched Woody Allen’s movie Broadway Danny Rose this morning, for the first time since I was a kid. It may well be his best film. Regardless, it is perfect: it never makes a wrong move.
It is a comedy, of course. And very funny. But Allen usually makes funny films. I don’t actively seek him out any more, but I’m generally very pleased when I do stumble upon something. Recently I saw The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, and I thought it quite good. But it isn’t really about anything; it is just a romp. Broadway Danny Rose, on the other hand, is deep. By the end I was sobbing. (What else is new?) What major filmmaker writes about trust and forgiveness?
What’s really amazing about the film is how Allen ends it. Tina Vitale has come to Danny’s apartment to ask for his forgiveness. He can’t do it. She leaves. But Danny’s the kind of guy who can’t not forgive. He runs after her and catches her right in front of the Carnegie Deli. He leads her back to the party at this apartment. And then we hear the comedians who have been telling the stories.
“Probably a cream cheese on a bagel with marinara sauce.”
What a great way to say, “And they—the Jew and the Italian—lived happily ever after.
Oh my God, I think I’m going to cry.
