Crimes and Misdemeanors
Composite Score: 85.83
Starring: Martin Landau, Woody Allen, Claire Bloom, Anjelica Huston, Joanna Gleason, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, Jenny Nichols, Mia Farrow, Martin Bergmann, and Jerry Orbach
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Crime
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Box Office: $18.25 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Crimes and Misdemeanors is Woody Allen’s film about the parallel lives of two very different men struggling in their love lives. One, Judah Rosenthall (Martin Landau), is a wealthy ophthalmologist whose flight attendant mistress (Anjelica Huston) is threatening to reveal their affair to his wife, forcing him to choose between sharing the truth and bearing the consequences or turning to his criminal brother, Jack (Jerry Orbach), to silence her. The other, Cliff Stern (Woody Allen), is an aspiring documentarian in a loveless marriage, forced to make a puff-piece documentary for his self-important television producer brother-in-law, Lester (Alan Alda), which brings him into contact with producer Halley Reed (Mia Farrow), whom Cliff immediately falls for. Their juxtaposed stories eventually cross over into one culmination that raises questions about the nature of love, morality, and the human conscience. The film was nominated for three Oscars – Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Martin Landau – and has been celebrated for its successful blending of crime drama with existential comedy to make a unique film.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it at least five other times by now: Woody Allen is a nasty man, and this is one of those films where it’s more evidently on display. There’s a subplot for his character Cliff that involves him “educating” his dead brother’s daughter Jenny, which doesn’t really make a ton of sense within the rest of the film aside from giving the opportunity for a few more jokes made by and at the expense of Jenny’s mother. Otherwise, those scenes mostly consist of Cliff taking Jenny to the movies or bringing her little gifts or telling her things that are “just between them” – you know, grooming behavior. It’s troubling to see, knowing what Allen had going on behind the scenes with Mia Farrow’s adoptive daughter at this point in his life. Outside of those deeply uncomfortable scenes, it’s really a pretty solid film, though.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Oddly enough, because this film features less of Woody Allen than most of his other films prior, it also contains some of the best performances, which then lends to the film’s engaging plot that keeps you watching (if you can get over Woody Allen). Landau obviously received a deserving Oscar nomination for his conflicted and complex performance as Judah that shifts from helpless to hapless to chilling over the course of the film. Additionally, Huston, in her limited screentime, gives a compelling turn that walks the fine line between love, hate, and hysteria that really engages you in her story and her circumstance. As much as Alan Alda is supposed to be the loathsome corporate shill, his portrayal of Lester paints a much more compelling foil to Allen’s Cliff, feeling at ease, confident, and fun (if not entirely funny) in all of his scenes, which serves only to frustrate Cliff all the more in their scenes together. He’s a classic rom-com villain that you want to root against but that you also remember and think about more often because of how much fun he seems to be having at any given moment.
Compelling performances from an ensemble cast help turn what could be a disjointed story of two different tones into a cohesive and engaging piece of film in Crimes and Misdemeanors, earning it a spot among the greats. Woody Allen’s own indiscretions and weirdness certainly hold this film back, but everyone else does such a great job that it’s hard to say that you shouldn’t at least watch this film once. Currently it’s not available on any internet streaming services, but if you can find a copy at the library (or illegally because not giving money to Woody Allen is totally fine), you should definitely still check it out.
