--- title: "Crimes and Misdemeanors: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/crimes-and-misdemeanors/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/crimes-and-misdemeanors" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like Crimes and Misdemeanors, and the praise clusters around the same thing: Allen’s decision to run a murder melodrama alongside a comedy and let the two stories comment on each other. Several reviews rank it among his strongest work for that reason, crediting the writing and direction with holding the halves together and the ensemble with making each side convincing. Alan Alda’s Lester is the performance most often singled out, and the moral contrast between the two plots is what the more admiring critics keep returning to. The reservations are about balance. Variety finds the blend of melodrama and comedy uneven and thinks Anjelica Huston is let down by an underwritten role, though it too considers Alda ideally cast. Slant, reviewing much later, admires the film’s self-criticism more than it admires the disc it arrived on. The spread is otherwise narrow: no review dismisses it, and the mixed verdicts read as qualified respect rather than complaint. ## Empire — Barry McIlheney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review finds the film marvellously entertaining and provocative. It singles out Allen’s wit and intelligence, along with the strong performances and memorable dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/crimes-misdemeanors-review/) ## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 1990. Malcolm calls the film one of Allen’s best, praising its balance of comedy and serious reflection. He singles out the seamless direction, writing and ensemble performances for making its two storylines work together. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1990/jul/26/1) ## Los Angeles Times — MICHAEL WILMINGTON Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 1989. Wilmington sees the film as a major achievement that unites Allen’s comic and serious sides. He especially praises its sharp moral contrast between the stories and its performances, particularly Alan Alda’s portrayal of Lester. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-22-ca-984-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The review treats the film as a compelling examination of morality and consequence. It singles out Woody Allen’s philosophical depth for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-crimes-and-misdemeanors-1989) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 1989. The supplied page does not expose the review’s verdict or discussion. I can’t reliably identify what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/13/movies/review-film-crimes-and-misdemeanors-new-from-woody-allen.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also contains no information about what the critic praised or complained about. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/crimes-and-misdemeanors) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 3/5. 16 February 2014. Bowen regards the film as a revealing, self-critical work, while finding its Blu-ray presentation merely competent. He praises the film’s examination of its protagonists’ hypocrisy but faults the release for its barebones extras and unremarkable image and sound. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/crimes-and-misdemeanors/) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1988. The critic finds Allen’s ambitious blend of melodrama and comedy uneven. They fault Anjelica Huston’s performance in an underwritten role, while finding Alan Alda ideally cast. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/crimes-and-misdemeanors-1200428025/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/crimes-and-misdemeanors.md