--- title: "Manhattan: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/manhattan/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/manhattan" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 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." --- # Manhattan (1979): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise clustering around Gordon Willis’s black-and-white cinematography and the use of Gershwin’s music to give New York a strong romantic presence. Most critics also admire the sharp, funny screenplay and the ease of the ensemble, particularly Woody Allen, Diane Keaton and Mariel Hemingway. Hemingway draws repeated praise for the honesty of her performance, while several reviews find that the photography gives shape and coherence to the film’s episodic romantic complications. The differences concern the degree of enthusiasm rather than a fundamental split over the film’s merits. RogerEbert.com offers the clearest reservations, questioning the shift towards seriousness in the final third and finding the material involving Michael Murphy’s character underdeveloped. Even that review praises the central performances; across the reviews, enthusiasm for the acting and visual craft is more consistent than discussion of whether the drama fully works. ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2006. The review hails Manhattan as one of Woody Allen's most aesthetically gorgeous and personal films, a classic love-hate letter to New York. It singles out the sublime Gershwin score and Gordon Willis's monochrome cinematography for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/manhattan-review/) ## Sight and Sound — John Pym Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2017. The critic praises Allen's mature balance of humor and form in this New York romantic comedy, highlighting the sharp script, relaxed ensemble performances (especially Mariel Hemingway), and Gordon Willis's luminous black-and-white cinematography that unifies the episodic narrative. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/manhattan-review-woody-allen-finds-mature-harmony-humour-form) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2017. The critic finds Woody Allen’s 1979 middle-period masterpiece still compelling and addictively watchable nearly four decades on, with its big scenes and performances alongside low-key gems. He singles out the inspired use of Gershwin on the soundtrack and Mariel Hemingway’s honest, authentic performance as the standout element. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/11/manhattan-review-woody-allen) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2006. The review calls it possibly Woody Allen's greatest film, praising its superlatively funny screenplay, lustrous monochrome photography by Gordon Willis, and the George Gershwin score. It highlights stand-out performances, especially by Allen, Diane Keaton and Mariel Hemingway. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/manhattan-15-427477.html) ## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 1979. Gilliatt calls the film an intelligently hilarious fable about Manhattan as a city of smooth rides and riches, love and betrayal, praising its black-and-white look, Gershwin score, specific evocation of Jewish intellectualism, and Allen's comic majesty and devotedness to the city and its references. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1979/04/30/the-black-and-white-apple) ## Slant Magazine — Jaime N. Christley Rating 3.5/4. 5 March 2017. The critic praises the film's grayscale romantic melodrama and Gordon Willis's masterful black-and-white cinematography as a perfect match for its themes of marital and amorous discord. Willis's too-dark lensing and the city's varied backdrops provide subtle commentary on the emotionally arrested characters' romantic entanglements. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/manhattan/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The review declares Allen on top form as actor and director in this 1979 comedy, in many ways better than Annie Hall with more rounded characters. It praises the Gershwin music and Gordon Willis's black-and-white cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/obsessive-woody-at-his-peak-7391204.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1979. Ebert finds it a very good movie overall, with sublime Woody Allen performance, fresh Diane Keaton as a New York intellectual, and strong work from Mariel Hemingway, but criticizes the shift to seriousness in the final third, especially the ending scene with Hemingway and underdeveloped elements involving Michael Murphy's character. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/manhattan-1979) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1978. The review describes Allen using New York as backdrop for neurotic urban over-achievers and their premature-ending relationships, while celebrating how the film captures the inner beauty of Manhattan in black and white; it singles out Diane Keaton's expert performance as the fast-talking pseudo-intellectual Mary. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1978/film/reviews/manhattan-1200424467/) ## Collider — Scott Wampler Rating A-. 8 March 2012. Manhattan is among Allen’s best films and one of the most beautiful, with a timeless black-and-white look and an iconic Gershwin score that elevates the familiar romantic entanglements plot. Diane Keaton’s performance shows impressive range. [Read the review](https://collider.com/manhattan-blu-ray-review/) ## The Skinny — Paul Greenwood Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2006. The critic calls Manhattan one of Allen's top three films and possibly his best, praising its naturalistic direction, quintessential screenplay of New York neurotics mixing one-liners with intellectual talk, and its most aesthetically pleasing black-and-white widescreen photography paired with a Gershwin score. They highlight the charming performances by Allen and Keaton in sophisticated romantic complications. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/opinion/rediscovered-classic-manhattan) --- © 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/manhattan.md