For this Washingtonian (inland northwest variety), long since removed from Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights, et. al., "TTM" reminded me of how much I still love and miss NYC. And how much I miss the early Woody Allen [1977-87] (though given his most recent few decades of work I didn't need much of a reminder). But this movie is not a copy of any of Woody's work. It is instead a reminder of some human source material that also inspired Woody. Three decades later one can observe and create an urban romantic comedy out of some of the people who live in NYC.
For urban romantic comedy is what 'TTM' is. Not a realistic fictionalized documentary but a skillful satire of the vagaries of four people in two love relationships.
It also has a great plus. No Woody Allen in a leading part.
But the reason I give it 7 instead of 9 stars has to do with the scene set in the theater that pulls and resolves (at least for the now of the fictionalized characters) the story. How on earth could the writer/director Bart Freundlich, after creating such a wonderfully interesting story with its subtleties as well as its more overt humor, write the imagination-stifling theater scene? Should I give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest that one of the money-boys strong armed him into using this banal ending? It doesn't seem possible that the same writer responsible for almost all of the film could write something so asinine.
However, I am able to put this aberration aside and thank Mr. Freundlich for very ably writing and directing a honey of a comedy set in New York City, a valentine to the NYC that I so loved and still do.
For urban romantic comedy is what 'TTM' is. Not a realistic fictionalized documentary but a skillful satire of the vagaries of four people in two love relationships.
It also has a great plus. No Woody Allen in a leading part.
But the reason I give it 7 instead of 9 stars has to do with the scene set in the theater that pulls and resolves (at least for the now of the fictionalized characters) the story. How on earth could the writer/director Bart Freundlich, after creating such a wonderfully interesting story with its subtleties as well as its more overt humor, write the imagination-stifling theater scene? Should I give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest that one of the money-boys strong armed him into using this banal ending? It doesn't seem possible that the same writer responsible for almost all of the film could write something so asinine.
However, I am able to put this aberration aside and thank Mr. Freundlich for very ably writing and directing a honey of a comedy set in New York City, a valentine to the NYC that I so loved and still do.