Movie Review: Sidewalks of NY
Rating:
7 out of 10
Director:
Edward J. Burns
Jr.
Writers:
Edward J. Burns Jr.
Starring:
Edward J. Burns Jr. and others
Saw
at: Embassy Cinema,
Sidewalks of NY is a classic humorous relationship movie, or in other words -- a "date" movie. It is very difficult for me to watch a date movie, let alone review a date movie, as I must resist the impulse to vomit. You're probably asking why I put myself through the torture. Well, if I had stayed one more hour cooped up in my apartment, it would have placed my sanity in jeopardy. It was either Sidewalks of NY, a French movie (that sounded interesting yet I have yet to see a French movie that I've liked), or a David Mamet movie with Gene Hackman. I respect both Mamet and Hackman, yet have grown very, very tired of both of them.
Sidewalks of NY follows the lives of 20 - 40 something year old's in sort of a pseudo documentary style. What do I mean by that? The relationshipees in the movie are asked questions throughout the movie about relationships. They talk directly into the camera. Then the movie follows their lives, without their acknowledging the camera. Sort of an interesting concept. Some of the editing bugged the crap out of me. Sometimes people would be talking and right after a sentence they'd cut to a later point in the same scene. You'll see this sort of thing in a real documentary, but only if there's one person talking. When this is done in a scene with two people talking, it's horribly jarring. The first time this happened I thought they had made an error in the editing. It was no mistake though. It was edited like crap on purpose.
Sidewalks of NY contains some fairly funny stuff. It is well acted, has some good dialog. It is hokey yet quirky. This is a safe bet for a date movie. Would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't had a date for many years.
12/03/2001
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