NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977)
Updated: Dec 15, 2022
Martin Scorsese's Musical Opus
Grade: B
Musical numbers aren't usually what come to mind when one hears of Martin Scorsese, the director of such violent classics as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and, more recently, The Irishman (2019). But every now and then, he turns up a movie like New York, New York, a kinda-sorta musical that isn't all that grand, but still has a lot going for it-including the title song, later made famous by Frank Sinatra.
NY, NY takes place immediately after World War II ends and tells the story of Jimmy Doyle, a saxophonist who wants a career in music and a girl to love. He thinks he's found the latter in Francine Evans, and proceeds to pester her mercilessly for her number and her time. Eventually she is swept up into his world, and they fall in love and get married. However, his selfish demeanor and jealousy at her greater success leads to a horrible breakup.
Arguably, the weakest element of the film may is the love story, which is really forced by Jimmy. His relationship with Francine seems so fake and he treats her so badly that, even though their breakup is painful, we can't help but ultimately rejoice.
Of course, that may be the point: a recurring theme in Martin Scorsese pictures is the male protagonist's inability to relate to women, and it could be seen here as a deconstruction of the romance genre.
Now for the positives: the movie is a masterpiece of cinematography, sporting some truly beautiful images, including the neon lights inside a club and a dimly-lit closeup of Francine's eyes.
Liza Minnelli delivers her A-game in this as Francine climbs the ladder of success much higher than Jimmy. A portion of the final act is dedicated to her starring role in a musical which, though more than a little inconsistent with the movie's overall tone, is still glorious to behold (IMO, the film would have benefitted if it had been more like this musical). This sequence, as well as the ultimate rendition of the title song, will put a smile on your face.
Overall, New York, New York isn't the best Martin Scorsese picture. The love story is not very good, Jimmy isn't very likable. But the film earns points for its great music, themes of jealousy and forced love, and gorgeous visuals.
Edited from original review, written on April 28, 2020
Director: Martin Scorsese
Producers: Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
Screenplay: Mardik Martin, Earl Mac Rauch
Cast: Liza Minnelli (Francine Evans), Robert De Niro (Jimmy Doyle)
Rated: R
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