Crimes and Misdemeanors

1989
PG-13
1h 44m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

61K

YOUR RATING

Woody Allen and Martin Landau in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

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1 Video

99+ Photos

Satire Comedy Drama

An ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.An ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.An ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

61K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 16 wins & 26 nominations total

Sharon Rosenthal
(as Stephanie Roth)

Gregg Edelman

Chris

George J. Manos

Photographer
(as George Manos)

Anjelica Huston

Dolores Paley

Jenny Nichols

Jenny

Joanna Gleason

Wendy Stern

Alan Alda

Lester

Sam Waterston

Zina Jasper

Carol

Dolores Sutton

Judah's Secretary

Joel Fogel

T.V. Producer
(as Joel S. Fogel)

Donna Castellano

T.V. Producer

Thomas Crowe

T.V. Producer
(as Thomas P. Crow)

Mia Farrow

Halley Reed

Director
- Woody Allen
Writer
- Woody Allen
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Lester is based on Larry Gelbart, whom both Woody Allen and Alan Alda worked with and reportedly disliked because of his despotic ways. Lester's various comments such as "Comedy is tragedy plus time" and "If it bends, it's funny; if it breaks, it isn't" were actual Gelbart quotes. In spite of this reputed dislike for Gelbart, Allen called him "the best comedy writer that I ever knew and one of the best guys" in a statement shortly following Gelbart's death, whilst Alda said in the Los Angeles Times obituary, "Larry's genius for writing changed my life because I got to speak his lines - lines that were so good they'll be with us for a long, long time; but his other genius - his immense talent for being good company - is a light that's gone out and we're all sitting here in the dark".

Goofs
(at 1:31:03) While they are celebrating at the wedding party the theme "Crazy Rhythm" is been played by the jazz orchestra, a muted trumpet can be heard but the trumpet player isn't using one.

Quotes
[last lines]
Professor Levy: [voiceover] We are all faced throughout our lives with agonizing decisions. Moral choices. Some are on a grand scale. Most of these choices are on lesser points. But! We define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are in fact the sum total of our choices. Events unfold so unpredictably, so unfairly, human happiness does not seem to have been included, in the design of creation. It is only we, with our capacity to love, that give meaning to the indifferent universe. And yet, most human beings seem to have the ability to keep trying, and even to find joy from simple things like their family, their work, and from the hope that future generations might understand more.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Fabulous Baker Boys/Breaking In/Crimes and Misdemeanors/Look Who's Talking (1989)

Soundtracks
Rosalie
Written by Cole Porter
Performed by the Jazz Band

User reviews205

Review

Featured review

8/10

Slyly written, handsomely made serio-comic Woody Allen...

Writer-director Woody Allen smoothly examines the parallels between a nervous documentary filmmaker in love with an indifferent female producer and a celebrated family man contemplating having his frustrated, frustrating mistress bumped off. A serious-comedy, saddled with a bit of pretentious banter as well as a draggy sub-plot with Sam Waterston as a rabbi losing his sight. Still, the incredibly rich performances from a well-chosen group of actors strengthen the film, including Woody as the filmmaker, Alan Alda as his egomaniacal film subject and brother-in-law, Mia Farrow, Martin Landau (in the film's best turn), Anjelica Huston, Caroline Aaron and Jerry Orbach. One of Allen's finest endeavors, cleverly-maneuvered and sly; it is by turns witty, beguiling, funny and ironic. ***1/2 from ****