Manhattan

Manhattan.
1979 United Artists; distributed to DVD by MGM.
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Anne Byrne, Michael O'Donoghue, Wallace Shawn
Director: Woody Allen
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of The Woody Allen Collection, Set 1.

This is Woody Allen's love letter to his hometown, as well as George Gershwin's music. He hated the finished product, and offered to make a movie for free if United Artists never released it. The studio obviously did not keep the film shelved like the director wanted.

Allen is Isaac Davis, a former TV writer who has been divorced twice, and his current project is writing a book about how much he loves New York City. He's also dating a 17-year-old high school girl named Tracy (Hemingway) who he still feels is too young for him, which is why he won't commit. His best friend Yale (Murphy) is married to Emily (Byrne), but he's still shagging Mary Wilkie (Keaton) on the side, and her ex-husband Jeremiah (Shawn) is also in the picture. Also, Isaac's lesbian ex-wife Jill (Streep) is writing a tell-all book about their relationship.

Isaac and Mary, after initially having a bad first meeting, fall in love, complete with the iconic scene with the bridge in the background. Isaac still continues to see Tracy, but he does encourage her to take an educational opportunity in Europe. Things change when Yale dumps Mary, unwilling to end his marriage to Emily, and suggests that Isaac ask Mary out, which he does, and he breaks it off with Tracy, which devastates her.

Things don't stay this way for long, as Yale finally splits with Emily to resume his relationship with Mary. Emily might have triggered this by reading out loud portions of Jill's book about her marriage to Isaac during a double date. Isaac tries confronting Yale about what happened, but after Yale says he met Mary first, Issac tells Emily that Yale was having extra-marital affairs. Emily simply believes that Isaac introduced Mary to Yale.

Isaac tries to catch Tracy before she leaves for England to rekindle that romance, but the plans are already made, and she simply tells him that Isaac needs to have a little more faith in people.

Highly, highly recommended film.