Rating: 
Summary: STALE ROMANCE, TRIES ON A WOODY ALLEN DRESS, FORGETS CHARM
Review: Overdrawn conversations and inter-twined relationships in Manhattan. Can't get any more Woody Allen than that. Yet there is so much wrong with this movie that makes it an ersatz, charmless clone of Allen's films. The cinematography is (perhaps purposefully) scattershot, cutting abruptly between long scenes. This doesn't really make for the stylization that the directors were apparently going for, it just comes off as epileptic camerawork. Then there is slobby vulgarity including adoloscent malarkey about applying cologne to your pubic areas or forgetting to shower before dates. There is an annoyingly prolonged shot of Ed Burns' armpits. What really gets your goat after a while though is the endless chitter chatter that lacks any semplance of sense or wit. While the movie does have its moments, an occasion or two where you may even laugh out loud, overall it is a disappointing waste of film. Can be skipped unless this is the only choice you have.
Rating: 
Summary: A Post Modern Gem
Review: Perhaps you missed the release of this movie, so you assume then that it was bad. The only reason the release was so quiet would be that as the title explains takes place in New York City. The release date was so close to September 11th that people were, I assume, afraid to see the city as it was. But that is one of the best reasons to see this movie. You can see New York City whole/complete. The director Edward Burns decided not to delete scenes that showed the Twin Towers like many other film makers who were releasing films post September were. I would like to thank him for that. We have a film that depicts the New York City as it is intended in this film. That said let me move on.... When I first saw this film I didn't like it, not that it is a bad movie, but I longed for the Edward Burns of "The Brothers McMullen, 1995" which was his first film. I liked the gritty indie movieness, and this one seemed more "Hollywood". Then I thought that that was what many people didn't like about his earlier films, that they were to "low-budget". And then, as I always do with a Burns film, I listened to the Director Commentary. I learned that he did the same "low-budget" tricks, and I was impressed. From that moment on I learned to love the film as it was intended to be loved, as a "Relationship Comedy" Those who criticized earlier Burns for being too novice will appreciate the Hollywoodness and those who appreciated the gritty will appreciate the education he has recieved from other deirectors, such as Spielberg. Enjoy the "Documentary Style" of these glimpses into peoples love lives, Thank you Edward for learning so much. Keep Em' Coming. Overall, its a depressing reminder of the realities of married life: The sacrifice of passion and lust in exchange for long term love and companionship. Very Woody Allenish in content and style. Lots of fast cutaways. New York as a backdrop. Intermingled relationships. Very philisophical, ut without the Woody Allen smarts (sorry, I am a diehard Woody Fan).
Rating:
Summary: In Wake of Allen's Curse of Jade Scorpion...
Review: Prior to seeing Woody Allen's worst movie, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion," I probably would have given Ed Burns's "Sidewalks of New York" a 4 star review because it was too derivative of Woody Allen's work. However, "Curse" showed that Allen is now past being able to make this kind of film and that someone new must step up to the writing, directing, acting helm of these gem-like, relationship slice-of-life films. Ed Burns fills that void very nicely indeed and it is a lot to ask, that someone be able to write, direct and act. Burns himself will never be a comic like Woody Allen but he is a more credible romantic leading man, being young, handsome and with attractive ways about him. This film takes a handful of New Yorkers and puts them into a variety of relationship quandries. Stanley Tucci portrays the least sympathetic as a dentist who suffers from chronic infidelity no matter to whom he is currently married. I was glad to see Brittany Murphy in another role after seeing her play the psychiatric patient to Michael Douglas's psychiatrist in last year's thriller. She is an actress to watch as she is quite different here as Tucci's girlfriend who starts angling towards a New York doorman on the side. Heather Graham does a Mia Farrow like role as Annie, who becomes the Burns the love interest, although it is nip and tuck with the Rosario Dawson biracial teacher with Burns first. There is a scene stealer in this movie though and that actor is Dennis Farina as the older man who counsels Burns on seducing women throughout. He is an absolute lounge lizard creep, a complete turnoff to women everywhere, but I was laughing out loud and holding my sides every time he was on camera. The scene of him lounging in his bubble bath, while counseling Burns to splash cologne on his privates to increase his "action," is emblazoned across my memory forever, I'm afraid! I fail to understand why anyone thought Burns should erase the twin towers from his film, our being able to see them in the background. Should we erase Gettysburg off the map too so we can pretend the Civil War never happened? Or the coast of Normandy to pretend World War II never was? The thinking behind this notion of eradicating history from appearing in our films, even as background, I find very disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: In Wake of Allen's Curse of Jade Scorpion...
Review: Prior to seeing Woody Allen's worst movie, "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion," I probably would have given Ed Burns's "Sidewalks of New York" a 4 star review because it was too derivative of Woody Allen's work. However, "Curse" showed that Allen is now past being able to make this kind of film and that someone new must step up to the writing, directing, acting helm of these gem-like, relationship slice-of-life films. Ed Burns fills that void very nicely indeed and it is a lot to ask, that someone be able to write, direct and act. Burns himself will never be a comic like Woody Allen but he is a more credible romantic leading man, being young, handsome and with attractive ways about him. This film takes a handful of New Yorkers and puts them into a variety of relationship quandries. Stanley Tucci portrays the least sympathetic as a dentist who suffers from chronic infidelity no matter to whom he is currently married. I was glad to see Brittany Murphy in another role after seeing her play the psychiatric patient to Michael Douglas's psychiatrist in last year's thriller. She is an actress to watch as she is quite different here as Tucci's girlfriend who starts angling towards a New York doorman on the side. Heather Graham does a Mia Farrow like role as Annie, who becomes the Burns the love interest, although it is nip and tuck with the Rosario Dawson biracial teacher with Burns first. There is a scene stealer in this movie though and that actor is Dennis Farina as the older man who counsels Burns on seducing women throughout. He is an absolute lounge lizard creep, a complete turnoff to women everywhere, but I was laughing out loud and holding my sides every time he was on camera. The scene of him lounging in his bubble bath, while counseling Burns to splash cologne on his privates to increase his "action," is emblazoned across my memory forever, I'm afraid! I fail to understand why anyone thought Burns should erase the twin towers from his film, our being able to see them in the background. Should we erase Gettysburg off the map too so we can pretend the Civil War never happened? Or the coast of Normandy to pretend World War II never was? The thinking behind this notion of eradicating history from appearing in our films, even as background, I find very disturbing.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining!!
Review: Really enjoyed this movie. Was very entertaining and funny! Some great dilogue and I think people really saw the truth in themselves when they watched it! Wouldn't mind seeing this one again! Very good!
Rating:
Summary: An obnoxiously smug film.
Review: Sidewalks of New York is a film that wants oh-so-badly to be 'hip.' Unfortunately for Mr. Burns, trying to be 'hip' is the one thing that is absolutely guaranteed to spoil the effect. It is also a film that desperately wants to be Husbands and Wives. Again, unfortunately, Burns is decidedly no Woody Allen. I actually sort of vaguely remember maybe liking She's the One, but I barely remember that film at all, so I'm going to go ahead and say that he isn't a very good filmmaker. Life just isn't fair, is it? Burns seems to have a reputation for being able to write good dialogue, but he really can't--no, what he does is write his approximation of how he thinks cool people ought to talk, peppered with his own allegedly clever commentary about love, which essentially boils down to shockers about how men and women are, you know, different, and relationships are, you know complicated--for a film that's meant to be a hip, irreverant view of relationships, there's precious little actual insight here. I'd go so far as to say there's none, actually. Burns's characters are--let's not fool ourselves--shallow and dull. Not that shallow and dull characters can't be made to be interesting, but Burns, as previously noted, is no Woody Allen. And in any case, they're not MEANT to be that way here. They are annoying and artificial, with somewhat disturbingly one-tracked minds (sex, natch), frequently acting how Burns needs them to act to get a properly pat ending, rather than in any way that actual humans would behave. And on a side note, how is it that a movie about Modern Love has no gay characters? Okay, so it's not all bad--I liked it when characters yelled at each other, (yelling's always fun), and Dennis Farina is somewhat amusing as a uber-Don Juan type, but honestly, people, is this what passes for clever nowadays? And so our standards continue to drop...
Rating:
Summary: An OK romantic flick..
Review: Six New Yorkers are romantically involved in this 'pseudo - documentary' style movie. A once divorced, not - happily - married 39 years old dentist is involved with a 19 years old NYU student waitress, who has a 23 years old divorcee interested in her, even though he is still attached to his ex, who meets this guy in a video store, who also flirts with the dentist's realtor wife...
While the characters & story itself are pretty standard & predictable, Burns manages to create a few beautiful, true & interestingly authentic New York moments in this movie.
Rating:
Summary: feel-good film
Review: The funny thing about this film is, although it is about all sorts of permutations ofd how human wreck their relationships (married man cheating on spouse, young waitress having affair with married man, young divorcee regretting breaking up marrieage), it isn't sad! It is actually upbeat and comedic. The cast is great -- Ed Burns, Rosario Dawson, Brittany Murphy, Heather Graham, etc. The funniest is David Krumholtz as Ben, divorced from Maria, but always dropping by because he "was in the neighborhood". ("You live 3 blocks away!" she yells. "You're always in the neighborhood!") Most scuzzy is Stanley Tucci as Griffin, cheating on Annie, his second wife, with Ashley, a waitress whom he never takes out in public. When Ashley won't see him anymore, he says he'll tell his wife, then curses her for breaking up his marriage. NOTHING is his fault! This film just tells us how it is or could be -- not every broken marriage results in unhappiness, not ever dalliance brings joy. It just depends on the people and the situation.
Rating:
Summary: Hip and Modern!
Review: The movie is really well done as far as the topic it is exploring, the dialouge, the direction and acting. I say explore because that is what the movie is doing. It takes several people and explores their love lives, how they cope with breakups and startups. The individual people end up all connecting with each other in some way or another. Some become sexual partners to one another, some who had been sexual partners break up. There is not supposed to be a pat ending for this movie, it is just having fun seeing how couples relate to one another. Basically, all this relating whether it be a beginning or an ending of a romance, is all part of the fun of life and love. This seemed to be the theme of the movie. Some people who were leaving the theater had said it reminded them of a Woody Allen movie. I can see that, although it just seems way more cool and upbeat to me! Well, it definately is worth seeing, so go and enjoy!!! Lisa Nary
Rating:
Summary: One of Director Edward Burns best films yet
Review: This is one of the best movies of the year. Ever since watching The Brothers McMullen for the first time I became hooked on Burns' films. What I love most about them are the dialogs and the story (pretty much what a good film is supposed to be about anyway).
This DVD includes an interview with the director, where he admits that this film was inspired on Husbands and Wives from Woody Allen. One can see the influence and get the feeling of watching an Allen film because of the subject matter and some camera work. But not quite. Writer/Director Burns' own touch on dialogs and the writing give real life to the characters, which gives each of his films the special trademark that makes them unique. He is definitely a great talent and an artist.
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