Sidewalks of New York (2001)

Tommy (Edward Burns) is a television production man in Manhattan. His girlfriend has just given him the heave-ho from their joint apartment, stating she doesn't want kids and sees no future for them. Tommy is miffed because he gave up his own digs to move in with her, at her request. He temporarily bunks with his boss (Dennis Farina). The boss man is womanizer, boasting that he's slept with 500 women and left most of them "baying at the moon". Nevertheless, Tommy wants his own place so he gets in touch with NY realtor, Annie (Heather Graham). They begin at search for a suitable habitat, becoming friends in the process. Annie is married to a dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci). Annie wants children but, unknown to her, Griffin is having a fling with a 19 year old transplant from Iowa (Brittany Murphy) and he has been neglecting Annie in a big way. The young lady, Ashley, detests meeting Griffin in hotel rooms but has fallen for Griffin's lying promises. There is an attractive young doorman interested in her, too. Meanwhile, the doorman's beautiful ex-wife, Maria (Rosario Dawson) has met Tommy at the video store. Although she has dated no one since her stinging divorce, she begins a brief affair with Tommy. How will things shake down on the sidewalks of Manhattan? This is a great film and a tour de force for Burns, who wrote and directed it. Certainly, he is one gifted movie maker, as evidenced by his earlier films, including The Brothers McMullen and She's the One. In Sidewalks, he again probes relationships in the modern era, when sex can be around every corner and the more traditional marriage of an earlier age is absent. In doing so, Burns shows his brilliance for a balanced dissection, for he presents differing viewpoints in the course of the flick. All of the players here, from the scumbags Tucci and Farina, to the lovely Dawson to the very attractive Graham, Murphy, and Burns himself, are simply great. Add on a nice NYC setting, some terrific costumes and some great production values and you have a fine looking film as well. The story and direction are faultless, as Burns uses many interesting techniques to tell his tale, including testimonies and flashbacks. Watch out for a bit of rough language and sexual conversation, if that is important to you. However, there are truly no cracks in this Sidewalk, it is one wonderful film. Get your hands on a copy soon, very soon. And, here's hoping Burns will continue to make many more films.

I am a massive fan of Woody Allen's films, such as Annie Hall, Manhattan and Husbands and Wives. They simultaneously amalgamate witty romance with this inevitable melancholy that comes with it all. I must admit, I have never seen an Ed Burns film before, nor have I seen him act much before, except for Saving Private Ryan. So this was a new venture for me.It's safe to say, I was very surprised by this film. It has a style and form similar to that of Allen's Husbands and Wives. Ed Burns is very likable, and has great charisma as an actor. Graheam really shows her worth as an actor in this film - though I loved her in Boogie Nights and Swingers as well. Tucci, Murphy and Krumholtz are all on top form too.It's an entertaining piece of cinema, one that didn't take itself too seriously and indulge in those oft-walked streets of New York. It was fresh, young and truthful, with characters that have shades to them, and aren't just two dimensional cut outs.I highly recommend this film to everyone.

By the way, the other review here is very good, especially as an overview of the structure of the film, however, there seems to be a typo--It's BEN who was married to gorgeous Maria, and was kicked out after cheating on her, not Tommy.The film seemed a little slow in the beginning to me. I found the character of Tommy sweet, but not particularly compelling, so I was kind of getting impatient with the pace. However, as the rest of the characters were introduced, I soon became engrossed in the stories, and I LOVED the way all the story lines became more and more entangled with each other.My favorite character, easily, was Ben, played by the ever- interesting David Krumholtz (now on CBS's Numb3rs!) and his scenes with Brittany Murphy were surprisingly touching and funny.Stanley Tucci was a riot, though, as the most selfish little shmuck ever.All in all, I really liked it and would recommend it

In the DVD commentary, Ed Burns says he wanted to make a movie that was "completely different." Who is he kidding? It's so close to Woody Allen that if it were released as a Woody Allen movie people would accept that Woody had made it. The mannerisms (e.g., people stammering and saying "you know" a lot, the jokes, the hand-held camera)... now don't get me wrong, it's done well, and beautifully filmed and acted ($1 million dollar budget, shot in 17 days? Hard to believe). I hope to see more of lovely Rosario Dawson - omigod, those lips! - and Brittany Murphy's star is rising as we speak. Stanley Tucci needs a toupe. He is an OK actor, nothing special, but I don't want to see this man's ugly bald head.