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{{short description|1997 film by Woody Allen}}
{{short description|1997 film by Woody Allen}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2007}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Deconstructing Harry
| name = Deconstructing Harry
Line 39: Line 38:
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $20 million<ref name="bom">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0118954/ |title=Deconstructing Harry (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=April 25, 2023}}</ref>
| budget = $20 million<ref name="bom">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0118954/ |title=Deconstructing Harry (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=April 25, 2023}}</ref>
| gross = $10.7 million<ref name="bom"/>
| gross = $10.7 million (US)<ref name="bom"/>
}}
}}
'''''Deconstructing Harry''''' is a 1997 American [[black comedy film]] written, directed by, and co-starring [[Woody Allen]], alongside an [[ensemble cast]] including [[Caroline Aaron]], [[Kirstie Alley]], [[Bob Balaban]], [[Richard Benjamin]], [[Eric Bogosian]], [[Billy Crystal]], and [[Judy Davis]]. The film tells the story of a successful writer named Harry Block, played by Allen, who draws inspiration from people he knows in real life, and from events that happen to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.
'''''Deconstructing Harry''''' is a 1997 American [[black comedy]] film written, directed by, and co-starring [[Woody Allen]], with an [[ensemble cast]], including [[Caroline Aaron]], [[Kirstie Alley]], [[Bob Balaban]], [[Richard Benjamin]], [[Eric Bogosian]], [[Billy Crystal]] and [[Judy Davis]], as well as [[Jennifer Garner]] in her feature film debut. The film tells the story of a successful writer named Harry Block, played by Allen, who draws inspiration from people who he knows in real life, and from events that happen to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.


The central plot features Block driving to a university from which he was once thrown out, in order to receive an honorary degree. Three passengers accompany him on the trip: a prostitute, a friend, and his son, whom he has kidnapped from his ex-wife. However, there are many [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]]s, segments taken from Block's writing, and interactions with his own fictional characters. ''Deconstructing Harry'' received moderately positive reviews from critics.
The central plot features Block driving to a university from which he was once thrown out, to receive an honorary degree. Three passengers accompany him on the trip: a prostitute, a friend, and his son, who he has kidnapped from his ex-wife. There are many [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]]s, segments taken from Block's writing, and interactions with his own fictional characters. ''Deconstructing Harry'' received moderately positive reviews from critics.


==Plot==
==Plot==
One night, Lucy takes a taxi to the home of famous Manhattan author Harry Block. She has just read Harry's latest novel, in which the character Leslie is having an affair with her sister's husband Ken. Lucy is angry because the novel is patently based on her and Harry's own affair; as a result, everyone knows about it. Lucy pulls a gun out of her purse, threatening to kill herself. She then turns the gun on Harry and begins firing. As she chases him out onto the roof, he insists that he has already been punished: his latest girlfriend Fay has left him for his best friend Larry. To distract Lucy, Harry tells her a story he is currently writing: a semi-autobiographical story of a sex-obsessed young man named Harvey who is mistakenly claimed by [[Death (personification)|Death]] during an encounter with a prostitute.
One night, Lucy takes a taxi to the home of famous [[Manhattan]] author Harry Block. She has just read Harry's latest novel, in which the character Leslie is having an affair with her sister's husband Ken. Lucy is angry because the novel is patently based on her and Harry's own affair; as a result, everyone knows about it. Lucy pulls a gun from her purse, threatening to kill herself. She turns the gun on Harry and begins firing. As she chases him onto the roof, he insists that he has already been punished: his latest girlfriend Fay has left him for his best friend Larry. To distract Lucy, Harry tells her a story that he is currently writing: a semi-autobiographical story of a sex-obsessed young man named Harvey who is mistakenly claimed by [[Personifications of death|Death]] during an encounter with a prostitute.


In therapy, Harry realizes he has not changed since he was a sex-obsessed youth. He discusses his honoring ceremony at his old university in [[Upstate New York]], taking place the next day; he is particularly unhappy that he has nobody with whom to share the occasion. After the session, Harry asks his ex-wife and former therapist, Joan, if he can take their son Hilliard to the ceremony. She refuses, stating that Harry is a bad influence on Hilliard. She is also furious at Harry for the novel he wrote. In it, the character Epstein marries his therapist Helen, but the marriage begins to crumble after the birth of their son.
In therapy, Harry realizes that he has not changed since his sex-obsessed youth. He discusses his honoring ceremony at his old university in [[upstate New York]], taking place the next day; he is particularly unhappy that he has nobody with whom to share the occasion. After the session, Harry asks his ex-wife and former therapist Joan if he can take their son Hilliard to the ceremony. She refuses, stating that Harry is a bad influence on Hilliard. She is also furious at Harry for the novel he wrote. In it, the character Epstein marries his therapist Helen, but the marriage begins to crumble after the birth of their son.


Harry runs into an acquaintance, Richard, who is worried about his health. After accompanying Richard to the hospital, Harry invites him to the university ceremony; Richard claims he is busy that day. Harry then meets with his ex-girlfriend Fay, who reveals that she is now engaged. Harry begs Fay to get back together with him. He asks Fay to accompany him to his ceremony, but it clashes with her wedding, scheduled the following day.
Harry runs into an acquaintance, Richard, who is worried about his health. After accompanying Richard to the hospital, Harry invites him to the university ceremony; Richard claims that he will be busy that day. Harry meets with his ex-girlfriend Fay, who reveals that she is now engaged. Harry begs Fay to get back together with him. He asks Fay to accompany him to his ceremony, but it clashes with her wedding, scheduled the following day.


That night, Harry sleeps with a prostitute, Cookie, later agrees to accompany him to his ceremony. In the morning, Richard unexpectedly arrives to join Harry and Cookie on the trip. On a whim, Harry decides to "kidnap" his son Hilliard. Along the way, they stop at a carnival, then at Harry's half-sister Doris's. Doris, a devoted [[Jew]], is upset by Harry's portrayals of Judaism in his stories, as is her husband. During the trip, Harry also encounters his fictional creations Ken and Helen, who force him to confront some painful truths about his life. Just before arriving at the university, Richard dies peacefully in the car.
That night, Harry sleeps with a prostitute, Cookie, who agrees to accompany him to his ceremony. In the morning, Richard unexpectedly arrives to join Harry and Cookie on the trip. On a whim, Harry decides to "kidnap" his son Hilliard. Along the way, they stop at a carnival, then at Harry's half-sister Doris's. Doris, a devoted [[Jew]], is upset by Harry's portrayals of Judaism in his stories, as is her husband. During the trip, Harry encounters his fictional creations Ken and Helen, who force him to confront some painful truths about his life. Before arriving at the university, Richard dies peacefully in the car.


While filming, Harry's fictional alter ego, Mel, literally slides out of focus, becoming blurred. The university's staffers gush over Harry, asking what he plans to write next. He describes a story about a man (based on himself) who journeys down to Hell to reclaim his true love (based on Fay) from [[the Devil]] (based on Larry). Harry and the Devil engage in a verbal duel as to who is truly the more evil of the two. Harry gets as far as arguing that he is a kidnapper before the story is interrupted by the arrival of the police. Harry is arrested for kidnapping Hilliard, for possessing a gun (it was Lucy's), and for having drugs in the car (belonging to Cookie).
While filming, Harry's fictional alter ego Mel literally slides out of focus, becoming blurred. The university's staffers gush over Harry, asking what he plans to write next. He describes a story about a man (based on himself) who journeys to Hell to reclaim his true love (based on Fay) from [[the Devil]] (based on Larry). Harry and the Devil engage in a verbal duel regarding who is truly the more evil of the two. Harry argues that he is a kidnapper, but the story is interrupted by the arrival of the police. Harry is arrested for kidnapping Hilliard, for possessing a gun (it was Lucy's), and for having drugs in the car (belonging to Cookie).


Larry and Fay come from their wedding to bail Harry out of jail. Harry reluctantly gives them his blessings. Back at his apartment, a miserable Harry fantasizes that the university's ceremony is taking place. He eventually overcomes his writer's block by starting to write a book about a man who, like him, can only function in art, not in his life.
Larry and Fay come from their wedding to bail out Harry from jail. Harry reluctantly gives them his blessings. At his apartment, a miserable Harry fantasizes that the university's ceremony is taking place. He eventually overcomes his writer's block by starting to write a book about a man who, like him, can function only in art, not in life.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
{{Cast listing|
* [[Woody Allen]] as Harry Block
* [[Woody Allen]] as Harry Block
* [[Richard Benjamin]] as Ken, Harry's character
* [[Caroline Aaron]] as Doris Block, Harry's sister
* [[Kirstie Alley]] as Joan, Harry's second wife
* [[Kirstie Alley]] as Joan, Harry's second wife
* [[Bob Balaban]] as Richard
⚫
* [[Richard Benjamin]] as Ken, Harry's character
⚫
* [[Eric Bogosian]] as Burt, Harry's brother-in-law
* [[Billy Crystal]] as Larry, Harry's friend / The Devil
* [[Billy Crystal]] as Larry, Harry's friend / The Devil
* [[Judy Davis]] as Lucy, Jane's sister
* [[Judy Davis]] as Lucy, Jane's sister
* [[Bob Balaban]] as Richard
* [[Hazelle Goodman]] as Cookie Williams
⚫
* [[Mariel Hemingway]] as Beth Kramer
⚫
* [[Amy Irving]] as Jane, Harry's third wife
* [[Julie Kavner]] as Grace
* [[Julie Kavner]] as Grace
* [[Elisabeth Shue]] as Fay Sexton, Harry's last girlfriend
* [[Eric Lloyd]] as Hilliard Block, Harry's son
⚫
* [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] as Leslie, Harry's character
* [[Tobey Maguire]] as Harvey Stern, Harry's character
* [[Tobey Maguire]] as Harvey Stern, Harry's character
* [[Jennifer Garner]] as woman in elevator, Harry's character
* [[Demi Moore]] as Helen, Harry's character
* [[Elisabeth Shue]] as Fay Sexton, Harry's last girlfriend
⚫
* [[Paul Giamatti]] as Professor Abbott
* [[Stanley Tucci]] as Paul Epstein, Harry's character
* [[Stanley Tucci]] as Paul Epstein, Harry's character
⚫
* [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] as Leslie, Harry's character
⚫
* [[Mariel Hemingway]] as Beth Kramer
* [[Robin Williams]] as Mel, Harry's character
* [[Robin Williams]] as Mel, Harry's character
* [[Hazelle Goodman]] as Cookie Williams
⚫
* [[Eric Bogosian]] as Burt, Harry's brother-in-law
⚫
* [[Demi Moore]] as Helen, Harry's character
* [[Caroline Aaron]] as Doris Block, Harry's sister
* [[Eric Lloyd]] as Hilliard Block, Harry's son
⚫
* [[Amy Irving]] as Jane, Harry's third wife
⚫
* [[Viola Harris]] as Elsie
⚫
* [[Victoria Hale (actress)|Victoria Hale]] as woman in shoe store
* [[Hy Anzell]] as Max Pincus, Harry's character
* [[Hy Anzell]] as Max Pincus, Harry's character
* [[Scotty Bloch]] as Ms. Paley
* [[Philip Bosco]] as Professor Clark
* [[Robert Harper (actor)|Robert Harper]] as Harry's doctor
* [[Shifra Lerer]] as Dolly Pincus, Harry's character
* [[Shifra Lerer]] as Dolly Pincus, Harry's character
* [[Gene Saks]] as Harry's father
⚫
* [[Victoria Hale (actress)|Victoria Hale]] as woman in shoe store
* [[Jennifer Garner]] as woman in elevator, Harry's character
⚫
* [[Viola Harris]] as Elsie
⚫
* [[Paul Giamatti]] as Professor Abbott
* [[Peter McRobbie]] as Damned Man
* [[Arden Myrin]] as Mary, a student
}}
}}


===Casting===
===Casting===
Allen offered the role of Harry Block to [[Elliott Gould]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Dennis Hopper]], and [[Albert Brooks]], all of whom turned it down. Allen took the role himself.<ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Bradford|url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-albert-brooks.html|title=The Lost Roles of Albert Brooks|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|date=30 June 2011|access-date=8 September 2021|url-access=limited|archive-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704080548/https://www.vulture.com/amp/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-albert-brooks.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Woody Allen offered the role of Harry Block to [[Elliott Gould]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Dennis Hopper]] and [[Albert Brooks]], all of whom turned it down. Allen took the role himself.<ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Bradford|url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-albert-brooks.html|title=The Lost Roles of Albert Brooks|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|date=30 June 2011|access-date=8 September 2021|url-access=limited|archive-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704080548/https://www.vulture.com/amp/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-albert-brooks.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Influences==
==Influences==
The film is a general reworking of Allen's 1980 film ''[[Stardust Memories]]'', which also had an artist go to a ceremony in his honor, while reminiscing over past relationships and trying to fix and stabilize current ones.<ref name="desser">{{cite book|title=American Jewish Filmmakers|page=105|last1=Desser|first1=David|last2=Friedman|first2=Lester D.|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|date=2003|edition=2nd|isbn=978-0-2520-7153-9}}</ref>
The film is a general reworking of Allen's 1980 film ''[[Stardust Memories]]'', which also had an artist attend a ceremony in his honor, while reminiscing over past relationships and trying to fix and stabilize current ones.<ref name="desser">{{cite book|title=American Jewish Filmmakers|page=105|last1=Desser|first1=David|last2=Friedman|first2=Lester D.|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|date=2003|edition=2nd|isbn=978-0-2520-7153-9}}</ref>


Allen is an admirer of several renowned European directors, and his films in particular often draw upon the works of [[Ingmar Bergman]] and [[Federico Fellini]]. The rough outline of the plot of ''Deconstructing Harry'', that of an academic on a long drive to receive an honorary award from his old university while reflecting upon his life's experiences, essentially mirrors that of Bergman's ''[[Wild Strawberries (film)|Wild Strawberries]]'' (1957).<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19971224/REVIEWS/712240301/1023 |title=Deconstructing Harry |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=1997-12-24 |access-date=2012-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815161637/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19971224%2FREVIEWS%2F712240301%2F1023 |archive-date=2012-08-15}}</ref> Additionally, the film is similar to Fellini's ''[[8½]]'', in that it is about an artist struggling with his current relationships and remembering his old ones, interspersed with dream sequences, as well as his work being based on events from his life.
Allen is an admirer of several renowned European directors, and his films in particular often draw on the works of [[Ingmar Bergman]] and [[Federico Fellini]]. The rough outline of the plot of ''Deconstructing Harry'', that of an academic on a long drive to receive an honorary award from his old university while reflecting on his life's experiences, essentially mirrors that of Bergman's ''[[Wild Strawberries (film)|Wild Strawberries]]''.<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deconstructing-harry-1997|title=Deconstructing Harry |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=1997-12-24 |access-date=2012-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815161637/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19971224%2FREVIEWS%2F712240301%2F1023 |archive-date=2012-08-15 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the film is similar to Fellini's ''[[8½]]'', in being about an artist struggling with his current relationships and remembering his old ones, interspersed with dream sequences, as well as works based on events from his life.


It is acknowledged by some critics that Allen based the name of Harry Block on Antonius Block ([[Max von Sydow]]), the protagonist from Bergman's ''[[The Seventh Seal]]'' (1957).<ref name="desser"/> Some critics, including [[Roger Ebert]], have suggested that the character of Harry Block is based on real-life author [[Philip Roth]] and not on Allen himself.<ref name="ebert"/>
It is acknowledged by some critics that Allen based the name of Harry Block on Antonius Block ([[Max von Sydow]]), the protagonist from Bergman's ''[[The Seventh Seal]]''.<ref name="desser"/> Some critics, including [[Roger Ebert]], have suggested that the character of Harry Block is based on real-life author [[Philip Roth]], and not on Allen.<ref name="ebert"/>


==Soundtrack==
==Soundtrack==
Line 101: Line 106:
* "Twisted" (1952) – Music by [[Wardell Gray]] – Performed by [[Annie Ross]]
* "Twisted" (1952) – Music by [[Wardell Gray]] – Performed by [[Annie Ross]]
* "Out of Nowhere" (1931) – Music by [[Johnny Green]] – Lyrics by [[Edward Heyman]] – Performed by [[Django Reinhardt]]
* "Out of Nowhere" (1931) – Music by [[Johnny Green]] – Lyrics by [[Edward Heyman]] – Performed by [[Django Reinhardt]]
* "The Girl from Ipanema" (1962) – Music by [[Antonio Carlos Jobim]] – Lyrics by [[Vinicius de Moraes]] – Performed by [[Stan Getz]]
* "[[The Girl from Ipanema]]" (1962) – Music by [[Antonio Carlos Jobim]] – Lyrics by [[Vinicius de Moraes]] – Performed by [[Stan Getz]]
* "She's Funny That Way" (1928) – Music by [[Neil Moret]] – Lyrics by [[Richard A. Whiting]] – Performed by [[Erroll Garner]]
* "She's Funny That Way" (1928) – Music by [[Neil Moret]] – Lyrics by [[Richard A. Whiting]] – Performed by [[Erroll Garner]]
* "Waiting" (1993) – Written by Glenn Dickson – Performed by the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra
* "Waiting" (1993) – Written by Glenn Dickson – Performed by the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra
* "All the Things You Are" (1939) – Music by [[Jerome Kern]] – Lyrics by [[Oscar Hammerstein II]]
* "All the Things You Are" (1939) – Music by [[Jerome Kern]] – Lyrics by [[Oscar Hammerstein II]]
* "Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain" (1867) – Written by [[Modest Mussorgsky]] – Performed by [[Orchestre de la Suisse Romande]]
* "Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain" (1867) – Written by [[Modest Mussorgsky]] – Performed by [[Orchestre de la Suisse Romande]]
* "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936) – Music by [[Jerome Kern]] – Lyrics by [[Dorothy Fields]] – Performed by Erroll Garner
* "[[The Way You Look Tonight]]" (1936) – Music by [[Jerome Kern]] – Lyrics by [[Dorothy Fields]] – Performed by Erroll Garner
* "Rosalie" (1937) – Written by [[Cole Porter]] – Performed by The Savoy Hotel Orpheans
* "Rosalie" (1937) – Written by [[Cole Porter]] – Performed by The Savoy Hotel Orpheans
* "Miami Beach Rumba" (1946) – Written by John A. Camacho, Irving Fields and Albert Gamse
* "Miami Beach Rumba" (1946) – Written by John A. Camacho, Irving Fields and Albert Gamse
Line 116: Line 121:
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


==Reception==
==Critical reception==
===Critical reaction===
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deconstructing_harry|title=Deconstructing Harry (1997)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], which uses a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]], assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deconstructing-harry|title=Deconstructing Harry Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 74%, based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deconstructing_harry|title=Deconstructing Harry (1997)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref> [[Metacritic]], which uses a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]], assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/deconstructing-harry|title=Deconstructing Harry Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=CinemaScore |language=en-US}}</ref>

Writing for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', [[David Stratton]] stated: "''Deconstructing Harry'' is abrasive, complex, lacerating and self-revelatory. It's also very funny, most of the time. Woody Allen's latest is one of his most provocative and challenging films."<ref>{{cite news |last=Stratton |first=David |author-link=David Stratton |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/deconstructing-harry-2-1117329532/ |title=Deconstructing Harry |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=1997-09-07 |access-date=2024-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013034109/https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/deconstructing-harry-2-1117329532/ |archive-date=2023-10-13 |url-status=live}}</ref>


==Accolades==
===Accolades===
Allen was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen]]. The film was nominated for the [[Satellite Award for Best Film#Musical or Comedy (1996–2010, 2018–present)|Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical]].
Allen was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen]].<ref>{{cite web |title=70th Academy Awards |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1998 |website=oscars.org |date=October 5, 2014 |access-date=July 9, 2023}}</ref> The film was nominated for the [[Satellite Award for Best Film#Comedy or Musical (1996–2010, 2018–present)|Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1998 2nd Annual SATELLITE™ Awards |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards1998.shtml |website=[[International Press Academy]] |access-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201175654/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards1998.shtml |archive-date=February 1, 2008}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 137: Line 145:


[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 comedy films]]
[[Category:1997 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
⚫
[[Category:1990s black comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s comedy road movies]]
[[Category:1990s comedy road movies]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
Line 161: Line 168:
[[Category:Films with atheism-related themes]]
[[Category:Films with atheism-related themes]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Woody Allen]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Woody Allen]]
⚫
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language sex comedy films]]

Latest revision as of 08:58, 27 November 2024

Deconstructing Harry
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWoody Allen
Written byWoody Allen
Produced byJean Doumanian
Starring
CinematographyCarlo Di Palma
Edited bySusan E. Morse
Production
company
Sweetland Films
Distributed byFine Line Features
Release dates
  • August 27, 1997 (1997-08-27) (Venice)
  • December 12, 1997 (1997-12-12) (United States; limited)
  • January 2, 1998 (1998-01-02) (United States; wide)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1]
Box office$10.7 million (US)[1]

Deconstructing Harry is a 1997 American black comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, with an ensemble cast, including Caroline Aaron, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Richard Benjamin, Eric Bogosian, Billy Crystal and Judy Davis, as well as Jennifer Garner in her feature film debut. The film tells the story of a successful writer named Harry Block, played by Allen, who draws inspiration from people who he knows in real life, and from events that happen to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.

The central plot features Block driving to a university from which he was once thrown out, to receive an honorary degree. Three passengers accompany him on the trip: a prostitute, a friend, and his son, who he has kidnapped from his ex-wife. There are many flashbacks, segments taken from Block's writing, and interactions with his own fictional characters. Deconstructing Harry received moderately positive reviews from critics.

Plot

[edit]

One night, Lucy takes a taxi to the home of famous Manhattan author Harry Block. She has just read Harry's latest novel, in which the character Leslie is having an affair with her sister's husband Ken. Lucy is angry because the novel is patently based on her and Harry's own affair; as a result, everyone knows about it. Lucy pulls a gun from her purse, threatening to kill herself. She turns the gun on Harry and begins firing. As she chases him onto the roof, he insists that he has already been punished: his latest girlfriend Fay has left him for his best friend Larry. To distract Lucy, Harry tells her a story that he is currently writing: a semi-autobiographical story of a sex-obsessed young man named Harvey who is mistakenly claimed by Death during an encounter with a prostitute.

In therapy, Harry realizes that he has not changed since his sex-obsessed youth. He discusses his honoring ceremony at his old university in upstate New York, taking place the next day; he is particularly unhappy that he has nobody with whom to share the occasion. After the session, Harry asks his ex-wife and former therapist Joan if he can take their son Hilliard to the ceremony. She refuses, stating that Harry is a bad influence on Hilliard. She is also furious at Harry for the novel he wrote. In it, the character Epstein marries his therapist Helen, but the marriage begins to crumble after the birth of their son.

Harry runs into an acquaintance, Richard, who is worried about his health. After accompanying Richard to the hospital, Harry invites him to the university ceremony; Richard claims that he will be busy that day. Harry meets with his ex-girlfriend Fay, who reveals that she is now engaged. Harry begs Fay to get back together with him. He asks Fay to accompany him to his ceremony, but it clashes with her wedding, scheduled the following day.

That night, Harry sleeps with a prostitute, Cookie, who agrees to accompany him to his ceremony. In the morning, Richard unexpectedly arrives to join Harry and Cookie on the trip. On a whim, Harry decides to "kidnap" his son Hilliard. Along the way, they stop at a carnival, then at Harry's half-sister Doris's. Doris, a devoted Jew, is upset by Harry's portrayals of Judaism in his stories, as is her husband. During the trip, Harry encounters his fictional creations Ken and Helen, who force him to confront some painful truths about his life. Before arriving at the university, Richard dies peacefully in the car.

While filming, Harry's fictional alter ego Mel literally slides out of focus, becoming blurred. The university's staffers gush over Harry, asking what he plans to write next. He describes a story about a man (based on himself) who journeys to Hell to reclaim his true love (based on Fay) from the Devil (based on Larry). Harry and the Devil engage in a verbal duel regarding who is truly the more evil of the two. Harry argues that he is a kidnapper, but the story is interrupted by the arrival of the police. Harry is arrested for kidnapping Hilliard, for possessing a gun (it was Lucy's), and for having drugs in the car (belonging to Cookie).

Larry and Fay come from their wedding to bail out Harry from jail. Harry reluctantly gives them his blessings. At his apartment, a miserable Harry fantasizes that the university's ceremony is taking place. He eventually overcomes his writer's block by starting to write a book about a man who, like him, can function only in art, not in life.

Cast

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Casting

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Woody Allen offered the role of Harry Block to Elliott Gould, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper and Albert Brooks, all of whom turned it down. Allen took the role himself.[2]

Influences

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The film is a general reworking of Allen's 1980 film Stardust Memories, which also had an artist attend a ceremony in his honor, while reminiscing over past relationships and trying to fix and stabilize current ones.[3]

Allen is an admirer of several renowned European directors, and his films in particular often draw on the works of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. The rough outline of the plot of Deconstructing Harry, that of an academic on a long drive to receive an honorary award from his old university while reflecting on his life's experiences, essentially mirrors that of Bergman's Wild Strawberries.[4] Additionally, the film is similar to Fellini's 8½, in being about an artist struggling with his current relationships and remembering his old ones, interspersed with dream sequences, as well as works based on events from his life.

It is acknowledged by some critics that Allen based the name of Harry Block on Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), the protagonist from Bergman's The Seventh Seal.[3] Some critics, including Roger Ebert, have suggested that the character of Harry Block is based on real-life author Philip Roth, and not on Allen.[4]

Soundtrack

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Reception

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Critical reaction

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 74%, based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.[8]

Writing for Variety, David Stratton stated: "Deconstructing Harry is abrasive, complex, lacerating and self-revelatory. It's also very funny, most of the time. Woody Allen's latest is one of his most provocative and challenging films."[9]

Accolades

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Allen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.[10] The film was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Deconstructing Harry (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Evans, Bradford (June 30, 2011). "The Lost Roles of Albert Brooks". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Desser, David; Friedman, Lester D. (2003). American Jewish Filmmakers (2nd ed.). University of Illinois Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-2520-7153-9.
  4. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (December 24, 1997). "Deconstructing Harry". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  5. ^ Harvey, Adam (2007). The Soundtracks of Woody Allen: A Complete Guide to the Songs and Music in Every Film, 1969–2005. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-7864-2968-4.
  6. ^ "Deconstructing Harry (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "Deconstructing Harry Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Stratton, David (September 7, 1997). "Deconstructing Harry". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "70th Academy Awards". oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "1998 2nd Annual SATELLITE™ Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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