| Mighty Aphrodite | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Woody Allen |
| Written by | Woody Allen |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
| Edited by | Susan E. Morse |
| Music by | Dick Hyman |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[2] |
| Box office | $26 million[3] |
Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 Americancomedy film written, directed by, and co-starringWoody Allen, alongsideMira Sorvino,Helena Bonham Carter,Michael Rapaport, andF. Murray Abraham. The screenplay was vaguely inspired by the story ofPygmalion[citation needed] and revolves around a sportswriter named Lenny Weinrib (Allen) and his search for his genius adopted son's biological mother, ultimately finding that she is a dim-witted prostitute named Linda Ash (Sorvino).
Critical reception of the film was generally positive, with Sorvino earning high praise for her performance. She won several accolades, including theAcademy Award andGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and was nominated for theBAFTA Award andSAG Award in the same category. Allen's screenplay earned him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
At the ruins of anancient Greek theatre inTaormina, Sicily, aGreek chorus introduces and narrates the story of Lenny Weinrib. Lenny is a sportswriter inManhattan, married to the ambitious art curator Amanda. The couple adopts a baby boy and names him Max. As Lenny spends more time with Max it becomes evident that the child is remarkably gifted. Intrigued, Lenny becomes obsessed with uncovering the identity of Max's biological mother.
After an extensive search Lenny discovers that Max's biological mother is a prostitute and part-time porn star who goes by various names. She reveals her birth name as Leslie Ash and expresses her preference for being called Linda because it means ‘pretty’ in Spanish. Lenny arranges to meet Linda at her apartment but doesn't engage in any intimate activities. Instead he encourages her to leave her current lifestyle behind and pursue a more wholesome life. Linda reacts angrily, returning Lenny's money and demanding that he leave.
Undeterred, Lenny remains determined to befriend Linda and improve her circumstances. He successfully helps Linda escape her abusive pimp and then tries to match her up with a boxer named Kevin. Initially they seem like a well-matched couple but their relationship sours when Kevin discovers Linda's background.
Meanwhile Lenny and Amanda's marriage begins to falter owing to Lenny's preoccupation with Linda, Amanda's career ambitions, and her affair with her colleague Jerry. Amanda eventually confesses to Lenny that she wants to explore her relationship with Jerry. However Lenny and Linda find solace in each other following their respective breakups and end up consummating their relationship. The next day, though, Lenny reconciles with Amanda, realizing that they are still deeply in love.
Linda unsuccessfully tries to win back Kevin. While driving back to Manhattan she witnesses a helicopter landing and offers a lift to the pilot, Don. The Greek chorus reveals that Linda and Don will eventually marry, although Linda is now pregnant with Lenny's child. About a year later Linda (with her infant daughter) and Lenny (with Max) meet by chance in a toy store. Unaware of the connection, Linda expresses her gratitude to Lenny for his help and leaves him stunned. In conclusion, the Greek chorus performs a lively song and dance routine.
Dick Hyman served as the film's music coordinator,arranger, andconductor. The soundtrack includes "Neo Minore" performed byVassilis Tsitsanis, "Horos Tou Sakena" byStavros Xarchakos, "I've Found a New Baby" byWilbur de Paris, "Whispering" byBenny Goodman & His Orchestra, "Manhattan" byCarmen Cavallaro, "When Your Lover Has Gone" byAmbrose & His Orchestra, "L'il Darlin" byCount Basie & His Orchestra, "Take Five" by theDave Brubeck Quartet, "Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)" and "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" byErroll Garner, "The 'In' Crowd" byRamsey Lewis, and "You Do Something to Me" and "When You're Smiling" by the Dick Hyman Chorus & Orchestra.Graciela Danielechoreographed the dance routines.
The Greek chorus includesGeorge de la Peña andPamela Blair.Tony Sirico andPaul Giamatti make brief appearances in minor roles.
Manhattan locations includeBowling Green,Central Park, andFAO Schwarz. Additional exteriors were filmed inNorth Tarrytown andQuogue. The Greek chorus scenes were filmed in theTeatro antico inTaormina on the island ofSicily.
Mira Sorvino mentioned in a 2011 interview that she chose Linda's voice to be high and gravelly since "high voice kind of makes you sound less intellectually gifted, and the gravelly part just added this kind of rough-and-tumble, been-to-the-school-of-hard-knocks element to it." Four weeks into the production, Allen spoke with Sorvino asking if she had ever wondered about using a different voice. Sorvino stated that the voice affected how she approached the character, and that if she changed the voice the character changed. When she pointed out that they were four weeks into the movie Allen said, "Oh, that doesn't matter. I have it written into my budget that I can reshoot the entire movie if I want."[5]
In real lifeLeonard "Lenny" Weinrib was the name of an American actor, voice actor and writer known for playing the title role in the children's television showH.R. Pufnstuf. He died in 2006.
Mighty Aphrodite debuted at theToronto International Film Festival before going intolimited release in the United States. It opened on 19 screens and earned $326,494 its opening weekend. It eventually grossed $6,401,297 in the US and $19,598,703 in international markets for a total worldwide box office of $26 million.[3]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78% based on reviews from 37 critics, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus states: "Mighty Aphrodite may not stand with Woody Allen's finest work, but it's brought to vivid life by a thoroughly winsome performance from Mira Sorvino."[6] OnMetacritic it has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 16 reviews from critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A+ to F.[8]
In her review inThe New York Times,Janet Maslin said, "Even when it becomes unmistakably lightweight,Mighty Aphrodite remains witty, agile and handsomely made."[9]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times called the film "a sunny comedy" and added, "The movie's closing scene is quietly, sweetlyironic, and the whole movie skirts the pitfalls ofcynicism and becomes something the Greeks could never quite manage, a potentialtragedy with a happy ending."[10]
In theSan Francisco Chronicle, Leah Garchik said the film was "an inventive movie, imaginative and rich in detail" and added, "Woody Allen's incredible wit is at the heart of all that's wonderful inMighty Aphrodite, and Woody Allen's incredible ego is at the core of its major flaw . . . He fails when he attempts . . . to get the audience to suspend its disbelief and accept Allen, a witheredRomeo, as a sweet-natured naif. The crotchety charm of the shy and awkward characters he played as a young man has worn off; nowadays, he comes across as just plain crotchety."[11]
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone said, "The film is a showcase for Sorvino, actorPaul'sHarvard-grad daughter, who gives a sensational performance. She shows startling humor and heart without trading on sentiment."[12]
InVariety, Todd McCarthy described the film as "a zippy, frothy confection that emerges as agreeable middle-range Woody . . . There is perhaps a bit too much of the chorus galavanting about delivering their increasingly colloquial admonitions and too few convulsive laughs, but the writer-director has generally pitched the humor at a pleasing and relatively consistent level . . . The film's biggest surprise, and attraction, is Sorvino . . . [who] goes way beyond thewhore-with-a-heart-of-gold externals of the part in developing a deeply sympathetic and appealing character. None of the diverse roles she has done to date would have suggested her for this part, but this gutsy performance will put her much more prominently on the map."[13]
| Characters |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Films |
| |
| Musical |
| |
| Television |
| |
| See also | ||
]
