Sidewalks of New York (2001)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written and Directed by Edward Burns
Starring Edward Burns, Rosario Dawson, Kathleen Doyle, Heather Graham, Stanley Tucci, Dennis Farina, and David Krumholtz

Features:

• Anatomy of a Scene
  
• Running audio commentary with Burns
  

All of the principle characters in this movie are either in relationships that aren't really working that well, or are not in relationships at all. This documentary-style film follows them through their lives and through their ins and outs of relationships and various sexual encounters. You have Tommy (Burns) finding his way out of one relationship with Maria (Dawson), who has problems with commitment, then into another with Annie (Graham)--who has an altogether different problem. She's married--and her husband, Griffin (Tucci), is cheating on her with a nineteen-year-old, Ashley (Brittany Murphy). Ashley is in turn being sought after by Ben (Krumholtz), who got divorced from Maria (yes, the same one). Got all that?

The movie could be better. It's a shame that none of the characters are really likable. They are so incredibly flawed that it's not that fun to watch them interact. The only exception to this rule are the characters played by Burns and Graham. They seem to be the only characters that are truly human. All of the others are flawed to the point of going beyond reality. Taking a look at the cast list, you really get the idea that it's a problem with the writing and not the acting (or even directing). The actors are all outstanding in their roles and they seem to work well together (even if their characters are not). The style of the movie works and it works well. It starts out feeling a lot like a Woody Allen movie, but it quickly moves on to feeling like a Rob Reiner mockumentary. And, to his credit, Burns makes it all work together.

The DVD is fairly good for what you get. The commentary with Burns is outstanding. It comes very close to being a Handbook for Independent Filmmakers. It really is great. He talks about how to make a decent film for less than a million dollars. Ironically enough, most of the info is the type of thing that would work just fine on so-called Big Budget films as well. It is this commentary track that puts this DVD on the purchase list, as a matter of fact. It's very refreshing.

I've seen the Anatomy of a Scene segment on another DVD and I must say that I love it. It's put together for the Sundance Channel, and focuses on the kind of page-to-screen work that has to be done to make an independent film. So, it begins with a series of interviews with the filmmakers and then goes into detail on one of the scenes in the movie. The only bad thing about this DVD is that there isn't more bonus material presented.

I'm hoping that Paramount is getting a clue as to how to put a DVD together because this one is not be missed especially if you are involved in the film industry in any capacity.