Sidewalks of New York

(2001)

Directed by

Edward Burns

Review by Todd Plucknett

Sidewalks in New York is the 2001 feature by writer-director-producer-star Edward Burns. It is a great insight into relationships, connecting the lives of six completely different people in a satisfying and charming little film.

The film has six main characters. Tommy Reilly (Burns) is a television producer. He moves in with colleague Carpo (Dennis Farina), who really does nothing but give Tommy useless advice on his relationships. Tommy meets Maria Tedesko (Rosario Dawson), a recently divorced woman who is afraid to get back into dating. She used to be married to Benjamin Bazler (David Krumholtz), an apartment doorman/songwriter. He tries to get involved with Ashley (Brittany Murphy), an NYU student who meets Benjamin in the coffee shop she works in. Ashley is sleeping with Griffin Ritso (Stanley Tucci), a 39 year-old man married to Annie Matthews (Heather Graham), a real estate broker whose frequent client is Tommy. These people’s lives are linked, even though most of them have not met the others. It is a fairly standard interlocking story, but it has sufficient payoff to make the film worth a look.

Burns plays his normal cool self in this picture, which fits his character nicely. Farina is underused, and thus can’t make the most of his character. Dawson gives a great turn as Maria. Krumholtz was fine in his role. Murphy slides into her character very smoothly and believably. Tucci fit his role well, and Graham shines in her role, adding to her resume of great performances in Drugstore Cowboy and Boogie Nights. Her character was somewhat one-dimensional, but she was able to make it significantly better than it was written.

The story is really like a Woody Allen film. The format and documentary-style interviews make it only bring to mind better pictures like Hannah and Her Sisters and Husbands and Wives. This fails in comparison to those, but that does not mean this is not a good film. It is an adequate addition to that literary style, and it goes some places that Allen has not gone. The conversation is articulate and usually appealing. It will rarely lose your interest. It is a very nice movie, and while it is somewhat forgettable, it is a fine and modest achievement for Burns. It’s inspiration from Allen’s films is obvious, but it is able to go off on its own and create a pleasant atmosphere. The ending is fulfilling, not just resorting to cliché happy endings. It feels like you are watching the lives of these six people. It is a touching and mildly funny film about relationships and marriage.

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