Manhattan Romance

'Manhattan Romance' begins with film-maker Danny embarking on a documentary about relationships, which requires him to interview various acquaintances and strangers about their love lives. One of them is a manipulative neo-hippie tease called Theresa, who encourages him to give her topless massages while she talks about her poly-amorous life-style. Her flirting has Danny anticipating detours into her bedroom, but she keeps putting him off with vague excuses. In between these frustrating encounters, he visits his friend Carla and films her discussing her lesbian romance. When he complains to Carla about his unrequited desires for Theresa, she offers only amused eye-rolls and muted sympathy in response.

The film is Tom O'Brien's second feature as writer/producer/director/actor, and his contributions give the excellent cast plenty of space to create intriguing characters. The story takes some interesting twists and turns as Danny zigzags between his project and real life relationships. The boundary separating these two zones becomes increasingly blurred, leaving Danny unsure about his ability to connect with other people. 'Manhattan Romance' delivers sophisticated accessible entertainment, which is both playful and poignant, before the narrative unfolds to a satisfying conclusion.

Dan is making a film about relationships in new york. Some people are happy to be involved in the project. Many are not. He meets a girl who seems to be up for open relationships, but just not with him. His best friend is a wise lesbian, who has her own relationship issues. One drawback in the film is that people seldom use names, so we never really know who is who. A funny thing... when i saw the title, i thought it sounded like a woody allen movie, and they do talk about woody allen rght at the beginning. Lots of talk about which is better.. .being in a turbulent relationship, or just being single and lonely. It's kind of like we're in dan's head, hearing this whole debate. Written, starring, and directed by Tom Obrien. Not bad. Interesting discussions. I'm surprised at the lower ratings on imdb.

What a thoroughly enjoyable film Mr. O'Brien has created for those of us that love this genre. I have to laugh at the low IMDb score since, as romantic comedic dramas go, this is just about as good as it gets. Mr. O'Brien's talents as a writer/actor/director are off the charts, as was the performance by Ms. Waterston, who crafted a genuine and spellbinding character that pulls you in and holds your attention. I expect huge things in the future from these two talented performers and can't wait to watch their careers develop. My Wife and I have yet to see Fairhaven, but it is now next up in our cue and expectations are high. If you are a hopeless romantic that enjoys witty, heartfelt dialogue delivered by wonderfully crafted characters, you will love this film. I give it 9 out of 10!

I was looking for a date night movie with my boyfriend and I found this one online. I fell in love with this movie because of the way it approached all different kinds of love with complete acceptance and an attempt at understanding. There is a lesbian, a woman who is figuring out her sexuality, a straight male, and a straight female who only involves herself in open relationships. And none of these people are portrayed as anything but individuals, acknowledging the fascinating role sexuality plays in society today. As this movie went on, I found that I loved the dialogue and the interactions between all of the characters.

A romantic movie that shows everyday romances in a more realistic way than the fairy tales we are so used too. Here we have people dealing with the problems that come when you are building a relationship with other. It can be that one prefers to be alone and not many people can challenge it, that one wants to start it with somebody who prefers to have no commitment or that one is in love with a friend.

The movie isn't bad. But it isn't great either. It started too slow for me and took too long before I felt a slight caring for the relationships between the people on the screen. Unfortunately it didn't make me care as much as it should.

The great parts about the movie are the acting. Katherine Waterston is absolutely perfect in her role. I almost fell in love with her myself and I am not a lesbian. And I absolutely loved the scene where Danny talks about the ending of movies. It kind of predicts the ending but also gives us so much more meaning for it.