There's a rough-edged elegance in the way six characters pair off in Ed Burns's urban dramedy Sidewalks of New York. The film's release was delayed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but its observant perception of romance remains timelessly unaffected by the tragedy that struck New York after filming completed. As he did with The Brothers McMullen, Burns creates authentic characters who are likable despite their self-centered neediness and tenuous, often ill-fated connections. Even as Burns's focus on sex and fidelity grows redundant, he works wonders with his clutch of amorous New Yorkers, including a philandering husband (Stanley Tucci) whose affair with a young waitress (Brittany Murphy) leads his wife (Heather Graham) to consider romance with a real-estate client (Burns) who's been seeing the ex-wife (Rosario Dawson) of an aspiring musician (David Krumholtz) who in turn loves the waitress. Messy or neat, these liaisons have a charming appeal that lovers and would-be lovers will readily appreciate. --Jeff Shannon
(15 votes)
2.
An intricate web of relationships is examined by Ed Burns (THE BROTHERS McMULLEN, SHE'S THE ONE) in SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK. Burns, who also wrote and produced the film, stars as Tommy Reilly, a boy from Queens turned successful Manhattanite. After being kicked out of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, he is back in the dating scene. When he meets a divorced schoolteacher (Rosario Dawson), the connections between the additional main characters in the ensemble--played by Stanley Tucci, Heather Graham, Brittany Murphy, and David Krumholz--are identified slowly but surely: a divorced couple, an adulterous married man and his mistress, and a doubting wife. Burns' look at relationships leaves no stone unturned as the main characters and their friends discuss their love lives. Filmed throughout New York City, the characters' stories are spliced together by their own personal monologues in documentary-style scenes. Well-delivered, witty, and humorous banter that is reminiscent of the works of Woody Allen keeps the story moving, as does the shooting technique of following behind the characters with the camera. Tucci, in particular, delivers a standout performance as a two-timing, lecherous dentist.
(15 votes)
3.
A movie about how we fall in and out of love in a city where thousands of people pass by each other every day, where strangers meet, where relationships come together and fall apart. The men and women of the story are driven by desire, searching for passion and identity. They love the game, the pursuit, and the surprise of seduction. They tease and flirt and give each other advice, coming up with wry speculations about the opposite sex.
Tommy (Edward Burns) grew up in Queens, a "bridge-and-tunnel" guy, who has made it as a Midtown success. He seems to have it all, but he wants stability, maybe even a family. After a break-up with his longtime girlfriend, Tommy is tentatively venturing back into the dating world. He is shown the ropes by his macho mentor...
Carpo (Dennis Farina), a seasoned seducer who takes great pride in having bedded over five hundred women. ("And that's just this year," he stresses) Always maintaining his tv host persona, slick Carpo sees sex as a contest, a way to prove his virility but it is not Tommy's nature to be so predatory. Sparring over the video store rental of the last remaining copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Tommy meets...
Maria (Rosario Dawson), a spirited Italian Puerto-Rican from Staten Island, now teaching at an upscale grammar school who is forced to laugh about how her students' allowances outstrip her monthly salary. Though intrigued by Tommy's charm, Maria keeps her guard up. She is still recovering from the disastrous end of a teenage marriage to...
Benjamin (David Krumholtz) a uniformed doorman and guitar-toting songwriter. Born in Brooklyn, Ben starts off seeking reunion with Maria, following her around with dogged persistence and infinite idealism. Soon, though, he transfers the full force of his puppy love affection to...
Ashley (Brittany Murphy), a sexy girl from Iowa, now a student and waitress in Greenwich Village. She warms to the way Ben worships her. Yet at nineteen, she has already locked herself up in a frustrating, part-time relationship with an older, married man...
Griffin (Stanley Tucci), an arrogant dentist who has risen from his Bronx roots to a place on Fifth Avenue. Casually manipulative, Griffin prides himself on his "European attitudes" towards love and marriage. He holds onto Ashley with claims that he will eventually leave his wife
Annie (Heather Graham) a beautiful, stylish, born and bred Upper East Sider. She grows increasingly suspicious of her husband's distance and his mid-life crisis insecurity. When real-estate agent Annie meets Tommy, looking to buy a new loft, flirtation soon evolves into real conversation, and Annie starts to wonder — is Tommy worth the risk?
Sidewalks of New York is the fourth feature film on which Burns has combined the roles of writer, director, actor and producer. With an accomplished ensemble cast and a veteran crew shooting at street smart speed, he has returned to the tone and texture of his debut picture, the award-winning The Brothers McMullen.
(15 votes)
4.
This sexy romantic comedy takes a close-up look at the ups and downs of dating and marriage with three men and three women who unknowingly form a tangled web of relationships. Interspersing "man on the street" interviews with scenes from the six characters' lives, Sidewalks Of New York weaves a humorous and biting commentary on the game of love.
(15 votes)
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