What do you get from 3 great directors?
You get Scorcese, Allen, and Copolla making short vignettes about lifestyles in New York City. Copolla co-wrote his Life Without Zoe with his daughter Sophia. This is a Copola family venture with many of the cast being Copolla ancestors. The story is about a rich girl living in the Sherry Netherlands Hotel sipping margueritas and hanging out with other fortunate kids. Yes, they are kids-a mere 12 years old. The closest they get to commoner life is by being ''grabbed'' by some homeless (and faceless as the film points out)man who is trying to get food. This is self indulgence at it's most obvious. Woody is very funny with this tale about a domineering Jewish mother. It turns out she was right all along and everyone lives happily ever after. Ok, its more complex than that since it is Woody. The best of the 3 vignettes would have to Martin Scorcese's one about the time honored painter who lives with his assistant. He, played by Nick Nolte is still in love with her, played by Rosanna Arquette. She is basically fed up with his control and lack of honesty when it comes to her own artistic endeavors. Look for Peter Gabriel (who was dating Rosanna at the time) in a few cameo spots. He later went on to work with Marty on the sountrack to the film The Last Temptation Of Christ. 4/5 for Woody, 4.5/5 for Marty, 3/5 for Francis. Averages out to be quite good and worth owning or renting. Keep in mind this is Full Screen only which is crazy considering that this title was released on dvd in 2003.
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Overview
The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can't bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe Heather McComb running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen's