{ "id": "epa1ssd96k", "slug": "manhattan-murder-mystery", "title": "Manhattan Murder Mystery", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994", "label": "Comedies of 1990 to 1994", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w", "label": "Titles K to W", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Titles K to W", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994", "label": "Comedies of 1990 to 1994", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w", "label": "Titles K to W", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Manhattan Murder Mystery is Woody Allen's 1993 TriStar comedy-mystery, also written by Marshall Brickman, starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Manhattan couple sleuths after a neighbor's suspicious death, with Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston; born from an early Annie Hall draft, made after the Mia Farrow split.", "snippet": "Manhattan Murder Mystery is Woody Allen's 1993 TriStar comedy-mystery, also written by Marshall Brickman, starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Manhattan couple sleuths after a neighbor's suspicious death, with Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston; born from an early Annie Hall draft, made after the Mia Farrow split.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1990-to-1994.slapstick-black-and-family-comedies.alpha-k-to-w", "markdown": "# Manhattan Murder Mystery\n\n**Manhattan Murder Mystery** is a 1993 American comedy-mystery film directed by [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen), in which a middle-aged Manhattan couple, Larry and Carol Lipton, become amateur sleuths after the sudden death of the wife living in the apartment next door. Allen wrote the screenplay with Marshall Brickman, his co-writer on *Annie Hall* (1977) and *Manhattan* (1979), and stars opposite [Diane Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-keaton), with [Alan Alda](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-alda) and Anjelica Huston in supporting roles. TriStar Pictures released the film in the United States on 18 August 1993.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Manhattan-Murder-Mystery)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | 18 August 1993, New York and Los Angeles openings, distributed by TriStar Pictures[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) |\n| Runtime and rating | 108 minutes; MPAA rating PG[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) |\n| Writers | Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) |\n| Principal cast | Woody Allen (Larry Lipton), Diane Keaton (Carol Lipton), Alan Alda (Ted), Anjelica Huston (Marcia Fox), Jerry Adler (Paul House), Lynn Cohen (Lillian House)[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Manhattan-Murder-Mystery) |\n| Origin | The murder-mystery premise came from an early draft of *Annie Hall*; the script was later written as a vehicle for Mia Farrow, who was replaced by Diane Keaton[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie) |\n| Box office | $11,330,911 domestic gross; opening weekend $2,015,360 in 268 theaters[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Manhattan-Murder-Mystery) |\n| Reception | 94% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (31 reviews); Metascore 71 from 29 critic reviews[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manhattan_murder_mystery) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/manhattan-murder-mystery/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nLarry Lipton (Woody Allen), a book publisher, and his wife Carol (Diane Keaton) live in a Manhattan apartment building. After attending a Rangers game at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden), they meet their elderly neighbors, Paul and Lillian House ([Jerry Adler](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-adler) and [Lynn Cohen](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-cohen)), who invite them in for coffee and conversation.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) The next day Lillian dies of an apparent heart attack. Carol grows suspicious because Paul seems surprisingly cheerful afterward and because of an inconsistency over the whereabouts of his wife's remains, and she comes to believe Paul may have killed her.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manhattan_murder_mystery)\n\nLarry dismisses the theory, protesting that it was a coronary, but Carol finds a willing ally in their newly divorced friend Ted (Alan Alda), who encourages her sleuthing and harbors feelings for her. Larry, spurred by jealousy of Ted and by the interest of his attractive author Marcia Fox ([Anjelica Huston](https://www.edgepedia.org/anjelica-huston)) in the case, eventually joins the investigation.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie) • [6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/manhattanmurdermystery) The couple's son Nick, away at college, is played by [Zach Braff](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-braff) in his film debut.[7](https://www.tcm.com/articles/686903/manhattan-murder-mystery)\n\n## Origin and casting\n\nThe premise dates to the early 1970s. Allen's first attempt at a murder mystery stalled and became the Russian farce *Love and Death* (1975); an early draft of *Annie Hall* was also conceived as a murder mystery, with Alvy Singer and [Annie Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/annie-hall) as amateur detectives investigating an apparent suicide that was really a homicide. Allen and Brickman abandoned that angle, and the concept was later developed into *Manhattan Murder Mystery*.[7](https://www.tcm.com/articles/686903/manhattan-murder-mystery) • [8](https://www.tcm.com/articles/71588/the-big-idea-annie-hall-1977)\n\nThe script was written years later as a vehicle for [Mia Farrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/mia-farrow), Allen's partner on screen and off. Their split during the shooting of his previous film, *Husbands and Wives* (1992), ended that plan, and Allen turned to Diane Keaton, his leading lady in *Annie Hall* and *Manhattan* (1979), for their first collaboration since *Radio Days* (1987).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie) • [9](https://www.woodyallenpages.com/films/manhattan-murder-mystery/) When Keaton replaced Farrow, Allen rewrote the script to give the more comic side of the couple to her character.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107507/trivia/?item=tr0645026) A 31 July 1992 *Screen International* news item had identified Allen and Farrow as the stars and added [Joan Cusack](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-cusack) and [Daryl Hannah](https://www.edgepedia.org/daryl-hannah) to the cast, but only Allen appeared in the final film.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031)\n\nThe title itself was a production artifact. *Manhattan Murder Mystery* was the generic working title during shooting, and since no replacement could be agreed on, Allen kept it. Earlier working titles included *Dancing Shiva* and *The Couple Next Door*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107507/trivia/?item=tr0645026)\n\n## Production and style\n\nProduction began on 14 September 1992 and took place entirely in New York, with reshoots extending into early 1993.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) • [9](https://www.woodyallenpages.com/films/manhattan-murder-mystery/) The film was shot in extended takes with hand-held cameras by cinematographer Carlo Di Palma, who had used the same wobbly approach on *Husbands and Wives*; the reviewer James Berardinelli found the technique less distracting here than in the earlier film.[7](https://www.tcm.com/articles/686903/manhattan-murder-mystery) • [11](https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/manhattan-murder-mystery) Santo Loquasto was production designer, Susan E. Morse the editor, and Robert Greenhut the producer.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031)\n\nThe film returns to Allen's romantic view of New York, with fancy restaurants, tourist sites, and night aerial shots of Madison Square Garden and the [Brooklyn Bridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooklyn-bridge). Under the opening credits Bobby Short performs [Cole Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/cole-porter)'s \"I Happen to Like New York\"; the soundtrack otherwise draws on pre-recorded jazz, including [Benny Goodman](https://www.edgepedia.org/benny-goodman)'s \"Sing, Sing, Sing\".[9](https://www.woodyallenpages.com/films/manhattan-murder-mystery/) The script is filled with film references, among them nods to *The Lady from Shanghai* (1947), *Rear Window* (1954), and *Vertigo* (1958); the climax pays explicit homage to *The Lady from Shanghai*.[7](https://www.tcm.com/articles/686903/manhattan-murder-mystery) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nIn an unusual move for an Allen picture, TriStar held nationwide sneak previews on the weekend before the Wednesday, 18 August 1993 openings in New York and Los Angeles.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) The film also played out of competition at the 50th Venice Film Festival alongside Martin Scorsese's *The Age of Innocence*.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031)\n\nCritical reception was mildly positive and often qualified. Kenneth Turan, reviewing for the *Los Angeles Times*, wrote that \"there is much to enjoy in this light PG-rated film, though giggles will be heard more than outright laughter.\" Janet Maslin of *The New York Times* saw \"glimmers of its stars' charming, quarrelsome old teamwork\" but found the genre-bound crime plot empty. Todd McCarthy in *Variety* called the film light and \"utterly devoid of the heavier themes Allen has grappled with in most of his recent outings.\"[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) Roger Ebert, the longtime film critic of the *Chicago Sun-Times*, compared the plotting to a 1930s amateur-detective novel and the tone to the *Thin Man* comedies.[12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/manhattan-murder-mystery-1993) Aggregated scores were favorable: 94% on the Tomatometer and a Metascore of 71.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manhattan_murder_mystery) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/manhattan-murder-mystery/)\n\nThe film earned about $11.3 million domestically, with an opening weekend of $2,015,360 in 268 theaters; an 18 October 1993 *Los Angeles Daily News* item reported $11 million since the August debut despite what it called excellent reviews.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Manhattan-Murder-Mystery) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031) Diane Keaton received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical, Anjelica Huston a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and the film a César nomination in France for Best Foreign Film.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031)\n\n## Legacy\n\nThe film has endured as one of Allen's most rewatched comedies and a frequently cited portrait of early 1990s Manhattan. The director Paul King had Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins watch it repeatedly while preparing the first *Paddington* film, to study the bickering chemistry between the leads, and borrowed a plot device from it for *Paddington 2*.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie) Its premise of apartment-building neighbors playing detective has been compared to the later television comedy *Only Murders in the Building*, which reviewers have described as a cozy mystery in the tradition of 1990s Woody Allen crime capers.[13](https://time.com/6093369/only-murders-in-building-review-hulu/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/67410-MANHATTAN-MURDERMYSTERY?cp=1&cxt=Filmography3&pos=0&sid=ee686492-d3c7-4abb-8048-0da762c86169&sr=3.0871031)\n2. [Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Manhattan-Murder-Mystery)\n3. [Catherine Shoard, \"'A loose-limbed trifle': why Manhattan Murder Mystery is my feelgood movie,\" The Guardian, 24 March 2025](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/24/manhattan-murder-mystery-feelgood-movie)\n4. [Manhattan Murder Mystery, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manhattan_murder_mystery)\n5. [Manhattan Murder Mystery Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/manhattan-murder-mystery/)\n6. [Manhattan Murder Mystery, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/manhattanmurdermystery)\n7. [Richard Harland Smith, \"Manhattan Murder Mystery,\" Turner Classic Movies, 16 September 2013](https://www.tcm.com/articles/686903/manhattan-murder-mystery)\n8. [Scott McGee, \"The Big Idea: Annie Hall (1977),\" Turner Classic Movies, 30 March 2004](https://www.tcm.com/articles/71588/the-big-idea-annie-hall-1977)\n9. [Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Woody Allen Pages](https://www.woodyallenpages.com/films/manhattan-murder-mystery/)\n10. [Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) Trivia, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107507/trivia/?item=tr0645026)\n11. [James Berardinelli, \"Manhattan Murder Mystery,\" Reelviews](https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/manhattan-murder-mystery)\n12. [Roger Ebert, \"Manhattan Murder Mystery,\" 20 August 1993, rogerebert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/manhattan-murder-mystery-1993)\n13. [\"Steve Martin's Only Murders in the Building Is a Droll, Cozy Mystery for Modern Manhattan,\" Time](https://time.com/6093369/only-murders-in-building-review-hulu/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1990 to 1994 › Titles K to W*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Manhattan Murder Mystery\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Manhattan Murder Mystery](https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery](https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Manhattan Murder Mystery\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-murder-mystery. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Manhattan Murder Mystery is Woody Allen's 1993 TriStar comedy-mystery, also written by Marshall Brickman, starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Manhattan couple sleuths after a neighbor's suspicious death, with Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston; born from an early Annie Hall draft, made after the Mia Farrow split." }