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Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

1997
Comedy, Drama
1h 36m
Harry Block is a well-regarded novelist whose tendency to thinly-veil his own experiences in his work, as well as his un-apologetic attitude and his proclivity for pills and whores, has left him with three ex-wives that hate him. As he is about to be honored for his writing by the college that expelled him, he faces writer's block and the impending marriage of his latest flame to a writer friend. As scenes from his stories and novels pass and interact with him, Harry faces the people whose lives he has affected - wives, lovers, his son, his sister. (imdb)
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Deconstructing Harry

1997
Comedy, Drama
1h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.53% from 1701 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1701)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
88
97th
In a genealogy of the characters played by Woody Allen, starting with ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN, passing through STARDUST MEMORIES, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS and HUSBANDS AND WIVES, this would be the terminus: the bleakest, most critical if not indeed despairing portrait (though perhaps of Philip Roth). Kind of Woody's WILD STRAWBERRIES, but he wanted to call it THE MEANEST MAN IN THE WORLD: "All people know the same truth. Our lives consist of how we choose to distort it."
Rated 22 Nov 2008
55
44th
By 1997, I think Allen had exhausted his inspiration by, and his films had made enough references and tributes to, Fellini and Bergman. If Deconstructing Harry is supposed to be Allen's merger of 8½ and Wild Strawberries, that's just too much. He brings no genuinely new ideas, insights or jokes to this movie.
Rated 12 Dec 2008
9
93rd
Another great Woody movie. I love him playing such a drunk, foul mouthed womanizer. I guess people are just lying when they say Woody didn't make any great films in the 90's. This is the 3rd great one that I've seen from this period.
Rated 28 Jan 2017
55
39th
Experimental and unpleasant. And, as such, odd one out in Allen's filmography. A few trademark Woody zingers and some fun bits here and there, but overall, this wasn't a keeper for me.
Rated 16 Nov 2007
85
66th
Hilarious, fast paced, well written. In short, everything I adore about Woody Allen films.
Rated 25 Mar 2010
90
83rd
For once, Woody shows us his disagreeable side, and I admire him for it. There are some really funny bits in here. And a good deal of cussing. I like the theme a lot too: art redeems life, and that is a good thing, since often the artist may be a complete failure of a human being desperately in need of the redemption art affords.
Rated 11 Jul 2010
74
59th
I thought for a while as I watched this that it would be the rare Woody Allen movie that I just wasn't wild about, but by the end I stood corrected. The film is highly egotistical and repetitive. So are some of his best works, but this one a little too much so. The thing I love about it is that Allen goes full-blown with my favorite of his best topics: the fear of death. I feel like he's been saving up on that death scene, and it pays off.
Rated 25 Aug 2010
97
96th
Woody's sharpest, meanest film. It also feels at times like his short stories, as we are treated to some of his character's hilarious writing. Scenes like the out of focus man are hysterical! I also love the cast - so many great people in there. Woody's direction is crazy, with quick cuts that give the movie an almost documentary feel. It truly shouldn't be missed if you are a fan. "I think you're the opposite of a paranoid. I think you go around with the insane delusion that people like you."
Rated 25 Feb 2007
85
78th
Descontruindo Harry estreava há 25 anos nos EUA e em honra de Kirstie Alley (1951 - 2022). Por muito tempo considerei na minha memória que este tinha sido a última grande obra-prima do Woody Allen, revendo agora ele não me parece tão grande assim, é divertido, especialmente pelo narcisismo do Allen, mas nada muito além disso. Plus: A personagem da Kirstie Alley é o motivo do porquê analistas precisam de análise e ter consultório longe de casa. Rá! Mesmo assim ela é uma personagem que serve bem a
Rated 25 Mar 2007
100
95th
Beautiful, compelling, hilarious fantasy/comedy from Woody Allen. This guy seems to have an unlimited number of fine films in him
Rated 10 Apr 2007
70
56th
While it is sloppier and choppier than your typical Allen-directed film, from an ideas standpoint, it is one of his freshest. It is a sharp, funny film about how one man's reality has effected his fiction, and conversely, how his fiction's popularity has affected his reality.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
55
48th
One of the many pedestrian Woody Allen films, but the only one to feature my Alma Mater.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
90th
Mean, dark Woody Allen, yet some of his most hilarious, subversive stuff.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
54th
Allen's send-up of Wild Strawberries, bitter but generally quite funny.
Rated 12 Sep 2007
65
38th
A bit crude, but nothing fantastic. I've seen better and worse Woody Allen movies. Really funny scene about 10 minutes into the movie though.
Rated 17 Sep 2007
70
63rd
funny
Rated 17 Oct 2007
65
12th
Mean-spirited and not all-together funny. Woody at his worst.
Rated 31 Mar 2008
60
58th
Some of the screaming woman scenes go on way too long, but some of the jump cuts are poetry. Amusing, & occasionally brilliant, but at the core i feel it's uninspired like the main character. A bit like reading a diary that is so well written you keep reading even if you don't really care about the people.
Rated 03 Jun 2008
85
89th
a great resurgence to everything that made "annie hall" great, it's just that in 97 he was sixtysomething, a bit past his prime, had this been made twenty years earlier, it may have even surpassed his best.
Rated 14 Jun 2008
80
48th
This film is Woody Allen standing in a funhouse full of mirrors and navel-gazing: it's a lot of Woody Allen, and if you don't usually like him, it's unlikely that you'll enjoy this. The movie has been criticized for having a misogynistic tone, but I don't think it's worse than any of Allen's other films. He's nearly always at the mercy of women. Big cast and worth seeing for the Woody Allen and Billy Crystal in Hell section.
Rated 27 Jul 2008
4
87th
A very good script (even if the ending is a bit obvious), a typically hilarious performance by Allen & a lot of good quotes.
Rated 10 Aug 2008
77
74th
Allens most sleazy film and therefore his most believable. A crude and often hilarious take on "Smulltronstället".
Rated 15 Oct 2008
75
41st
its very woody allen. Fast, depressive, stressful. Wether love it or hate it
Rated 03 Feb 2009
98
98th
awesome movie, it grows on you
Rated 15 Feb 2009
3
4th
His self-flagellation for Mia Farrow.
Rated 14 Mar 2009
90
79th
The best 90's "Allen" Movie.Back in old tradition of Manhattan or Annie Hall. Eloquent Jokes met cynical side blows on todays Media.Woody entertains at the highest stage and doesn't mince matters. Awesome !
Rated 10 Apr 2009
50
67th
Witty, discursive comedy, shuttling between the realities of a novelist's life and the fictions he makes from them; it has some excellent jokes and moments of hilarious farce, but there is no centre to hold it all together.
Rated 04 Sep 2009
95
63rd
funniest woody allen movie
Rated 01 Oct 2009
78
73rd
Confusing, but very funny.
Rated 11 Jan 2010
90
94th
One more film for lovers of the work of Allen. Deconstructing Woody Allen. We have here the usual neuroses of the main character, references to Judaism and Psychoanalysis. A typical, funny and inspired comedy of the director.
Rated 18 Feb 2010
26
2nd
I was just going to say, "This Woody Allen comedy about blowjobs leaves a bad taste in the mouth," but that would be sinking to his level. Deconstructing Harry combines all the worst elements of Allen's films: it's self-serving, disingenuous and pretentious. I'm tired of the game Allen plays where he puts on a charade of self-loathing only to congratulate himself for his wit and intelligence.
Rated 18 Apr 2010
76
60th
This is one of best Allen's films, amazingly stuck in the not-so-great mid-90s era.
Rated 15 May 2010
4
51st
Woody Allen seemed, by this point, to be quickly running out of ideas. Match Point, of course, being a very notable exception. It's witty and it passes the time, but everything about it feels tired.
Rated 03 Jul 2010
80
68th
I usually get quite annoyed at deconstructionist movies. Or deconstructionist anything. But this one had a clear motive and purpose, and I liked it quite a bit. It's a little hip or trendy to tear down walls simply because you can, but thankfully Woody Allen isn't interested in that here. Neither am I. This is amongst his better recent movies.
Rated 08 Sep 2010
54
71st
#00s(e)#, story, (dir Allen, casting).
Rated 02 Apr 2011
85
92nd
Great comedy by Woody Allan. Ingenious use of minor video effects. Great dialogues and interseting story. Wildly funny in a very dry way.
Rated 29 Jun 2011
82
79th
Allen at his darkest. A bit too disjointed at times, but it eventually comes together and it's also pretty funny.
Rated 11 Sep 2011
60
37th
This was okayyyyyyyyyyyyyy, maybe I should see it again Darryl?
Rated 03 Nov 2011
70
41st
The idea of the film, mixing characters with reality, is an interesting angle from which to examine the life of the writer. The film's bleak perspective on its lead character's ability to get beyond his own immature desires brings a heavy note of sadness to proceedings that are otherwise often funny. The film therefore carries something of a negative wisdom, a comic "what not to do with your life" for the educated and erudite.
Rated 15 Dec 2011
89
95th
This film is full of dark humor and it is one of my favorite Woody Allen films. This movie has a large well know ensemble cast: everyone from Robin WIlliams to Elizabeth Shue. Most of the ensemble cast seem to be having fun with their roles. I highly recommend this dark but funny film.
Rated 15 Jul 2012
92
88th
Visceral and self-critical to the bone. Maybe not a Woody Allen classic, but certainly a Woody Allen favorite.
Rated 30 Sep 2012
10
2nd
After watching this movie, I am now completely sick of Woody Allen. This movie is a huge neurotic mess, very boring and exceedingly annoying. Many big stars appear, but none of them can pull this inane piece of garbage out of its idiotic tailspin and it crashes and burns anyway. If every scene with Woody Allen were removed, perhaps this would not be such a horrendously lousy and stupid move.
Rated 20 Dec 2012
84
77th
This may sound silly, but the deconstructing part was kind of distracting. It's a creative idea, though, and the film does use to explore interesting existential ideas. Also it's very funny, so there's that too.
Rated 17 Mar 2013
75
75th
high class woody allen material. plenty of laughs. doesnt quite reach that level of his legendary movies, but still a very enjoyable ride.
Rated 12 May 2013
86
94th
Last of the "great" Woody Allen films imo. Hilarious seeing Tony Sirico as a cop in a bit part.
Rated 14 Jun 2013
91
94th
Hits a perfect blend of comedy, introspection, fantasy, and catharsis. There are some hilarious moments (man with severe chest pains stops to chat) and lines ("I may hate myself but it's not because I'm Jewish"). And I love the fiction/reality dynamic. It also has a fantastic cast and some seriously elaborate set design - the hell set was the most extravagantly awesome set I've seen in an Allen film. This movie is a joy to watch, and I rank it near the top of Allen's work.
Rated 22 Oct 2013
76
53rd
75.500
Rated 06 Mar 2014
80
78th
One of Woody Allen's more underrated pictures.
Rated 14 Dec 2014
44
14th
I tried another Woody Allen but I didn't like it. I guess there were some funny bits but it's hard to separate fiction from autobiography in this and it makes Allen a pretty nasty person. Which he actually is. The focus thing was a good joke.
Rated 25 Apr 2016
80
70th
Enjoyed the experimental choppy editing & the Williams 'soft' scene too. Equally as experimental is breaking down the character into thinly veiled short stories by the same character about himself. This paints an intertwined, squirming, whirling holistic picture of the man, who is Allen himself, a seemingly neurotic, enraged, pill popping sex addict. Speaking of, Cookie was an inspired addition to the cast of characters & Alley gave us a great Honey Boney impersonation in the practice to boot.
Rated 08 Aug 2016
60
44th
"Deconstructing Harry" has a very interesting meta premise and remains interesting throughout, yet the intentionally chaotic and self-indulgent writing kind of dampens the overall emotional impact. It's far from laugh-out-loud funny but has some very witty moments. Striking but problematic.
Rated 10 Feb 2017
70
77th
Edited beautifully. A nice take from Allen where his protagonist is the object of derision, not because he is weak, but because he is an ass. Harder on himself than most of his work.
Rated 08 Jul 2018
75
86th
deconstructing harry is a tour de force from allen, both as a writer and a director, where he manages to make vignettes of funny tidbits come together as a pretty great movie. the transitions are very well done, the overall plot is quite good too. it's probably the best one of the last "classic" style woody movies. and also, always take air conditioning over the pope. always.
Rated 16 Apr 2019
78
59th
''Sen karadelik nedir, bilir misin? Evet, geçimimi ondan sağlıyorum.'' Woody Allen ağzını çok iyi özetledim değil mi? Daha küçükken izlediğim bu filmin, bu repliği izlediğimden beri aklımdan çıkmıyor. Rezalet mi desem, ne desem bilemedim. Nefret ediyorum bu adamdan.
Rated 08 Jun 2019
95
56th
Under appreciated Woody Allen. Too dark, I guess.
Rated 01 May 2020
80
73rd
Confusing tale about the life of a neurotic writer whose character(s) revolve around the typical scope of farcical relationship drama that Allen exhausts in many of his films.
Rated 05 Aug 2021
60
26th
Banginfrontofblindgmalol+shetrynakillcuzbook+robinwilliamsandmargeithinklol-outoffocus+thinkoppositeparanoiddelusionpeoplelikeyoulool+youputyourartintoyourworkiputitintomylife+allcharactersindream
Rated 06 Aug 2021
55
8th
7???????
Rated 19 Jul 2022
8
87th
Might be one of his best. Awful vibes, extremely profane humor, fast-paced with great fantasy sequences, and a crammed cast of actors to recognize every other scene (Tony Sirico as the cop at the end might be my favorite). The maliciousness gives this one a pep in its step that isn't present in the warmer 90s Woody Allen offerings. Definitely not one for the skeptics, although they may appreciate that only a POS could make a movie this abrasive
Rated 11 Nov 2022
5
57th
About 95% character study and 5% story, it has its amusing moments (many a blowjob joke) and Woody Allen insights. The erratic editing can be a bit much though and it all feels rather masturbatory even by Allen standards. Probably would've been helped if Allen's original pick Albert Brooks had played the lead instead of Allen himself. User "yilb" is not inaccurate when he says "some of the screaming woman scenes go on way too long." I'd forgotten a very young Tobey Maguire was in an Allen movie.
Rated 16 Dec 2022
70
42nd
Allen is a very self-consciously cerebral actor, and whenever he tries playing anything earthy, I completely reject him. I just do ... so very little of this film works for me. It's not a bad film ... in fact it's probably one of his better films of the 90's (which is not a very strong decade for him). The weird staccato editing trick is a complete failure. Every time it happened I wanted to shout "STOP!" at the screen.
Rated 09 Jul 2023
96
99th
Very Relatable movie that's all i gotta say about it
Rated 27 Jan 2024
61
57th
Did my ex-favorite director become smaller, or did I grow bigger?

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