Ciaran Carty Sunday Independent (Ireland) Feb 4, 2026

Manhattan is a latter-day Modern Times with Allen as a Chaplin of the psyche. But in putting down cultural chic, it comes near to being what it satirises.

Go to Full Review

Terry Grimley Birmingham Mail Sep 22, 2024

Its basic weakness is that... it limits itself to ground already familiar from Annie Hall and Interiors. It is witty, of course, but by the end I found I was tiring of the characters.

Go to Full Review

Photoplay Staff Photoplay Nov 16, 2023

Except for its striking black-and-white photography, Manhattan would seem a sequel to Annie Hall. Cast and content rate superlatives. A landmark film, destined to become a classic.

Go to Full Review

Dilys Powell Punch Oct 2, 2023

The film, shot in deeply satisfying black and white, has the nervous tension and the romantic excitement of a beloved city.

Go to Full Review

Brandon Judell HuffPost Jun 15, 2021

By the way, Isaac's wife, played by Meryl Streep, has left him to become a lesbian. This wasn't that popular a move back in 1979. In fact, Meryl did it before New York magazine even had a "Lesbian Chic" cover.

Go to Full Review

Sarah Brinks Battleship Pretension Apr 1, 2021

Fortunately, this film has a quick run time of 96 minutes so you only have to be around these obnoxious people and their trite problems for a short time.

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Aug 30, 2020 10/10

One of Woody Allen's very best works, with a screenplay that stands out amongst his numerous projects as original and satisfying.

Go to Full Review

Allen Almachar The MacGuffin Aug 14, 2020

Woody Allen establishes all the life, beauty, and romance that come with living in New York City.

Go to Full Review

Tim Dirks Filmsite Sep 29, 2019 A+

Manhattan (1979) was an acclaimed, mature, B/W masterpiece enhanced by a George Gershwin score (performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta), telling about infidelity, entangling romances and situations...

Go to Full Review

Ellie Lucas From the Front Row Aug 6, 2019 4/4

The gorgeous black and white photography recalls the smoky images of a New York that existed perhaps only in portraits on a wall, but it also evokes the way its lead character, and by proxy Allen himself.

Go to Full Review

Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net Mar 9, 2019 A-

I don't know if I can think of a Woody Allen film that looks as good.

Go to Full Review

John Pym Sight & Sound Jul 31, 2018

Allen has always had difficulty harmonising his comic talents and the skittering form of his films: Manhattan is a temporary resolution gratefully received.

Go to Full Review

Fernando Trueba El Pais (Spain) Feb 8, 2018

More classic than ever, Allen has finished a work of rare perfection... [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Robert Hatch The Nation Feb 6, 2018

There is a good deal of honest concern in Allen's wrestling with the Angel, not to mention that he is a man of uncommon charm and wit. But the theme is beginning to wear thin ...

Go to Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic Jan 9, 2018

What George M. Cohan did with the Stars and Stripes in 1919, Allen is doing with neurosis in 1979: waving it, telling us that as long as we're proud of it, we're all pretty damned OK. That's the real romance of Manhattan.

Go to Full Review

Phil Hall Cinema Crazed Dec 14, 2017 1.5/5

It feels like a mean-spirited parody of Annie Hall.

Go to Full Review

Tara Brady Irish Times Jun 14, 2017 3/5

A pretty and problematic picture that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Go to Full Review

Gary Arnold Washington Post Dec 18, 2015

With Manhattan, a sparkling romance about the overspecialized anxieties of overintellectualized New Yorkers, Woody Allen has bounced back from the sobriety of "Interiors" to an exhilarating new comic high.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jun 27, 2015 2.5/4

...a film that one admires more than anything else.

Go to Full Review

Renee Schonfeld Common Sense Media Mar 4, 2015 4/5

Bittersweet romance with mature themes, sex, profanity.

Go to Full Review