Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Bullets Over Broadway

Play trailer Poster for Bullets Over Broadway R 1994 1h 39m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Struggling 1920s playwright David Shayne (John Cusack), having failed to secure financing for his latest work, reluctantly makes a deal with mob boss Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli) : a Broadway debut with the chance to direct, as long as Nick's flibbertigibbet girlfriend, Olive (Jennifer Tilly), plays one of the lead roles. As Olive and star Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest) attempt to upstage each other, Olive's gangland bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) starts suggesting changes to David's script.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Bullets Over Broadway

Bullets Over Broadway

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A gleefully entertaining backstage comedy, Bullets Over Broadway features some of Woody Allen's sharpest, most inspired late-period writing and direction.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
David Ansen Newsweek 02/21/2018
The joy of this bouncy, brainy Allen outing is how effortlessly he meshes his serious, clearly personal conundrums with the giddy formulas of backstage farce. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 08/12/2008
The performances, however, are very enjoyable, with first honors going to Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest. Go to Full Review
Todd McCarthy Variety 07/31/2008
A backstage comedy bolstered by healthy shots of prohibition gangster melodrama and romantic entanglements. Go to Full Review
Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 03/01/2022
2.5/4
This, at best, is second-rate, unimportant Woody Allen. It tries much too hard and delivers only the obvious. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 01/15/2022
3.5/4
One of Woody's best. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 09/18/2014
One of Woody Allen's flat-out funniest movies. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Tommy H 2d I couldn’t see the appeal—dull scenes, hollow characters, and only mildly funny, like a smidge of amusement. I quit halfway through. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Jun 27 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more David H @DavidQHarris 09/22/2024 A very entertaining film with a great plot and great actors. Probably WA's best. John Cusack shines in this film. See more Tony M 06/27/2024 It starts off strong, but halfway through the film, a narration inexplicably begins, causing it to fall flat. The old adage "show, don't tell" is blatantly ignored here. The voice-over merely repeats what’s happening on screen. For instance, "And she walked on stage"—yes, we can see that. Why is the narration suddenly necessary? It adds nothing to the plot and just made me think, "Why am I wasting time on this when I could be cleaning my bathroom?" See more Larry R 06/24/2024 "I'm an Artist!" yells playwright David Shayne (John Cusack) at his agent Julian Marx (Jack Warden), to start off the film. Shayne is obsessed with artistic integrity, and nobody is going to tamper with the content of his plays, no matter how badly they may need some tweaking for commercial success. Because while all of his plays are considered literary gems, they have been commercial flops. And nobody wants to back his new play financially. But then, Fate comes a-tempting. His agent bumped into an old acquaintance - a Mob boss. The Mob boss has a girlfriend, Olive, who dances as a chorus girl but dreams of being a Broadway star. And if Shayne will cast this girlfriend in a supporting role, he'll get his financing. But as Shayne finds out in his meeting with the Mob boss and Olive, this girl is very rough around the edges, and this is a very serious play. Her stage experience? As the Boss explains, "She used to wiggle at this joint in Hoboken." Shayne nearly passes out from an anxiety attack, but as Marx explains to him on their way home, he needs to be flexible if he wants his play to go on. And so begins a downward spiral of one moral compromise after another, each of them inescapable and each of them greasing the wheels of the play's success. By the end of the film, Shayne's play is a big success and Shayne himself is thoroughly sick of everything, including himself. This film is a thoroughly engrossing and terrifically entertaining dramatization of the price of success. See more John L @view2views 04/02/2024 This film sparkles with all the flavours and fun and joy that makes it worthwhile going to the movies! See more Read all reviews
Bullets Over Broadway

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Mighty Aphrodite 78% 73% Mighty Aphrodite Watchlist Clerks 90% 89% Clerks Watchlist TRAILER for Clerks In the Soup 83% 76% In the Soup Watchlist Get Shorty 89% 70% Get Shorty Watchlist The Player 97% 84% The Player Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Struggling 1920s playwright David Shayne (John Cusack), having failed to secure financing for his latest work, reluctantly makes a deal with mob boss Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli) : a Broadway debut with the chance to direct, as long as Nick's flibbertigibbet girlfriend, Olive (Jennifer Tilly), plays one of the lead roles. As Olive and star Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest) attempt to upstage each other, Olive's gangland bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) starts suggesting changes to David's script.
Director
Woody Allen
Producer
Robert Greenhut
Screenwriter
Woody Allen, Douglas McGrath
Distributor
Laurenfilm S.A., Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax Films, Magnolia Pictures, Sweetland Films
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 21, 1994, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Jun 5, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$11.4M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Surround, Mono
Most Popular at Home Now