Amazon.com Essentials:
Three views of life in the city of all cities comprise this film, with
segments directed by Woody Allen, Francis Coppola, and Martin Scorsese.
The best of the three is "Life Lessons," directed by Scorsese, about an
artist (played by Nick Nolte) who uses his hypersuccess to lure
beautiful young aspiring artists to serve as his assistant/lovers. The
segment is an astute portrait of the nature of the New York art world. In
"Life Without Zoe," Coppola portrays the life of the privileged Zoe, the
daughter of a world-renowned flutist, whose adventures on the Upper East
Side (in the upper echelons of society) play like something approaching a
cartoon. Woody Allen finishes up the film with his "Oedipus Wrecks," a
typical Allen number about a successful New York lawyer who's still hounded
by his mother--the title tells you all you need to know. Though stronger
segments to complement Scorsese's would have made this film much more
interesting and enjoyable, it does provide an accurate glimpse into this
wondrous city and is a must-see for anyone fascinated by New York.
--James McGrath
