Deconstructing Harry (1997)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Harry Block wrote a bestseller about his best friends. Now, his best friends are about to become his worst enemies.

Plot:

Suffering from writer's block and eagerly awaiting his writing award, Harry Block remembers events from his past and scenes from his best-selling books as characters, real and fictional, come back to haunt him.

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | Enema | Surreal | Writer's Block | Jealousy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Harry Block
Richard Benjamin	...	Ken / Harry's Character
Kirstie Alley	...	Joan
Billy Crystal	...	Larry / The Devil (Harry's Character)
Judy Davis	...	Lucy
Bob Balaban	...	Richard
Elisabeth Shue	...	Fay
Demi Moore	...	Helen / Harry's Character
Robin Williams	...	Mel / Harry's Character
Caroline Aaron	...	Doris
Eric Bogosian	...	Burt
Mariel Hemingway	...	Beth Kramer
Amy Irving	...	Jane
Julie Kavner	...	Grace / Harry's Character
Eric Lloyd	...	Hilly

Also Known As:

The Meanest Man in the World (USA) (working title)
Woody Allen Fall Project 1996 (USA) (working title)
Harry außer sich (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Harry dans tous ses états (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Agyament Harry (Hungary) [hu]
Desconstruindo Harry (Brazil) [pt]
Desmontando a Harry (Spain) [es]
Desmuntant Harry (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Dialyontas ton Harry (Greece) [el]
Enredos de Harry, Los (Mexico) [es]
Faces de Harry, As (Portugal) [pt]
Harry - stykke for stykke (Denmark) [da]
Harry a pezzi (Italy) [it]
Harry bit för bit (Sweden) [sv]
Harry pala palalta (Finland) [fi]
Harry: Bit for Bit (Norway) [no]
Przejrzec Harry'ego (Poland) [pl]
Yaramaz Harry (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jean Doumanian Productions

Trivia:

Albert Brooks was the last actor to be offered the role of Harry. In an interview with Playboy magazine, he stated that he received a nice letter from Woody Allen offering him the role. Brooks responded, "It was insane that [Allen] didn't do it himself." Apparently, Woody took his advice.

Quotes:

Harry: The ironic thing is that the school that kicked me out is honoring me soon.
Shrink: Why did they kick you out?
Harry: Because I wasn't interested in college. I wanted to be a writer and that's all I cared about. Also, I tried to give the Dean's wife an enema. They didn't take kindly to that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Academy of Robots' Choice Awards Special (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)

Deconstructing Woody Allen

Very funny, very coarse, very Woody Allen. This movie not only has autobiographical elements, Harry Block to a large extent is Woody Allen himself. I think never a director exposed the weaknesses of his own "ego" as mercilessly as Woody did in this film, descending into the deepest layers of the "id", into the very depths of hell (literally, with all the molten lava and sulfur smoke that go with it)! But Woody Allen covers this merciless exercise of psychoanalysis with a thick cover of humor. It is also a very funny movie!