Deconstructing Harry (1997)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

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:

Writer's Block | Writing | Marriage | Psychiatrist | 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]
As Faces de Harry (Portugal) [pt]
Desconstruindo Harry (Brazil) [pt]
Desmontando a Harry (Spain) [es]
Desmuntant Harry (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Dialyontas ton Harry (Greece) [el]
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]
Los enredos de Harry (Mexico) [es]
Los secretos de Harry (Argentina) [es]
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:

The film opened the 1997 Venice Film Festival.

Quotes:

Cookie: How come you got all this money?
Harry Block: I always keep hooker money around, you know, 'cause I once paid by check years ago and the I.R.S. killed me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The King of Queens: Deconstructing Carrie (#7.15)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Twisted

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!