Deconstructing Harry (1997)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer (WGA):

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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:

Writing | Writer's Block | Novelist | Marriage | Enema

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 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:

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:

Doris: It's tradition.
Harry Block: Tradition is the illusion of permanence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Brian's Got a Brand New Bag (#8.4)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Self-flagellation as art, but it's funny

I read one critic that said in this film, Allen was taking everything bad anyone had ever written about him and put it into this movie, and that's not far off the mark. This is, in essence, STARDUST MEMORIES redux, and since that is by far my least favorite Allen film, I was hesitant towards this film. In addition to the whiny tone of that film (Oh, I'm so successful, I have women throwing themselves at me, my life is so empty!), we get the self-flagellation of this film (not only is my life so empty, I'm such a bastard!). What makes it watchable are three things; firstly, Allen at least seems to recognize the hypocrisy of whining, secondly, the film seamlessly weaves between fantasy and reality, between real life and fiction, and finally, it's often very funny. It also contains the best work either Billy Crystal or Demi Moore have done in a while. Not vintage Allen, but it'll make you laugh. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking it has something "important" to say.