Sidewalks Of New York review

When Edward Burns' homemade The Brothers McMullen won acclaim for its writer, director and star, the film's rough and ready approach was novel and appealing. It remained to be seen whether it heralded the arrival of a major talent or was merely the lightning-in-a-bottle fortune of a one hit wonder. His subsequent films, of which Sidewalks Of New York is the latest example, provide greater evidence to support the latter. It's not that it's bad, indeed it has its quota of amusing moments, it's just it shows no marked progression for Burns, recapping as it does the snippy thrusts of feuding couples that have become his trademark.

Like Woody Allen, Burns likes to share top billing in his films with his beloved New York. Sadly for Burns he doesn't share Allen's genius for doleful humour. The other unfortunate comparison is that while effectively playing themselves is amusing in the case of the bumbling, neurotic Allen, with the conceited flippancy of Burns, the result is less endearing.

Sidewalks Of New York is set loosely within the framework of a documentary on love. As people are interviewed on the streets, so we begin to delve into their lives to determine how they arrived at their answers. It's a contrived device that is never fully explained and becomes all but abandoned throughout. It's how we first encounter Tommy Riley (Ed Burns) who is bemoaning the brutality of love having been unceremoniously dumped by his ex. Taking advice from the slimy lady-killer Carpo (Dennis Farina), Tommy gets back in the marketplace (or in this case the local video store) and meets Maria (Rosario Dawson) who is getting her life together following her divorce from Benny (David Krumholtz). Completing the tangled equation is Ashley (Brittany Murphy), who Benny has a crush on, Griffin (Stanley Tucci), who is having an affair with Ashley, and Annie (Heather Graham), who is married to Griffin but becomes involved with Tommy.

Out of this imbroglio the love that eludes three couples is found by simply switching partners. Although the premise is intriguing enough, its characters, alas, are not. All are self-serving, shallow and ultimately annoying. Only the ever-wonderful Tucci is able to infuse enough vitality to stir your interest. The others struggle with varying degrees of success to overcome the writing that is too lightweight to allow them anything other than the occasional moment of whimsy.

While Burns seems content to rely on his looks and nonchalant manner to sustain his acting, these attributes serve his directing and writing less well with the result that Sidewalks Of New York is more intent on making a good impression than a lasting one.