Robert De Niro's character is creepy, aggressive and irritating from the very first scene, and he never lets up. Liza Minnelli's character seems like a saint just for putting up with him. Liza and De Niro have zero chemistry. The movie gives you no reason as to why these two people would be in love or even want to spend time with each other. Every scene goes on too long and falls flat, as if in every shot Scorsese keeps the camera running because he's waiting for something to happen. Both De Niro and Minnelli feel like they are in the wrong movie, and the backlot on which the entire movie was filmed gives it a lifeless, artificial aura. It is a seedy, mean spirited film that is trying to be upbeat and cheerful, like an angry and unstable ex-con that is trying to put on a good face for a social gathering. The entire movie feels muted, drab and dull. It rambles from one scene to another with no point or purpose. It is an enormous misfire on every level, and to top it all off it is almost THREE HOURS long. It is almost inconceivable how Scorsese, arguably the greatest American filmmaker, and at the height of his creative powers, could produce such a disaster.
Review of New York, New York
