Sidewalks of New York

A whole plot kept intact through just dialogue; that is difficult to achieve, even if Sidewalks of New York doesn’t necessarily excel to the point of climax. Speaking of climax, there definitely is some humor in delivering the bawdiness. Guilty pleasures are coined by movies like this one.

In New York there´s eight cycles in the lives of six Manhattan residents whose inter-connections form a circle that places each of them less than the proverbial six degrees of separation from the others. Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads: "Though well-acted, Sidewalks of New York generally comes off as a second-rate Woody Allen film. The characters seem self-absorbed, the problems trite." In his review in The New York Times, A.O. Scott said, "Though it fails to be very interesting, Sidewalks of New York, like the people who populate Mr. Burns's New York, is impossible to dislike. If it's not especially funny, it is appealingly good-humored, and the actors perform well within the limitations of the script ... [Burns] deserves credit for avoiding the sudsy happily-ever-after clichés that deform so many contemporary romantic comedies. The view of love that emerges from Sidewalks, while it is not particularly deep or insightful, is refreshingly hard-headed without being altogether cynical." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times observed, "The movie lives at the intersection between Woody Allen and Sex and the City...[It] is funny without being hilarious, touching but not tearful, and articulate in the way that Burns is articulate, by nibbling earnestly around an idea as if afraid that the core has seeds." In Variety, Scott Foundas called the film "not just instantly forgettable, but beginning to fade from memory even as its images still play across the screen" and one "seized by fitful bouts of hilarity and charm," a picture whose "overall impression is one of overindulgence and underimagination - a sponge cake without the yeast." (via Wikipedia) With "Sidewalks of New York" we get a solid ensemble cast containing Edward Burns, Rosario Dawson, David Krumholtz, Brittany Murphy (RIP), Stanley Tucci, Heather Graham and Dennis Farina. We also get solid acting in a documentary style that works and which I do like, however there´s no real highs and no real lows in this film. "Sidewalks of New York" doesn´t really go that deep or have that many insights as Roger Ebert pointed out, but there´s still an entertainment value to my mind. However, I think it´s a bit too talky for my taste.

Emotionally hollow, and with obnoxious characters.

This movie absolutely turned out to be a great movie. My family and I loved it very much. The cast was absolutely phenomenal. The acting performances of Edward Burns, Brittany Murphy, Heather Graham, Stanley Tucci and Rosario Dawson were absolutely incredible. The storyline was awesome and the whole entire film was absolutely perfect. If you’re looking for a great art house/indie film, then this 2001 classic is a great gem for you guys to enjoy!

Love edward burns as a actor but the movie was childishly whiny and annoying. Too many games played by actors and alot of whiny teenage behavior and contradictions. Edward burns character was The only good thing about the movie.

Terrible movie. The couples are so unrealistic and have no chemistry (Stanley Tucci and Heather Graham? didn't work. Rosario Dawson and David Krumholtz? not believable they were ever together, and they were both 22 or 23 at the time in real life, not believable they were a divorced couple). The dialogue is vapid and contrived. Also completely unrealistic is the real estate - they all have oversized, sprawling apartments in prime locations, even the diner waitress (Brittany Murphy). As a long time New Yorker, I recognized nothing of my city or its people in this movie. Sorry Ed Burns, better luck next time.

"It's bad karma kid..." I saw this movie back in 2002, and immediately made itself a favorite. I rented it many times over the years after that. I can't count how many times I have seen it, but it's not because it's a love fairy tale, although there's a somewhat bittersweet ending, but because Ed Burns captured something authentic. It is a super low budget, independent film; written, directed and acted by Burns himself, and shot in 17 days. It came out 2 months after 9/11 and Burns decided to leave the Twin Towers untouched, even as other movies where inexplicably removing them, I guess in order to not bring bad memories to some people.

Tedious and predictable, with a few good performances sprinkled in.

I enjoyed the various characters and their different views on relationships. I could almost swear that the character of Griffin is based on someone I know.

The film follows the marital and dating lives of three men and three women who unknowingly form a tangled web of relationships and weaves a humorous and biting commentary on the game of love- easy to start, hard to finish. stars Edward Burns, Rosario Dawson, Dennis Farina, Heather Graham, David Krumholtz, Brittany Murphy, Stanley Tucci, Nadia Dajani and Callie Thorne. directed by Edward Burns.