User reviews

"Miami Rhapsody" is a conversational light-hearted chick flick with Parker at the vortex of a Miami's family's many relationships. The film focuses on the Parker character's musings, contemplations, reflections, and conclusions in an easy going, unpretentious, gentle, and lively way. A must see for Sarah Jessica Parker fans and an enjoyable low cal flick for all others.

Thin, but enjoyable romp involving a young, unmarried Jewish woman and her married family and friends--all of whom seem to be miserable and cheating on each other. Ersatz Woody Allen, as it aspires to be, but not quite on the level of, say, "Hannah and Her Sisters". Odd to see Mia Farrow here (playing Sarah Jessica Parker's mother), as this is basically a retread of the work she was doing with Allen earlier in the decade. Parker is infectious, rattling off the sometimes-precious lines with professional aplomb, supporting cast is quite colorful, yet this tale doesn't have much of a point, and as a film it has no motivation beyond aping Allen. **1/2 from ****

Dull look at several couples who are no longer able to relate to each other so they either break off the relationship or start sleeping around. This was painful to sit through for me but it did point out that the boy/girl stuff is more flash than bang.

As a big fan of Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica in general, I have decided to try and watch as many Sarah Jessica films as I can. This is a fun film but definitely not as funny as LA Story. Sarah looks great, and I noticed in the credits that Patricia Field who dresses the Sex and the City gals is the costumer on this film as well. I liked the Woody Allen-style story. It makes my own life seem more normal as we can really get into to the actors crazy thoughts and worries. My favorite character in the film is Antonio. His interactions with the ladies were hilarious!

I won't even bother with details of movie goods/bads on and on. This is trash. Forget any connections with Woody. I started watching because opening credits show a list of decent actors. I finished watching maybe out of masochism or perhaps because they are pretty people and I was bored anyway. This dreadful thing should be great example in film class of what not to do in just about every movie-making dimension. Not even bad enough to be worth the tape. Has anyone yet perfected the process of transforming celluloid and videotape into toilet paper?

Pssst! Was that line meant to be funny? (Whispering) Can we go?

I always thought Roger Ebert was the smart one. He gave 3/4 for this movie. Was he buddies with the writer/director? Cos make no mistake, David Frankel's movie is like a swimmer caught between two islands called Woody Allen and Nora Ephron, and unable to decide which to swim to...strength failing...going under...(gurgling).

I counted four attempts at humour in the first ninety seconds, none of which actually land and become actual jokes. It's an interesting thought, is a joke a joke if no-one laughs? I'd say a joke is dependent on a comedic talent to activate the humour of the audience, and in Sarah Jessica Parker the director has made a dismal choice. She can't sell the funny lines, or very few of them. She's pretty, tan (it is Miami; Mia Farrow, playing her mother, is wistful and pale, just like in the song), but she's all wrong for the character. Really, her character ought to be played by Woody Allen, or Billy Crystal.

But what's it about? Um, well...It starts off with SJP in a therapy session, then we move back in time, or was it forward? Doesn't seem to matter. The therapist doesn't come back anytime soon, begging the question, what was the therapy bit for? SJP gets engaged to Billy from Ally McBeal. Sorry, that's Gil Bellows, a sort of Matt LeBlanc for projects Matt wouldn't do (he's actually called Matt in this movie). There's a sweet scene where they have a romantic campfire and he slaps her, one of the few times I laughed during Miami Rhapsody. She's very hesitant, hesitant in a way that guy characters usually are. SJP then finds out her mother, Mia Farrow (Boo!) is having an affair (Boo!) with Antonio Banderas (Eww!). Why? Well, for one thing because dad is having an affair with his travel agent (actually he isn't; she just imagines he is). Watching SJP lavish concern and sympathy on cheating mom and then be guarded and distant towards concerned dad is sure to rile-up every guy forced to watch this movie. Blatant double-standard.

So, is the movie about SJP or her parents? Is she going to marry Billy (sorry Gill, no sorry, Matt not-LeBlanc)? I'm not crossing my fingers, and with every punchline telegraphed so carelessly one ends-up ducking (i.e. Not laughing) in order to preserve one's self esteem, I'm not crossing my legs for this movie either. I'm tempted to run to the lobby/kitchen for snacks and never come back.

The Miami setting makes me want to watch something like The Birdcage, and the Louis Armstrong music makes me want to watch a Billy Crystal comedy, Forget Paris, or When Harry Met Sally. And having Rhapsody in the title, well that just makes me want to watch Manhattan.

Oh, by the way, SJP's character is called Gwyn, which is a guy's name. I told you this part should have been played by someone with a winky.

I always have used viewer comments and user ratings as guides to what I want to see with near 100% success, but luckily did not rely on the rating and some of the flame comments that this flick received.

The soundtrack is excellent, the mood is Miami, the Allenesque milieu is perfect for those attracted to it and not limited to urban New York backdrops for its appreciation.

Sarah Jessica Parker is outstanding, Banderas sends himself up perfectly as does Mia Farrow. Other supporting cast is very strong, script is well-written and sparkles in places. I can only attribute the relatively low rating to those that don't like Woody Allen movies; they surely would not like this.

Gwyn and Matt have finally gotten engaged and it looks like she will get what she wanted - a happy marriage just like the rest of her family. However as she looks around with clear eyes she realises that all her family are involved in bad marriages and affairs. As a result she begins to get cold feet, worried the same will happen to her.

From the style and music of the opening credits right through to the to-camera conclusion that mirrors the `need the eggs', this film is like a tropical version of Annie Hall with a female playing the Woody Allen role! Even if it is not a total mirror, it is impossible to watch this film without seeing Allen's influence all over it. So immediately large sections of the audience will want to turn off, however I love Allen so am happy to give this a shot on that basis alone. As a film, it's plot is just a collection of messy relationship through which Carrie, sorry, Gwyn learns lessons. It isn't substance rich but that's the point - instead it is quick and rather witty, never sitting still for very long but being quite fun with it.

The cast also helps as they do some very fun turns despite some weaknesses. Parker is good and her New York personae certainly seems to fit the material. Bellows is rather bland for the role but there are some great little bits from Banderas, Farrow and Mazursky. It's always good to see Pollack and Piven but Campbell demonstrates why she hasn't moved into a successful film career by reading her lines with all the emotion of iron (although she looked great in the beach-shoot scene).

Overall this is a fun little film that is quite slick if you are a fan of Woody Allen's relationship neurosis films. If you're not then you'll probably do well to avoid this film.

I found this movie extremely enjoyable, with a knockout performance by Sarah Jessica Parker and a nice jazzy soundtrack. Parker creates an interesting character, which is difficult in a movie like this because a lot of it is her reactions to everything going on around her. The supporting cast is also first-rate. My only gripe is the title of the movie, which is meaningless.

Sarah Jessica Parker is a young, female version of Woody Allen. That's pretty much what you get with this movie. Everyone was criticizing Kenneth Branagh (and John Cusack, to a lesser degree) when they did their Woody impersonations in Celebrity and Bullets Over Broadway. But no one seemed to mind when Parker did it in this movie, which Woody Allen had no link to even though it feels that way. Add Mia Farrow to the mix, and the clone is perfected (nevermind the fact that Mia and Woody were estranged when this was made). I found a few funny moments and lines (the business with the monkeys and Parker's reaction to them is memorable, but again totally out of the Woody school). But in the end this is a second-rate Woody Allen film, best suited for rainy days when there is nothing else to watch and you stumble upon this on cable TV.

If I had gone by the reviews I've seen of this movie, I never would've watched it, and that would've been my incredible lost. This movie is fun, witty and amusing in a way that kept me entertained the whole way through.

I would disagree with the previous user comment. Miami Rhapsody was both funny and intelligent. Indeed it saunters along with the rhythm of a Woody Allen flick but this is simply because it captures characters in dialouge rarely heard in most Hollywood films. Furthermore...it was truly refreshing to get to see Sarah Jessica Parker in a role (pre-Sex in the City) that really uses her talents as both as comedian and dramatist. It was super refreshing to see a neurotic thinking womens role that toyed with the notion of marriage and commitment. We may think it is overdone now with the re-runs of Sex in the City and all...but put yourself back in 1995. So Yeah...I liked it.

I watched this movie again, probably for the fourth time. I originally saw it in the theatre, and I do recall enjoying it. I have subsequently seen it every once in awhile on television. Upon viewing it again last night, I was struck at how well it has held up over the past eight years or so.

Yes, it does mimic the style usually associated with Woody Allen, but that is not a bad trait. There have been numerous films fashioned to replicate Allen's choices, most recently The Sidewalks of New York, the Ed Burns film from 2001.

And although Miami Rhapsody is not as good as Allen's best works, it is a well- structured and a well-acted piece.

Sarah Jessica Parker is well suited for the movie, and, as always, she plays her part well. Mrs. Parker is not an actress with great range, but when plugged into the right project she shines. Her delivery and timing in comedic roles has always been reliable, even if she has been in some very poor movies (e.g. If Lucy Fell, Hocus Pocus, Striking Distance). She has established herself as a star in the past few years on "Sex and the City," and her character in Miami Rhapsody is very similar, like Carrie's long-lost doppleganger living in Florida.

This film is definitely worth watching if you enjoy "Sex and the City;" and, the sharp writing and likable characters make the viewing of this movie extremely enjoyable, whether it is your first, second, or third time seeing it.

and well-directed. Anyone who has ever lived in or visited South Florida will enjoy this film. Sarah Jessica Parker is very good, and I am not really an ardent fan of "Sex and the City".

Mia Farrow and Paul Mazursky portray an older well-to-do Miami couple: ..."what shall I decorate the den in, sea foam or teal"..., Mia wonders. While lines like that could seem vacuous, they are humorous when presented in an intelligent way.

Infidelity, boredom, job frustration. SJP has some excellent lines, like when she tells her grandmother ..."your generation had something to fight against Nazis...what does my generation have?"... . Also when she is demoted at her job, her boss tells her not to buy into the "glass-ceiling theory"; she says, as a woman I don't have to buy it I get it for free everyday. Anyone who has ever worked in the superficial world of advertising will get a few laughs.

Antonio Banderas is also in a small part, as Farrow's paramour.

This film deserves a watch, especially because there are so few intelligent romantic comedies. Definitely worth it.

Gwen (Sarah Jessica Parker) has a steady boyfriend and a great job at an advertising agency. But, that's not good enough for her parents. At her younger sister's wedding, the duo hound Gwen about setting a date for her own nuptials. To make peace, Gwen and her boyfriend go ahead and mark the calendar. However, in short order, Gwen learns that her own mother is having an affair with a male nurse (Antonio Banderas). And, that's not all. Perhaps there are more family members indulging in extra-marital activities. Does Gwen's potential marriage have a snowball's chance in Miami? This is a terrific film, very funny and very clever. The script is awesome, as, for example, Gwen asks her mother why she is involved with a nurse, "you mean, not even a doctor?". That's just one line but the movie is loaded with them, to the point of infinite joy. Parker has her finest hour, even considering where she has gone since the film was made. Her Gwen is lovely, funny, brilliant and acerbic. The rest of the cast is also quite wonderful, with Mia Farrow, Gil Bellows, Carla Gugino, Kevin Pollack, Jeremy Piven and more. The Miami setting is exotic and beautiful, the costumes are first-rate, and the production values are mighty. If you have somehow let this film pass you by, rectify that mistake. Head to the library or video store at once, even if you are supposed to be working, and sit down to laughs and laughs in abundance.

This comedy follows the relationships of a husband and wife, their 3 adult children, and their romantic partners. The couples' relationships cover a spectrum of durations, from the one couple just beginning to plan a marriage, one married for less than 6 months. one with a young child and another on the way, and the long-time married. Only about half of marriages last, and a good portion of the rest suffer from infidelities, neglect, boredom, etc. These are the issues considered by the unwed daughter, played by Sara Jessica Parker.

After watching the movie I went to IMDB to see if Woody Allen wrote or directed it. It seemed very much like one of his. SJP plays the Woody Allen character, very creditably.

See it from the beginning; this is not one to pick up in the middle!

I really enjoyed this movie. Each relationship peels back layer by layer to reveal to us one of Life's biggest realities - none of us are really in control. Great for a fun evening - especially if you're a Sarah Jessica Parker fan.

What can I say for Miami Rhapsody. First of all it is very Woody Allenesque but the thing that made those movie good is that Allen really hates himself ,and vents his frustrations on camera talking about all the things that happened in childhood and in his family life. Gwyn Marcus(Sarah Jessica Parker) character never gives any reasons for all her scarcasm she just goes on and on at a annoying pace. She has rich parents so here's my "One-Liner". My brother cheating on his wife so here's my "One-liner". Her character doesn't exist before the movie it like she's born yesterday.

She did not come from a broken home and was not abused as a child so why all the cynicism. A line did mention that she never went out much back in high school because she was so skinny "A Hat Rack" (her words not mine) If so she must have been "Invisible" because she still is skinny.

The movie wasn't so bad it had a good pace the scenes without Parker are actually great even though there are few not that's her fault. The flashbacks are well placed it would have been better if the Writer/director had taken five minutes just 5 min to build Gwyn's neurosis right in the being of the movie and then maybe a Flashback or two then I could have felt connected to her but instead the writer just hands them out to her and all the characters in the film like a lottery. Speaking of the lottery the studio must have had a raffle and the director must have won permission to make this movie in that contest. Finally I would however recommend watching this movie Miami Rhapsody" first and then W. Allen's "Husbands and Wives" second or"Manhattan" to Compare and Contrast the two.

Having read the redundant Allen references I must say I didn't have any while watching Miami Rhapsody.

Ruth Gordon's name sprang to mind, though. She wrote many of the exceptional lines for women such as Katherine Hepburn. And spoke them in Harold and Maude (an absolutely brilliant and unique movie.)

The wonderfully witty lines by all participants in this movie are highly clever and extremely well delivered. No particular fan of SJP lately, in this she was excellent! Beautiful, witty, funny and insightful! The epitome of what every woman is (when not pretending otherwise.)

I love this little gem. And regret that others don't see its true worth.

Today's movies are based on such different expectations, never realized and all made for those with lowered realities.

This is Sex and the City set in Miami. Sarah Jessica Parker does exactly the same thing she does when she's Carrie. Sit at a laptop, go on dates (even though she's engaged) and ponder about life whilst comparing it to friends and families.

It's like if Sex and The City and The Royal tenenbaums met each other in a more realistic way.

Antonio Banderas, Mia Farrow and Jordan Marcus are very entertaing also. However Naomi Campbell isn't. So thank god her screen time is just under 5 minutes.

It's a good entertaining movie though and funny in parts. I recommend it.

I have seen this film two times and I like it sooo much!!! Sara Jessica Parker is such a good actress and the other actors do a great job too. It is not a usuall Hollywood-Love-Story and it is more funny too.

I can recommend this film to everybody, who likes S. J. Parker, Woody Allen-Films and sitcoms. If you don 't like any of this, you will also like this film.

I tripped across this on cable one morning when I was home sick. It is a lovely quiet movie done in a Woody Allen style. The dialogue is smart and funny. You can't help but fall in love with these characters. Taking place in the 90s it reminds us of time when we didn't have to worry about much but each other. If you're not a patience listener-observer you'll miss a lot of the subtleties of this film. Some folks may not or appreciate or understand the many cultural and political references from '90s, but they are well placed and hilarious. A nice reminder of how women have managed to take control of their own lives, relationships and careers, finally at the end of a century.

It's a rare thing to make Miami seem appealing, but this film suggests to us, there are perfectly normal people managing the trials of relationships and families at made me laugh and long for the simpler struggles of life.

Hmmm...Sometimes I watch this movie with the mute on. I just enjoy seeing all the scenes from my former hometown. I have to say that Kevin Pollack gives an absolutely fantastic performance as the philandering heartless husband. However, his paring with the mythically-sized Naomi Campbell is about as unlikely as a marriage between Howard Stern and Dr. Laura.

Watch it if there's nothing else on...especially if you live up North and it's winter. Seeing palm trees and sun, even on TV, can greatly reducing the symptons associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Don't forget the mute button!