When you get Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen in the same room—or at least the same production office—you expect a masterpiece. That was the pitch in 1989. Three titans of cinema, three love letters to the city that never sleeps, all packed into one two-hour anthology. But honestly, the New York Stories movie is kind of a mess. A beautiful, frustrating, lopsided mess.
It’s the ultimate "mixed bag" film. Most people remember it for one segment and try to block out the others. It’s like buying a three-course meal where the appetizer is world-class, the entree is undercooked, and the dessert is a giant, neon-colored marshmallow. If you haven't seen it in a while, or if you're just discovering it, there’s a lot to dig into here that goes way beyond the basic IMDb summary.
The Masterpiece: Scorsese’s "Life Lessons"
Let’s be real. If you’re watching the New York Stories movie, you’re mostly there for Scorsese. His segment, "Life Lessons," is frequently cited as one of the best things he’s ever directed. It stars Nick Nolte as Lionel Dobie, a massive, shaggy-haired abstract painter who is basically a human hurricane.
Lionel is a guy who needs drama to function. He’s obsessed with his assistant and ex-lover, Paulette (played by Rosanna Arquette). She wants out. He wants her to stay, but not because he loves her in a healthy way. He needs the jealousy. He needs the rejection. It’s the "fuel" for his art.
Why it works
- The soundtrack: Scorsese uses Procol Harum’s "A Whiter Shade of Pale" until it’s practically a character in the room.
- The visuals: The way the camera moves around the loft is dizzying. You can almost smell the turpentine and stale cigarettes.
- The ending: It’s a cynical, perfect cycle. Lionel meets a new girl, starts the same toxic pattern, and you realize he'll never change.
Most critics agree this is the only segment that truly captures the grit and creative desperation of New York in the late 80s. It’s based loosely on Dostoevsky’s White Nights, but it feels purely Manhattan.
The Big Miss: Coppola’s "Life Without Zoe"
Then there’s the middle child. Francis Ford Coppola’s "Life Without Zoe" is... well, it’s a choice. Co-written with his daughter Sofia (who was only a teenager at the time), it’s a whimsical, almost fairy-tale story about a rich girl living at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel.
Zoe is a 12-year-old who wears Chanel, hangs out with world leaders, and tries to fix her parents' marriage. It’s basically Eloise but with more flute solos. Honestly, coming right after the raw, sexual tension of the Scorsese piece, this feels like crashing into a pile of pillows.
It’s often called the "weak link." People at the time were pretty harsh about it. They thought it was too precious, too detached from the real New York. But if you look at it now, you can see the early seeds of Sofia Coppola’s later work—that fascination with lonely girls in luxury hotels (Lost in Translation, anyone?). Plus, keep your eyes peeled for a very young, uncredited Adrien Brody in the background.
The Comedy: Woody Allen’s "Oedipus Wrecks"
To close out the New York Stories movie, we get Woody Allen doing exactly what people wanted from him in 1989. It’s a light, surreal comedy about a guy named Sheldon whose overbearing mother literally becomes a giant ghost in the sky over Manhattan.
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She sits up there in the clouds, talking to the whole city about his baby pictures and his love life. It’s a literal manifestation of the "Jewish Mother" trope taken to its absolute extreme.
The Weirdness Factor
- Julie Kavner: Before she was Marge Simpson, she was a psychic in this movie. She’s arguably the best part of the segment.
- The "Big Idea": It feels like a sketch that got out of hand, but in a fun way.
- Larry David: Look for him in a small role as a theater manager.
It’s not as "deep" as Scorsese’s part, but it’s a crowd-pleaser. It balanced out the heavy art-world angst and the weird hotel-kid whimsy.
The One Guy Who Is in Every Story
Here’s a piece of trivia most people miss: there is only one actor who appears in all three segments. His name is Paul Herman.
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He plays a cop in the first story, a doorman in the second, and a detective in the third. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s the only literal thread holding these three wildly different movies together. It’s like a "Where’s Waldo" for character actors.
Why This Movie Still Matters Today
Anthology films are notoriously hard to pull off. They usually feel disjointed. But the New York Stories movie is a fascinating time capsule. It captures three distinct "versions" of the city: the gritty, artist-filled lofts; the high-society hotels; and the neurotic, middle-class Upper West Side.
If you’re a film student or just a casual fan of these directors, it’s essential viewing because it shows them working with shorter runtimes. Scorsese proves he can tell a complete, devastating character study in 40 minutes. Coppola proves he can be experimental (even if it doesn't land for everyone). Allen proves he still had his "early, funny" chops.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Watch
If you're going to dive into the New York Stories movie this weekend, here’s how to do it right:
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- Watch "Life Lessons" as a standalone. If you’re short on time, this is the one. It holds up better than many full-length features from the same era.
- Look for the cameos. Beyond Adrien Brody and Larry David, you’ve got Steve Buscemi playing a performance artist and Kirsten Dunst in her very first film role.
- Pay attention to the cinematography. You’ve got three of the greatest cinematographers ever—Néstor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro, and Sven Nykvist—working on this. Even when the story is weak, the movie looks incredible.
- Don't expect a cohesive narrative. Treat it like a gallery opening where each room is by a different artist. You don't have to like everything to appreciate the exhibit.
Check your local streaming services or pick up the Blu-ray. It’s a piece of 80s film history that isn't talked about enough, despite the massive names attached to it.