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Woody Allen, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Richard Benjamin, Billy Crystal ... see more see more... , Eric Bogosian , Judy Davis , Hazelle Goodman , Caroline Aaron , Mariel Hemingway , Amy Irving , Julie Kavner , Eric Lloyd , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Tobey Maguire , Demi Moore , Elisabeth Shue , Stanley Tucci , Robin Williams , Annette Arnold , Philip Bosco , Stephanie Roth , Gene Saks , Shifra Lerer , Viola Harris , Jennifer Garner , Robert Harper , Paul Giamatti

Woody Allen wrote, directed, and stars in this very dark comedy about a novelist, Harry Block, who says with admirable honesty, "I'm a guy who can't function well in life, but I can in art." So far, H... read more read more...arry has made his way through six psychiatrists and three marriages (one, conveniently enough, with one of his psychiatrists), and he has precious few friends whom he hasn't alienated or betrayed. Harry uses the chaos of his life as fodder for his writing, angering his friends, lovers, and family, who find thinly veiled (and rarely flattering) portraits of themselves in his work. Drowning his growing misery in pills and sex, Harry finds himself invited to receive an award at a college in upstate New York which he attended, but never graduated from. However, he has a hard time finding anyone who will attend the weekend-long symposium with him: his girlfriend Fay (Elisabeth Shue) has just left him to marry his friend Larry (Billy Crystal); his best friend Richard (Bob Balaban) is afraid he's about to have a heart attack; his former wife/analyst Joan (Kirstie Alley) refuses to let him take their son, and his one-time sister-in-law Lucy (Judy Davis) is literally ready to kill him. Undaunted, Harry hires a hooker, Cookie (Hazelle Goodman), kidnaps his son, forces Richard to come along, and heads upstate, where disaster awaits. A stellar cast appears in small roles and episodes from Harry's stories, including Robin Williams, Demi Moore, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eric Bogosian, Amy Irving, Richard Benjamin, Mariel Hemingway, and Julie Kavner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

79% liked it

20,887 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Woody Allen

Release Date: December 12, 1997

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DVD Release Date: May 26, 1998

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Stats: 770 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (770)

  • fernandorafael
    June 26, 2011
    fernandorafael
    One of the director's darkest, the funny Deconstructing Harry has an incredible script (by Woody Allen, of course) and, as it's customary with his films (and more so with his comedies), an incredible cast. Allen, Hazelle Goodman, Caroline Aaron, Judy Davis and Eric Lloyd stand ou... read moret in an ensemble that also features Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Tobey Maguire, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billy Crystal and Kirstie Alley.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 17, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Harry Block has written a best seller... bout his best friends... he revealed their deepest secrets... and they're not pleased... now Harry Block is going to Hell...
  • pier007
    September 12, 2008
    pier007
    The poorly balanced pedantry and disjointedness of this Woody Allen work can be pretty annoying; but some funny bits can compensate that.
  • aliceinpunderland
    April 12, 2008
    aliceinpunderland
    Woody's blend of nihilist, fatalistic, atheistic philosophies is my life.
  • jennifxu
    January 18, 2008
    jennifxu
    This is an incredibly underrated film by Woody Allen, overlooked for the likes of Annie Hall, which is good but you've gotta admit not spectacular. Allen delves deep into the soul of a messed up, womanizing, pill-popping old writer who steals and colors his own life experiences a... read morend throws them into his own novels. This is the first Allen film where the word f-ck is used gratuitously, and while it did take me aback the first few times, it makes way for an edgier, tougher understanding of an entirely different character from Allen's typical neurotics. Judy Davis's hysterics never fail to impress, even in her limited role. There's the expected hilarious one-liners mixed in with some wise, pithy zingers that truly shed some thought on life. I guess it's not for everybody, but I'm sure everybody can agree on Harry lamentation near the end: I'm ODing on myself!
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    October 4, 2007
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Allen's last good movie, acid and with plenty of dark humour.
  • fb1144932598
    September 14, 2011
    fb1144932598
    I know Woody Allen is supposed to be this wonderful director, and his movies are studied in college film classes all the time, but I just don't get the attraction. I do see where Larry David gets his inspiration for loud-mouthed, annoying characters who can't seem to shut up. I s... read morewear I have tried to like Woody, but he just annoys me far too much. An all-star cast is mostly wasted in this, as the only actor who appears on-screen for more than ten seconds at a time is Woody, a man in love with the sound of his own voice. Please don't ask me to watch any more. I wanted to scream at this guy to just shut up and keep it zipped!
  • fb20312798
    February 12, 2010
    fb20312798
    It might be the darkest and most self hating of Allen's comedies and I mean that as a compliment.
  • anastasia57001
    December 4, 2009
    anastasia57001
    Woody Allen's proof that he is repeating himself can be found in the ironic (and iconic) "Deconstruction" of himself here. At least he's repeating himself by using some philosophical, albeit honest humor.

    What is amazing in this film is how the whole cast tries so much to live ... read moreup to the director's expectations, while he is obviously indifferent on how his on screen persona tears everything up. Woody Allen enjoys deconcstructing himself, when everyone around him doesn't, and this is so obvious that you want to scream to him: "get ouf of the fucking film, already- aren't there actors out there who would be so much better in playing you?".

    I can't really, for the life of me, understand why he hasn't stuck to writing scripts, which is his actual talent.
  • g1pp4l
    November 12, 2009
    g1pp4l
    Allen's best. His characteristical lack of structure and creativity slash madness have more sense here than in any other of his comedies. Also, it's his darkest and funniest.

View All Deconstructing Harry Reviews

Critic Reviews

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

The dialogue lacks snap, and Allen-the-actor's comic timing seems a beat off.

Emanuel Levy
April 6, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

In this nasty, verbose comedy, Woody Allen the director has cast Woody Allen the actor as a foul-mouthed, self-absorbed, sex-obsessed writer. Full Review

Michael Dequina
March 31, 2009
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Too bad it is difficult to really care about what is going on since such a thoroughly unpleasant character is at the center. Full Review

James O'Ehley
January 26, 2004
James O'Ehley, Movie Gurus

Woody Allen's most foul-mouthed effort to date . . . Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
January 17, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

A slightly unpleasant and shocking film. Full Review

James Sanford
June 23, 2002
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

By turns clever, devestating, bitter and delightful, this challenging piece of work is easily one of Allen's most mature efforts to date. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
May 31, 2002
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Woody Allen não é só um cineasta de extrema cultura e de um timing cômico irrepreensível. Ele é, antes de tudo, um dos mais talentosos roteiristas que o Cinema já produziu. Full Review

Alex Ramirez
August 31, 2001
Alex Ramirez, Cinenganos

La historia es maravillosa. Full Review

David Luty
January 1, 2000
David Luty, Film Journal International

Certainly a mark above Allen's most recent works--it's refreshing to see an artist spreading his wings this wide. Full Review

David N. Butterworth
January 1, 2000
David N. Butterworth, rec.arts.movies.reviews

Witnessing Elisabeth Shue kissing Woody Allen full on the mouth in excruciating close-up is about as hard to watch as the wood-chipping scene in Fargo. Full Review

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    • Burt: Do you care even about the holocaust, or do you think it never happened?
    • Harry Block: Not only do I know that we lost 6 million, but the scary thing is that records are made to be broken.
    • Harry Block: Between air conditioning and the Pope, I chose air conditioning.
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