Synopsis
An offbeat, dark comedy about a New York girl in trouble.
Twenty-something Donna is jobless, single and broke. On a fateful day, reality turns itself upside down, and she is suddenly faced with one absurdity after another.
Sudden Manhattan
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Releases by Date
Theatrical
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USA
Releases by Country
USA
11 Oct 1996
- Theatrical
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I’ve never felt more represented in cinema than when donna was walking around fake smiling and waving at people on the street while singing “I’m stuck in a vortex” over and over again in her head. I’m eternally grateful for the pure ray of light and joy that is adrienne shelly.
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really captures the idea that so much interpersonal strife & frustration stems from miscommunication and people being on different wavelengths/sharing different realities to each other - "im stuck in a vortex". also adrienne shelly's outfits in this are great especially the wide leg brown trousers/khaki top/boots combo mwah bellissima ciao bella etc
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When you get stuck in your habits and the existential dread hits you. Why am I doing this? What's the point of any of this? Same old interactions and meet-ups. That shop you go to before your work. Waiting at the bus stop. Noticing the same details and people and how far they have changed since yesterday. Having a job or not having a job is the same mental struggle. You feel bad and tired for having a job at a place you hate. But at the same time, when you are jobless, you also feel bad and guilty about your situation, how people judge you about it and how it defines you at the moment. Neurotic metropolitan city. But…
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Glass of milk. Glass of milk and honey. Sounds good. Bring me some milk- oh, could you put some honey in that? Milk is bitter. That milk is bitter.
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-“problem is, i don’t really want to die. i just wanna suffer.”
-“well good! then everything’s all set up for that.”adrienne shelly <3 she was such a gem and i knew i would love this knowing she wrote and directed it. “i’m stuck in a vortex, i’m stuck in a vortex” 💃
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happy 2023! i hope you all have a great new year! i’m going into this year with adrienne as a huge inspiration <3
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No reason to get out of bed. No reason to brush my teeth. No reason to wash my face.
I have nothing to do. I never have anything to do. There isn't anything to do. Nothing needs to be done.
The truth is, there is no truth. There is no big picture. Only random events, accidents, and delusions. I have no job, and no lover, and no passion for anything. Amen.
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Adrienne Shelly was simply the best. 💔
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That was strange...
Have you ever seen the movie I Love You to Death? I got some serious ILYTD vibes all throughout with the strange vibes, oddball characters, a plot that's light on anything substantial happening but still a very entertaining 90's hidden gem.
I'm not sure which one I like better, they're both pretty good in my opinion and would serve as a quirky double feature.
but enough with comparing other movies let's talk about this one, this movie is strange. And by strange I don't mean inherently bad because it's not at all, it's a unique little tale about a woman who gets put in a crazy situation. Adrienne Shelly is great not only as a competent actress… -
Curb Your Enthusiasm + Twin Peaks + Woody Allen + Clerks = Sudden Manhattan
Cute. Very, very funny. R.I.P. Adrienne Shelly. 🌹 -
Odd, dark and hilarious. Shelly writes, directs and stars in a series of connected sketches with out-there jokes all affixed to a parodic thriller plot with supernatural elements. It's the marriage of Louie and Wild Canaries I didn't know I wanted/had existed for 20 years before either work. Like both of those, its biggest strength (beyond the laughs) is the emotional honesty. Donna's mechanisms for dealing with her possible madness are authentic and earnest, and Shelly's evocative offbeat performance adds weight to her attempts to maintain, repair and disband relationships.
P.S. Took me a minute to place the actress playing Donna's best/only friend Georgie, turned out it wasn't her face I recognized—Hynden Walch, the voice of Princess Bubblegum. Neat.
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