Overview
A comedic exploration of parenthood and unexpected truths about family.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- theatrical
- sunny
- date night
- woody allen double feature
What critics said
Critics generally found the film witty, inventive, and warmly performed, especially praising Mira Sorvino while viewing it as an agreeable but uneven middle-range Woody Allen comedy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chorleiter and the chorus repeatedly connect Lenny's predicament to the myth of Oedipus.
The Manhattan adoption and family plot is explicitly interwoven with the story of Oedipus.
Linda Ash's prostitution and porn work are central to the plot, while her kindness and emotional complexity drive the film's sympathy.
Lenny searches for Max's birth parents because he assumes the child's brilliance must come from them.
Films like Mighty Aphrodite, and why
Hannah and Her Sisters
shares witty Manhattan relationship comedy, neurotic protagonists, artistic self-consciousness, and romantic complications
Annie Hall
shares Woody Allen's urban intellectual comedy, marital instability, romantic farce, and philosophical humor
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
shares an offbeat romantic comedy structure, theatrical sensibility, and warm handling of flawed characters
Pretty Woman
shares a comic engagement with prostitution, moral sentiment, and unexpectedly humane romantic relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Release Date
- 1995-09-13
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (758)
Cast
- Woody Allen
- Mira Sorvino
- Helena Bonham Carter
- F. Murray Abraham
- Donald Symington
- Claire Bloom
- Olympia Dukakis
- Michael Rapaport
- David Ogden Stiers
- Jack Warden
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mighty Aphrodite about?
- A neurotic Manhattan adoptive father’s search for his son’s birth mother becomes a witty, myth-inflected romantic comedy about flawed families and unexpected compassion.
- What is Mighty Aphrodite like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mighty Aphrodite as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mighty Aphrodite violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mighty Aphrodite.
- What did critics think of Mighty Aphrodite?
- Critics generally found the film witty, inventive, and warmly performed, especially praising Mira Sorvino while viewing it as an agreeable but uneven middle-range Woody Allen comedy.
- Which films are like Mighty Aphrodite?
- Films with a similar feel include Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, and Pretty Woman.
- How long is Mighty Aphrodite?
- Mighty Aphrodite runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mighty Aphrodite?
- In United States, Mighty Aphrodite streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
