Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- swooning
- volatile
- witty
- classic musical night
- jazz film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film’s technical ambition and Liza Minnelli’s magnetic performance while finding its mixture of Old Hollywood stylization and hard-bitten realism uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Scorsese frames the story as an homage, tribute, and critique of classical Hollywood musicals, using deliberately artificial sets and staged musical numbers.
Francine and Jimmy fall in love while pursuing separate careers as a singer and saxophonist, repeatedly placing professional aspirations against intimacy.
Songs and jazz performances function as dramatic set pieces, revealing the characters’ desires, rivalry, confidence, and vulnerability.
The film combines deliberately artificial studio-era sets and show-business spectacle with hard-bitten relationship arguments, especially the volatile car confrontation.
Films like New York, New York, and why
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
old hollywood musical homage, career-focused romance, theatrical visual stylization
La La Land
musical romance shaped by artistic ambition, emotional separation, and bittersweet show-business careers
Round Midnight
jazz-centered romantic drama pairing musicianship with volatile personal conflict
The King of Comedy
scorsese-directed music drama with charismatic performers and conflicted artistic relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1977-06-21
- Runtime
- 163 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (522)
Cast
- Liza Minnelli
- Robert De Niro
- Lionel Stander
- Barry Primus
- Mary Kay Place
- George Memmoli
- Dick Miller
- Murray Moston
- Leonard Gaines
- Clarence Clemons
Common questions
- What is New York, New York about?
- A volatile postwar romance follows a gifted singer and a self-serving saxophonist whose love competes with their hunger for musical success.
- What is New York, New York like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of New York, New York as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is New York, New York violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in New York, New York.
- What did critics think of New York, New York?
- Critics broadly admire the film’s technical ambition and Liza Minnelli’s magnetic performance while finding its mixture of Old Hollywood stylization and hard-bitten realism uneven.
- Which films are like New York, New York?
- Films with a similar feel include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, La La Land, Round Midnight, and The King of Comedy.
- How long is New York, New York?
- New York, New York runs 163 minutes.
