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David can't believe his luck, except that his artistic integrity feels threatened by this unknown Olive. Still, he's a pragmatist at heart and with any luck she'll turn out to be really talented. Such optimism is thoroughly stripped at his meeting with Valenti and Olive unfortunately, a pair somewhat removed from his normal intellectual circles. Olive has a voice that could crack glass and a rattlesnake's temperament, a real empty-headed floozy. The trouble is that Valenti is more than just a businessman, he's a local hood who has his opponents "disappear" without a thought. In other words, David can't back out of the deal without ending up floating face-down in the Hudson and Olive's on for the duration.
David manages to rescue some esteem by surrounding Olive with real theatrical talent, notable faded star Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest) and unreliable but smooth Warner Purcell (Jim Broadbent). Before any other misfortunes can befall the production, rehearsals commence and the cast try to beat David's script into shape. Olive is easily as bad as expected and, worse, she's accompanied everywhere by bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri). He just lounges at the back looking bored, which isn't too surprising with David's dry and cerebral work. Soon life becomes complicated as David falls under the spell of Helen, Warner woos Olive and Cheech starts commenting on how awful the play is. The strange thing is, his remarks make a lot of sense!
In Bullets Over Broadway, Woody Allen has done an amazing job of recreating the feel of the Roaring 20's. The sets and location are terrific, a departure from the usual Empire State Building type of landmarks, while the costumes are fabulous. Olive wraps herself is all manner of brightly coloured feathers while Helen goes for the subtler, stylish look. Put together with one of Allen's most witty scripts in years, the effect is enchanting. As usual there are lots of one-liners and artfully crafted phrases, but they integrate with the characters so well that they can almost slip by. Even better, these aren't the same old recycled jokes of Manhattan socialites but fresh gags, sweet and tender. Bullets Over Broadway really is funny, but not quite at the side-splitting level.
Against this colourful background the real cast work beautifully together, timing the comedy well and making Bullets Over Broadway come alive. Palminteri is simply excellent as the ugly-duckling killer who turns out to be a far greater artist than Cusack, slowly recognising his gift and totally unwilling to compromise his vision. In contrast, Cusack is equally good as the writer who thinks he's a genius and realises that he is nothing of the sort, simply someone who uses lots of long words. The supporting actors, too numerous to mention, are just as captivating with their bickering and petty quirks. If there's a weakness then it's that we don't see inside the characters to their actual emotions, just the external effects. This is a minor criticism however, in no way detracting from the total enjoyment that Bullets Over Broadway offers.
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