Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
When Lenny and his wife, Amanda, adopt a baby, Lenny realizes that his son is a genius and becomes obsessed with finding the boy's biological mother in hopes that she will be brilliant too. But when he learns that Max's mother is Linda Ash, a kindhearted prostitute and porn star, Lenny is determined to reform her immoral lifestyle. A Greek chorus chimes in to relate the plot to Greek mythology in this quirky comedy.
- Woody Allen
- Thomas A. Reilly
- Richard Patrick
- Kay Chapin
- Woody Allen
Rating: 6.723/10 by 674 users
Alternative Title:
La dea dell'amore - IT
Poderosa Afrodite - BR
Maudite Aphrodite - FR
無敵愛美神 - HK
Frodige Afrodite - NO
Poderosa Afrodita - ES
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 35 minutes
Budget: $15,000,000
Revenue: $6,700,000
Plot Keyword: prostitute, adoption, adoptive father, childlessness, looking for birth parents, adoptive mother, illegal prostitution, child
**_An older man befriends a kindhearted prostitute_** A Manhattan scriptwriter (Woody Allen) meets the young mother of his adopted boy, a hooker (Mira Sorvino), and tries to help her situation. Meanwhile, his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) is caught up in her ambitious work as a curator of art galleries, not to mention the serious flirting of a colleague (Peter Weller). A Greek chorus occasionally chimes in (F. Murray Abraham, etc.), linking the story to that of Oedipus. “Mighty Aphrodite” (1995) is a quirky comedy set in Manhattan, which is unsurprising with Woody at the helm. The heart of the plot, described in my title blurb above, is reminiscent of “Hardcore” (1979) minus the gravity. Both Helena and Mira were in their prime and look great in totally opposite ways. The flick is amusing, touching and ironic. I enjoyed the audacious Greek chorus element, something few filmmakers could pull off, but Woody does so effortlessly. The movie runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Manhattan with the Greek chorus scenes done at Teatro Greco on Sicily, Italy. GRADE: B
