Mighty Aphrodite
| Mighty Aphrodite | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Woody Allen |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | Woody Allen |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Dick Hyman |
| Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
| Edited by | Susan E. Morse |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $26 million |
Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 American romantic comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Mira Sorvino, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The screenplay was inspired by the story of Pygmalion and is about Lenny Weinrib's (Allen) search for his genius adopted son's biological mother, ultimately finding that she is a dim-witted prostitute named Linda Ash (Sorvino).
While critical reception of Mighty Aphrodite overall was mildly positive, Sorvino was widely praised for her performance, winning the 1995 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a Golden Globe Award, New York Film Critics Circle Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, National Board of Review Award, and a Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award.
The film opens on ancient Greek ruins where a chanting Greek chorus introduces and narrates the story of Lenny Weinrib. Lenny is a sportswriter in Manhattan, married to ambitious curator Amanda. The couple decide to adopt a baby, a boy they name Max. Lenny is awed by their son who, it becomes increasingly clear, is a gifted child.
Lenny becomes obsessed with learning the identity of Max's biological mother. After a long search, Lenny is disturbed to find that she is a prostitute and part-time porn star, who uses several names but confesses her birth name is Leslie, and she likes "Linda" because it means beautiful in Spanish, so her current porn star name is Linda Ash. Lenny makes an "appointment" to see her at her apartment. Linda is a bit of a ditz with a crude sense of humor and delusions of becoming a stage actress. Lenny does not have intercourse with her but instead urges her to get away from prostitution and start a wholesome life. Linda becomes angry, refunds Lenny's money, and forces him to leave. Lenny, however, is determined to befriend her and improve her life. He first manages to get Linda away from her violent pimp and then attempts to pair Linda with a former boxer, Kevin. They appear to be a well-suited couple until Kevin discovers Linda's background.
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Wikipedia