“For anyone who was ever a fan of this picture, the inclusion of Scorsese's ‘Happy Endings' - a film within a film that capsulizes the storm-tossed romantic theme of New York, New York - makes another look practically a must.
“Minnelli and de Niro star as lovers. She's a singer, he's a hot and moody saxophone player, and their troubled relationship, alive with both humor and pathos, is set in the post-war Big Band Era, which is captured with snazzy re-creations of more than 20 period numbers. Everything, from Dan Perri's stylish titles to the searing sax solos played by Georgie Auld, has a dash, a classy drive, which gives the film an enthralling jazz tone.” --Peter Stack, S.F. Chronicle.
“When New York, New York was originally released, it was met with hostility - considered too ‘serious' to be a musical - and lumped with the wave of ‘nostalgia' films, such as the popular That's Entertainment, that were in vogue during the period.
“New York, New York does make reference to the Hollywood tradition of the musical and the melodrama - in particular, to the great works of Minnelli and Cukor - but it creatively uses these elements to produce a complex investigation of a heterosexual relationship which can't bridge the gap between the illusion of romance and the reality of individual needs. Rather than being a nostalgia film, New York, New York is a penetrating contemporary statement on the impossibility of successful heterosexual relations in a society structured on inequalities between the sexes.
“De Niro and Minnelli beautifully match each other with performances of depth and intelligence and Scorsese proves himself to be one of the major talents of the cinema with this film.” --Richard Lippe