It once looked like Woody Allen's "A Rainy Day in New York" might never open in the United States. But it sneaked into a handful of theaters last week and is opening at the Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis on Friday.
Shot more than three years ago, "Rainy Day" is a romantic farce about the entanglements of a gambler (Timothee Chalamet) and a journalism student (Elle Fanning). Amazon Studios, which financed the movie, dropped it in the midst of accusations against Allen by his former stepdaughter, arguing "Rainy Day" had become impossible to market (his 2020 memoir also was dropped by its original publisher).
Allen filed a lawsuit against Amazon, which the sides settled. Meanwhile, cast members Chalamet, Rebecca Hall and Griffin Newman all announced they regretted working with Allen and said they'd donated their salaries to a variety of charities, including Time's Up, the #MeToo-affiliated group. Co-star Selena Gomez, while not commenting on Allen, donated $1 million to Time's Up.
The controversy left the prolific writer/director without a release in 2018, ending a streak that dated back to 1982. He has resumed work, completing "Rifkin's Festival," his 49th film. There are no current plans for a U.S. release.
Chris Hewitt • 612-673-4367
