Picking Up the Pieces (2000)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Two questions occurred to me on watching this movie: 1) whoever thought the plot was funny when it was pitched in the first place? and 2) why did a class act like Woody Allen ever get caught up in this nonsense? This movie is pretentious in that it thinks it is clever by satirising religion but all it does is satirise Roman Catholicism which is an easy target anyway (and doesn't even do that in a particularly innovative way). For example some of the miracles attributed to the townsfolk are as ridiculous as i'm sure was intended by the movie, but they are not satirical they are just crass and stupid. Also the idea that a joke can be made of somebody being hacked to pieces is just sick. Avoid this movie; it's pretentious rubbish.

I truly hope that I am one of last of the braying chorus to say: "For Heaven's sake, Woody, don't you EVER-EVER do another film (NOT of your own, unique writing, direction etc.)like this absolutely horrendous flick!"......totally UNfunny, banal, trite and derivative...not to mention incredibly offensive (the Church, Latinos, "good" v. "bad" people, and on and on... even Texas!).Hey, I'm NOT begrudging you your (hopefully very high) fee, Woody...after all; this was 2000...but surely I'm correct in believing that for now...and all time to come...you will continue to remain one of America's only true auteur's, n'est-ce pas?!?So; I can only say to you now, Woody, (io sono Italiano): "FUHGEDDABOUDIT!!"......and ONLY continue to "do do that voodoo that you do so well."Gerry Dubin

I am a big Woody Allen fan and greatly admire his early films, up to and including Annie Hall. The only two post A.H. films I have enjoyed are "Curse of the Jade Scorpion", and this one, "Picking Up the Pieces". There are moments of the old Woody here that have been missing in many of his more recent efforts. He should venture out of his "New York City comfort zone" more often. The movie is not perfect, and could / will offend some. I really liked the neon lighting, which in no small way reminds me of "Vamp". Do not let the one star ratings steer you away from "Picking Up the Pieces", because it is well worth a peek, and especially for those W.A. fans who yearn for the 1970s Woody. - MERK

Maria Grazia Cucinotta as the prostitute Desi and David Schwimmer as the priest Leo and their conflicted love story was the best thing in this movie. But unfortunately it's not enough. Woody Allen is boring and unfunny, and both Kiefer Sutherland and Cheech Marin had nothing to work with. The problem with this movie is the script, by Bill Wilson (XI). The persons in the movie doesn't work. He puts one-liners in some scenes where they don't make any sense and therefor makes the persons look silly. Actually the personality of everyone, besides Desi and Leo, are as deep as paper. The best part of the movie is the love story between Maria Grazia Cucinotta and David Schwimmer and it would be great to see a love story just between those two again with a well written script, because they looked great together. and they worked in the script until near the end, where the movie collapsed. But David Schwimmer and Maria Grazia Cucinotta saved this movie.