Mighty Aphrodite

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