Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in this 1995 comedy.
When he discovers his adopted son is a genius, a New York sportswriter (played by Allen) seeks out the boy's birth mother: a prostitute (Mira Sorvino, who won an Academy Award for her role).
This film provides examples of:
- Author Avatar: Woody Allen as Lenny, a neurotic Jewish man, as with all of his roles.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The film broadly hints Lenny and Amanda are going to split and end up with new partners. They end up admitting, yes, they really do love each other and remain married.
- Better as Friends: Lenny and the "film" star/prostitute Linda, She goes by many names.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: The first thing Linda asks Lenny about Kevin is if he has a big dick.
- Brainless Beauty: Linda, the Dumb Blonde prostitute is played by the shapely Mira Sorvino.
- The Cassandra:Lenny: Oh for God's sake, you're such a Cassandra!
Cassandra: I am not "such a Cassandra". I am Cassandra! - The Ditz: The prostitute and the her Distaff Counterpart that Lenny set her up with, an onion farmer.
- Doting Parent: Lenny often boasts about his son's intelligence, wondering why the Mother isn't like him.
- Greek Chorus: An actual Greek chorus - togas and everything - shows up throughout the film to comment on Lenny's situation. Sometimes Lenny responds to them.
- Happy Ending: A "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue montage to the song "When You're Smiling". Even the pimp and his enforcer have one, enjoying the court seats for Knicks games that Lenny promised.
- Historical In-Joke: Many, such as a Funny Background Event of Oedipus wandering around with his hands outstretched, bumping into things.Chorus: Look, here's a man who killed his father and slept with his mother.
Jocasta: I hate to tell you what they call my son in Harlem. - Interactive Narrator: Lenny converses with the Greek Chorus leader (F. Murray Abraham).
- Irony: Linda has Lenny's child and Lenny doesn't know. Lenny has Linda's child, and Linda doesn't know.
- Kavorka Man: Lenny, because he was with Linda and Amanda.
- Lamarck Was Right: Lenny's friends all tell him that his son's natural mother must be a genius because his son is. Linda immediately relieves Lenny of that idea.
- Magic Realism: Loads of it. For example, it's foretold Lenny would receive bad news from the blind seer Tiresias at The Acropolis. Tiresias, a blind homeless guy played by Jack Warden, in front of a Greek restaurant called Acropolis.
- Meaningful Name: Linda means "pretty" in Spanish. Linda points this out to Lenny.
- My Greatest Failure: Linda reveals giving Max up for adoption was something she never wanted to do, and deeply regrets into being convinced to do it.
- No Social Skills: Linda gleefully and with no intentional malice calls Lenny a loser, which is the reason she's attracted to him (for some reason), not the only inappropriate remark.Linda: (showing Lenny an antique watch) See, as the mainspring goes back and forth, the bishop keeps fucking her in the ass!
- Pen Name: Lenny's film star interest has many humourous ones: Leslie Wright, Leslie Wales, Leslie St James, Linda Ash, and Judy Cum.Lenny: ... Judy Cum?!
- Punny Title: Mighty Aphrodite, which more than a few reviews stated was "groanworthy".
- Would Hit a Girl: The onion farmer/boxer, much to his deep regret.
