Jon Corelis One of Woody Allen's best films, Radio Days is a lovingly detailed and authentic portrait of a 1940s childhood in Rockaway Beach, NY, cleverly built around memories of the popular music of the day, which was universally listened to on the radio. The conceit works, and the result is one of Allen's least neurotic, least pretentious, and funniest works. It's interesting that it's a thoroughly Woody Allen movie in which Allen doesn't actually appear, though he does a running voice-over. I'd recommend it even to people who don't usually like Allen movies. The MGM DVD is of good quality; no particular advisories, except for some brief mild nudity.

Richard Dominguez Yes It Is A Very Funny Movie, But More Importantly It Is Most Likely Woody Allen's Most Important Work ... While My Memories Are Not Made Up Of The "Radio Days" The Message Is Not Lost On Me ... A Message That Our Most Valuable Possessions Are Our Memories, Be They Radio, TV, School, Family Get Together's, Your First Love Etc ... A Wonderful Tribute To The Era Of Radio (Media That Managed To Bring The Country Together, Instead Of Separating It The Way Media Does Today) ... As Always The Story Is Littered With The Most Incredible Characters (A Trade Mark Of His Movies) And Wonderful Stories ... The Cast Is Stella In It's Performances And Woody Allen's Voice Narrating The Story Brings A Genuine Feel To The Movie ... Filled With Laughter, Fun And Some Touching Memories Both Personal And World Wide This Is A Movie Worthy Of Being A National Archive Film ... The Sets Are Magnificent, Even If You Don't Remember Those Days There Is No Doubt In Your Mind That The Set And Costumes Are Authentic ... I Remember Clearly As A Kid Standing In Line For 2 Hours In Front Of Radio City Music Hall, Whining And Complaining About Being Tired And Cold ... Then The Overwhelming Feeling Of Awe As I Stepped Into The Hall For The Very First Time ... Radio Days Is A Brilliant Movie About Days Gone By And Easily (In My Opinion) Woody Allen's Best Work ... Ty For Such A Marvelous Movie

grantss A man reminisces about his youth, growing up in the 1930s and 40s in New York. We see and hear stories of himself, his parents, neighbours and friends and local celebrities. The common denominator in all the stories and in the overarching plot is the presence of the radio - it brought music, news, stories, escape and comfort, made stars of everyday people and was often the glue in families and relationships.A wonderfully sentimental, nostalgic and funny homage to radio from Woody Allen. Though the story in the movie doesn't fit his life story exactly you can see how it could be very close to it. It's also a history lesson, as many of radio's seminal moments from the 30s and 40s are covered (eg Orson Welles's War of the Worlds). Moreover, the broad feeling of nostalgia for a time and experience that cannot be relived and retrieved is very palpable and emotional.It's not all sentimentality though. The movie largely consists of episodes and vignettes from the narrator's memory. Many of these scenes are absurdly funny (Mia Farrow with the gangster takes the cake, but the prize-winning burglars aren't far behind). Allen allows his imagination to go wild, and it takes him to some wonderfully offbeat places.Performances are great too. No Woody Allen himself (except as narrator), but we have a young Seth Green effectively playing Woody Allen as a child, and doing a solid job. Good work too from Julie Kavner and Michael Tucker as his parents. The supporting cast is huge, due to the many mini-stories within the movie, and includes many Woody Allen favorites: Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Tony Roberts. Some only have one or two lines (or, in Diane Keaton's case, one song). Nobody puts a foot wrong. William H Macy and Larry David, unknowns at the time, have minor, non-speaking parts.

gavin6942 Joe (Woody Allen), the narrator, explains how the radio influenced his childhood in the days before TV. The young Joe (Seth Green) lives in New York City in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The tale mixes Joe's experiences with his remembrances and anecdotes, inserting his memories of the urban legends of radio stars, and is told in constantly changing plot points and vignettes.So much greatness in this film. An impressive ensemble cast (between this and "Midsummer Night", Tony Roberts really blossomed under Allen's direction). Great music, excellent stories. And a very young Seth Green, around the same time he appeared on "Amazing Stories". Who would ever have thought he was going to be huge within a decade? Ebert calls the film "so ambitious and so audacious that it almost defies description. It's a kaleidoscope of dozens of characters, settings and scenes - the most elaborate production Allen has ever made - and it's inexhaustible, spinning out one delight after another." Well said, Roger.