Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Sunday in New York Blu-ray Movie Review

The 22-Year-Old Virgin.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 13, 2020

It's about as lightweight as rom-coms get, but sometimes that's OK. Peter Tewksbury's Sunday in New York is an early showcase for vivacious Jane Fonda -- she stars as chaste young Eileen Tyler, who pays brother Adam (Cliff Robertson) a surprise visit at his spacious Manhattan apartment. It's a rare Sunday off but Adam is still on flight call, and he hoped to have his girlfriend Mona (Jo Morrow) over for a little cuddling. Eileen's put a stop to all that and projects her morals onto poor Adam, who likewise insists he's as pure as the driven snow. While Adam and Mona search frantically for an empty bedroom anywhere, Eileen literally runs into handsome stranger Mike Mitchell (Rod Taylor) on a city bus...but it's not an instant connection. Things change after their second chance encounter, which leads to turbulence after Eileen's fiancee Russ (Robert Culp) drops in for his own unannounced visit. Geez, doesn't anyone ever call?

Sunday in New York relies heavily on sitcom-grade snafus to fuel most of the comedy; that, combined with a clunky and very convenient setup, suggests that any big payoff might be wishful thinking. Luckily, the film improves as it goes along and, despite its slightly padded 105 minute runtime, feels breezy once it gets in the groove. There's a great running gag involving Adam's last-minute flight calls -- often with poor Mona in tow-- that leads to a few good laughs, and the film's satisfying third act ensures that almost everyone pays for their crimes. (The annoyingly cocky Mike, as it turns out, is a lot more likable once his guard is down.) This gradual about-face, along with several other small twists and surprises, makes us hope that Sunday in New York will end on a good note and leave most of its colorful characters in a better place than where they started. Clumsy voice-over narration aside, it doesn't disappoint.

From a social standpoint, Sunday in New York can't help but feel like an ancient relic at times...but in other ways, it's way ahead of the curve for 1963: Norman Krasna's script -- based on his popular play, which premiered only two years earlier -- gets a lot of mileage out of its racy dialogue and also cozies up to the women's liberation movement which gained steam later in the decade. Overall it plays decently well almost 60 years later, and Warner Archive's new Blu-ray offers a dazzling A/V presentation that perfectly highlights its great locations and production design.

Sunday in New York Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Another day, another beautiful 1080p transfer from Warner Archive Collection. This was sourced from a new master of the film -- which usually indicates a 2K scan of the interpositive -- and features a thick, film-like appearance loaded with natural grain and texture. Sunday in New York showcases several well-known Manhattan landmarks and captures them under warm, natural light (and at least one passing shower), with excellent color saturation that calls attention to the vintage storefronts and era-specific signage. Even the interior locations, including Adam's posh studio apartment and the colorful Chinese restaurant featured late in the film, feel like cozy and comfortable places you just want to hang out in. Other elements, such as skin tone and costumes, look accurate and the image as a whole is extremely clean with no compression-related issues or other defects. Overall, another top-tier job that sparkles like new.

Sunday in New York Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track is a very clean and stable effort that features no apparent source defects. Dialogue is crystal clear and the heavily-hyped original score by Peter Nero features excellent clarity and dynamic range. Overlapping conversations are placed nicely and rarely fight for attention. Overall, no complaints here either -- it's strong enough to sound like a stereo mix at times, especially during music cues and scenes shot outdoors.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; they're formatted perfectly with no sync issues.

Sunday in New York Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release is packaged in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and minimal extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:48) - This fun vintage promotional piece can also be viewed here.

Sunday in New York Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Tewksbury's Sunday in New York is a light and breezy romantic comedy that's still fun to watch unless you're a total stick in the mud. It starts out a bit rough and relies too much on sitcom-grade snafus...but once the running gags build momentum, the film finds a very comfortable groove and rides it all the way through. Great performances as well. Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers their usual top-tier support, mainly in the form of an outstanding new 1080p transfer and lossless audio. Recommended to fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.