iff, stilted dialogue of the play, begins to make "suggestions" at rehearsals. Cusack is at first outraged, and threatens to quit, but he eventually realizes that the gangster's suggestions are actually quite good. Palminteri's gangster turns out to be a genius; a raw, natural playwright who helps Cusack reshape and re-tool his play. Once he becomes involved in the writing, the play suddenly becomes vastly improved, and Olive's sore lack of talent stands out all the more. Palminteri can't stand it -- she ruins his lines and screws up the play. He wants her out of the way, and he knows only one way to accomplish that. This is the basis for the final act of the film, and I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it. In addition to the main action of the film, there are numerous subplots and asides that make the film a true delight to behold. Bullets Over Broadway is one of those films that you truly have to watch more than once, just to catch all the things you missed the first time around. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Art Design, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actress (both Tilly and Wiest), Best Supporting Actor (Palminteri), and Best Screenplay (Allen and McGrath). It also marked the sixth time in Allen's career that he was nominated for Best Director, though the film itself was not nominated for Best Picture, and (sadly) Wiest was the film's only Oscar winner. ...
