The story of Danny Rose (Woody Allen) is told in flashback, an anecdote shared amongst a group of comedians over lunch at New York's Carnegie Deli.

Rose's one-man talent agency represents countless unorthodox, unsuccessful entertainers, including washed-up lounge lizard Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), whose career is on the rebound.

Lou wants her to accompany him to a big gig Danny has landed for him at the Waldorf Astoria, where he will perform in front of Milton Berle, who could potentially hire him for even bigger things.

Danny, feeling cheated, goes to the Carnegie Deli where he hears that the ventriloquist he "ratted on" to save himself was beaten up by the hit men (the cruise had been cancelled) and is now in the hospital.

The site's consensus reads: "Woody Allen's hard-working, uphill-climbing Broadway talent agent is rendered memorably with equal parts absurdity and affection.

"[6] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three and a half stars out of four, praising Allen, Forte, and Farrow, whom he described as "the real treasure among the performances.

"[8] Time Out praised the combination of style and substance, stating, "The jokes are firmly embedded in plot and characterisation, and the film, shot by Gordon Willis in harsh black-and-white, looks terrific; but what makes it work so well is the unsentimental warmth pervading every frame.

"[9] In a 2016 poll of Time Out contributors, Broadway Danny Rose was ranked Allen's sixth greatest film, with editor Joshua Rothkopf praising "Mia Farrow's brassy Italian ballbuster, a wild transformation you’ll never forget.

"[10] Sam Fragoso of IndieWire also lauded Farrow's "wonderfully out-of-type performance" and listed the work as a highlight of Allen's career.

[15] Actor Alec Baldwin has discussed how he has, with some degree of regularity, "hosted parties where the only activity is just watching Broadway Danny Rose together".