Manhattan (1979) by Woody Allen
More than five decades later, Manhattan (1979) is still one of the definitive films by Woody Allen. The movie depicts several characters weighing the benefits and costs of a relationship before making a decision. Social exchange theory suggests that for every social interaction, there is an underlying exchange process that aims to minimize damage and maximize benefits. In Manhattan, Isaac, Yale, Emily, Mary, Tracy and Jill weigh the potential benefits and costs of their social relationships. When a character finds a social or romantic relationship that has more risks than rewards, the character ends up terminating that relationship.
Isaac, a divorced 42-year old writer, is currently dating Tracy, a high school teenager. His close buddy, Yale, a college professor, is married to Emily, however, is having an extramarital affair with Mary. Jill, Isaac’s ex-wife, is a writer currently writing about her past relationship with Isaac and has moved on to a lesbian relationship with Connie.
When Mary and Isaac meet for the second time at a fundraising event, Isaac offers to take her home, and they end up chatting all night long. Yale decides to end his extramarital affair and even advises Isaac to ask Mary out. Although Isaac grows attraction for Mary, at first, he does not want to end his relationship with Tracy. However, he eventually breaks up with her as he considers her too young for him and moves on with Mary. Emily grows curious about Isaac’s new girlfriend, Mary, and they end up going on a double date. While on their date, they bump into Jill’s new book, and they read out some sections, including one that describes how Isaac attempted to run over Connie. This cruel act surprises Mary and Yale as well. Upon returning home, the humiliated Isaac learns that Mary wants to go back to Yale. This angers him and heads over to confront Yale. His confrontation bears no fruits, and he decides to discuss Yale’s affair with his wife, Emily. In the moments that follow, Isaac now desperate heads out to look for Tracy, which he finds that she’s about to leave for London to study acting. He tries to convince her, but unsuccessfully. Undoubtedly, their relationship by now was more taxing than rewarding.
Social exchange theory works by valuing the costs and benefits of each relationship. Through this evaluation, a person chooses whether to continue with the social association or stop. Mainly, a person takes the advantages and subtracts the costs to determine the value of a relationship. For instance, Tracy’s acting studies were more beneficial than staying with Isaac. Mary would be better off having an extramarital affair with Yale than stay with cruel Isaac.