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Crossing Delancy (1988) - Amy Irving
Saturday, September 17, 2011
8:28 PM
Labels: comedy , jewish , new york , romance , romantic , 0 comments
Labels: comedy , jewish , new york , romance , romantic , 0 comments
The Links:
IMDB | RottenTomatoes
Streaming: Amazon, Netflix
Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy Pitting Jewish Tradition against Urban and Worldly pursuits
STUFF:
PG, 1 hr. 37 min.
The Short Story
(Some Kind Of Wonderful meets Annie Hall)
The first Mrs. Spielberg - Amy Irving - is in love with her bookstore job where she gets to meet the most influential literary thinkers in Manhattan. Her Bubbie, (Reizl Bozyk) hires a matchmaker who is pushing the very glamorous but quick witted pickle peddler (Peter Riegert).
It isn't very often I like a movie that was WELL reviewed by critics (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) but not as well by the public (74%). Maybe it's because there were less blogging reviewers and thus less morons in print. Who knows. It should be a sign of my love for this film that I compare it to SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL. I don't compare ANYTHING to that masterpiece of romantic comedy. And, while this is a much more subtle film in every way - it has a charm and sweetness to it leaves you hopefully, happy and contented.
It opens with Amy Irving's character Izzy, obviously mesmerized by the attention of a leading author and the hob nob world of upper Manhattan in which she lives. Irving still shows a softness and femininity enhanced by an obvious love for her grandmother. And Bubbie "makes" the film with her loving, scheming and traditional ways.
When set up with the Peter Riegert character, Izzy is not just facing the fear of a mismatch in social class, style and education, we also see her biggest fear is the lack of REAL romance. And we are continually surprised by the depth of this pickle seller. The writer (thankfully) did not make him a closet Whitman or Joyce, but showed how often we underestimate those who are the very ones to best make our lives better.
It's not a WOW, tear-jerking love story and not a terribly complex story. But for those who like tradition, core values and seeing the good guy actually win - this might be one of the best movies you've never seen.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
