Judy Berlin

Sweet and Poignant
Review by Nonia Bidness

For all my whining about living in a small town, we still have a great Film Society, which gets some wonderful independent films for us. This one won Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival last year, and deservedly so. Eric Mendelsohn did a splendid job putting this together. I was reminded of Woody Allen at certain points, not just because of the New York-ness, maybe the gently humorous eye also. I have a tendency to look at the artist’s brushstrokes, as well as the overall painting – it was a delight to look at the way these pieces were woven into a movie masterpiece.

This is a sweet and poignant film about the ordinary, its beauty and its terrible tragedy, living with the disappointments and illusions of reality. Filmed in black and white, it still gives us lovely images of the everyday wonders around us, while showing us its starkness.

Hard to categorize this film, as it certainly had some quirky humor and elements of the absurd, it is a drama about relationships and the human spirit, age and change and the cruel nature of circumstances at times.

While this wasn’t a light and fluffy movie, I didn’t find it depressing as I feared I might from one review I had read. There is sure a lot one could be depressed about in this life – children starving, homeless families, wars raging in many countries, pollution – large scale overwhelming problems. No, this film takes a loving look at the small tragedies of life that break our hearts, like finding out a wonderful girl had a crush on you on the day she is leaving town. It is a strange sort of surreal melancholy that reminds us fate has an O’Henry sense of humor.

This was Madeline Kahn’s last film, and she did an excellent job as the woman with little family support who keeps on trying to love and make life bright despite everything. The cast was well selected, with each actor/actress being striking, physically, with features that suited them well for their parts, there were no interchangeable Hollywood faces here. Edie Falco shone as the bubbly Judy Berlin. Aaron Harnick, raw and vulnerable-looking, is perfect as the angst-ridden young man, trying to figure himself out. Bob Dishy as his father and the school principal, Barbara Barrie as Judy’s mother – well, as I already said, each cast member fit his/her part ideally.

Needless to say, if you are looking for action and hilarity, there must be something else you’d prefer to see. If you are interested in a frank and lovely look at realistic small-town people (I kept thinking that they really could be people I know) and the best of the film-making craft, give this one a try.

Movie mood: Date movie or quiet evening at home
Bang for the buck: video will do
Recommend to friends: Yes

Nonia Bidness May 20^th, 2000