Duddy will hoch hinaus

The younger son of a working-class Jewish family in Montreal, Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss) yearns to make a name for himself in society..

We start with the idea: "A man without land is nobody." From there, we get to a surreal Bar Mitzvah film, a pinball business, assorted other ventures and possible scams... all so Duddy can buy up some farmland, which he does under another name because he thinks farmers will not sell to Jewish people (although this is not clearly explained).

"Duddy Kravitz" has an important place in Canadian film history because it was the most commercially successful Canadian film ever made at the time of its release, and has thus been described as a 'coming of age' for Canadian cinema. One wonders how things have changed, because it seems that today (2017) Vancouver is one of the most-filmed cities in the world.

Am I a jerk or what? I loved Duddy Kravitz. Even though he's a back stabbing, robbing crook of a shmuck, who has every right to be despised, I wound up rooting for him anyways. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not! And here's why. Richard Dreyfuss.

Based on Mordechai Richler's novel about growing up in 1950's Montreal. He's got the world coming to him. Well, at least he thinks he does. Quick to take advantage of every opportunity thrown at him, sometimes he gets way over his head, but that doesn't let him down for long, for soon he's after his next big score. Whether it be independent movies. Pinball, or a giant lakeside property.

My god, Richard Dreyfuss is the heart and soul of this movie. I am clearly lacking any idea of who else could have pulled this performance off so flawlessly. The supporting cast, including Micheline Lanctôt, Jack Warden, and, in a stunning performance, Randy Quaid, are all great. But Dreyfuss just steamrolls over them, literally and figuratively.

A Canadian film that isn't a joke. Wow. 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz' is a wonderful thing. Let's start with the novel. I read it as part of an English Lit class in High School and read it every autumn for seven years. It just goes so well with those first few blustery nights that arrive mid-October. Always tough for a screenplay to match up with a novel but novelist Mordecai Richler and Lionel Chetwynd were nominated for Academy Awards and lost to 'The Godfather Part 2's Coppola and Puzo - not bad. Wonderful to watch - just look at all the great street scenes, the country scenes, the autumn leaves, Duddy's well-lit apartment, Moe's Cigar Store...I mean, this is Canada keeping warm and cozy on a cool, October evening. The film, and the novel, are great to curl up with.

"A little bit of Duddy Kravitz in everyone," so the poster tells us. Yeah, I guess you could say that, although it is exaggerated in the film to get the message across (either that, or I haven't met anyone like that yet.) Dreyfuss' character is believable, and so is his father. I would have to say the only wooden character in the whole film is that of Lenny, Duddy's brother. There is a good message to get from the film--if you watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss) is a hustling young Jewish man living in a working class Montreal neighborhood. His older brother medical student Lenny is the favorite of his father Max (Jack Warden) and his rich uncle Benjy. His grandfather's mantra is "a man without land is nobody" and sees every man in the family including himself as failures. He works a summer job at a Jewish resort hotel. He falls for the French Canadian maid named Yvette (Micheline Lanctôt). The other waiters from McGill University led by Irwin look down on the lower class Duddy. While on a picnic with Yvette, he decides to buy the land around a beautiful lake and build his own hotel resort. She would need to front the deal since the owners would probably be unwilling to sell to a Jew.

Duddy is a money grubbing Jew character and he's somewhat annoying. His obsession is also understandable and fascinating. It's wrapped up with daddy issues. I don't root for his quest but it is still compelling. This is a nice slice of an era as well as an interesting coming of age story. The production is adequate and Dreyfuss delivers a good performance.