"Ruby's Dream" is one of the most "New York movies" to come out of the 80's; it is literally soaked in that New York city style, to the point where the viewer can almost smell the streets and the smoke-filled bars and pool halls of a grimy, vintage late 70's/early 80's NYC. Every character and every location used is filled with so much nostalgia and atmosphere that it is hard to imagine any native of the city, not enjoying this oddball film. Once again, Joe Pesci turns in an utterly real and believable performance as Ruby Dennis, the tacky lounge singer who dreams of being a headline performer in Vegas, like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. He's doing fairly well, singing in the bowling alley that he owns, surrounded by his family, including his sister and his delinquent nephew, who also works at the bowling alley, when he isn't snatching gold chains from tourists in Times Square. This time Pesci is portraying a Jewish guy, rather than the usual Italian that he is known for, and he is utterly perfect in the role. This movie is so well-made, with amazing cinematography and high caliber acting, that it appears to have a high budget. This is a very polished, great looking production that has apparently been forgotten, and relegated to low quality dvd editions that present the film in a cropped, 4x3 picture format. This must be a real stunner in it's original widescreen format, and captures the grit of the street like "Taxi Driver" and "Midnight Cowboy." Those expecting action or a crime film might come away disappointed, as this is mainly a character study, of one man and his immediate family, all of which are interesting in their own way. Especially fascinating was Ruby's nephew, Ray, the teen criminal that looks up to his uncle, but wants to be successful in his own right, by becoming a street thug, fencing stolen goods to the denizens of the local boxing gym. And this one showcases so many scenes of a sleazy, vanished New York; the filthy boxing clubs, the off track betting places, the sex clubs and porn theaters of 42nd street, the smoke-filled bars and streets that seem to ooze an aura of criminality..truly beautiful to behold. Judging from the ridiculously low rating here, I'm guessing that this quality will only be appreciated by a certain audience. But for those who remember the golden age of New York, or just appreciate NYC movies, "Ruby's Dream" is one of the best..I think the reason the city is captured in such an idyllic, almost over the top way, is because the director is German. Therefore we get a movie that is so 'New York' that it almost becomes parody. On a side note, the version I saw clocked in at 115 minutes, so there might be different versions of this movie out there, as this site gives a shorter running time of 100 minutes.
