Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five

A movie with totally entertaining dialogue... conversations that leave you wondering if people really do talk to each other that way. Coney Island is a rarity in that it offers a peephole into the world of male friendships as well as a great reprieve from the sinking ships and apocalyptic explosions that litter the screens these days.

This movie, which I just discovered at the video store, has apparently sit around for a couple of years without a distributor. It's easy to see why. The story of two friends living in New York searching for their pal from high school who is now living homeless under the boardwalk at Coney Island, has flashes of being a very good film, but ultimately is weighted down by the story focusing on Stan and Daniel, rather than on their homeless friend Richie. Cryer is as usual very good and the film has a nice stark look to it, with the ghostly images of Coney Island. However, writer Cryer and director Richard Schenkman are too busy dealing with the fairly uninteresting lives of Stan and Daniel rather than focusing on Richie. One flashback in a music store, where Richie has a crush on an employee stands out and really shows the viewer where this film could have gone. But in the end, not much. Two many drawn out scenes of annoyance, such as inside the Skeeball building. RATING 4 out of 10.

Went To Coney Island On A Mission From God, Be Back By Five- Terrific Drama/comedy written, produced and co-starring Jon Cryer about a trio of friends in New York city that have known each other since childhood. They have lost touch as they became adults as often happens until one day two of them get news that the third is homeless and living in Coney Island. so the two take off from work "on a mission from God" (their code to play hooky from school as kids) to find their friend. So the stage is set for a journey of friendship and discovery as we see how these grown men have faced adulthood and its challenges, or more importantly, run from them. We experience their childhood through a series of flashbacks from which we gleam information that directly impacts the present day narrative such as that their missing friend may not have been heterosexual, though they knew him as a ladies man and how this led to a huge tragedy in his life. This kind of movie is hard to pull off and could easily fall into Hollywood schmaltz with a lot of weeping and teary-eyed falsehoods. But this movie avoids all that and keeps a rather hard edge at all times. Understanding that the subject matter is serious and never makes fun of its characters, or looks down on them to pull at your heart strings. The terrific acting goes a long, long way to make this all work with kudos to Cryer who essays the less flashy role of the nebbish. Newcomer Rick Steer is really good as well as his angry, alcoholic friend who has tried to hang onto their youth for all these years. Rafeal Baez is very good as the lost friend too, in a difficult role, having to play both repression and mental illness without over doing it. he does a fine job. Ione Skye is on board in a supporting role and it is always nice to see her too. Overall this is a little gem of a movie that has for some reason been overlooked for almost ten years now. Time to rectify that situation.

If you are looking for a happy of fun film, then by all means do not watch "Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five". While it has a few funny moments, the film also has a dark tone and much about it might leave you feeling a bit depressed. Unlike most films, however, it isn't afraid to tackle depressing subjects and simply accept that there might be nothing you can do to change things...and that is also one of the film's strengths.

The story begins with a prologue...showing what life was like for three kids growing up in New York City as well as how they met and how they drifted apart. Now, a decade has passed and Stan (Rick Stear) seeks out his friend Daniel (Jon Cryer) because their old pal, Richie (Rafael Báez) disappeared some time ago and Stan heard a rumor that Richie might be hanging out around Coney Island. So the pair of very unlike friends go to Coney on a most unlikey day...it's cold, it's overcast and it's practically empty. And, they spend the day meeting odd characters and following leads that might take them to Richie...who is now apparently homeless and mentally ill.

I appreciated the film mostly towards the end. Up until then, I was somewhat indifferent about it. But Richie's plight and mental health issues were handled so realistically that I had a lot of respect for the picture...especially in light of my own background as a social worker and psychotherapist. The writers got this part right....and didn't offer any trite ending where everything is magically resolved...like too many Hollywood films. In addition, the film featured some lovely performances and is well worth your time if you don't need explosions and action but value studies of people.

Funny and touching. I really enjoyed this film. It has a good balance of humor and sentiment. Cryer, as always, is a pleasure to watch on screen. I look forward to seeing more of his work and would recommend this film to anyone.