La traición de Mikey

Elaine May gives us a real portrait of friendship that hacks like Tarantino and LaBute could only dream of making. She doesn't get hung up on the hipness or the coolness of her characters. Mikey and Nicky are people she forces us to care about. They are reflections of ourselves, even if we have never been wanted by the mob. Elaine May gives us reasons to relate to and to sympathize with Mikey and Nicky, but she also shows us reasons to feel out and out disgust for them. Our decisions and emotions are not simple and our view of this characters cannot be one-sided. No one wears white. No one wears black. There is no right, no wrong. It's not about witty dialogue and unique and jaded perspectives on life. This film is life and it's not pretty and easy to swallow, but it is honest.

Viewers familiar with John Cassavetes' directing style will see his influence in this film, but Elaine May wrote and directed it. It is an engaging, highly unusual drama about two childhood pals mixed up with the mob. Don't expect Martin Scorsese or Francis Coppola glitz here---this movie is different. There is a real, uncinematic edge to it. It almost plays like a documentary, or a "reality movie." And the actors--Falk and Cassevetes were good friends and frequently worked together--allow for unique male-bonding (and a dissection of the male sex) that rarely occurs in modern film (another characteristic of a Cassavetes-directed film). Women are basically throwaway characters in many of his films, and that is the case here. This movie will either be an endurance test for audiences, or a fascinating experience. It was the latter for me.

A list of best films-you-didn't see from the seventies and eighties could not be complete without a host of John Cassavetes films: THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (1976 - given thumbs down on release, lauded as a classic now), and LOVE STREAMS (1984) are just two overlooked gems. Likewise, the only reason you can make for anybody not seeing MIKEY AND NICKY (Cassavetes starred, but didn't write/direct) is that nobody heard of it.

I assume you have one of two reasons for reading this review. Either (a) you love the film and are looking for like-minded opinion; or (b) you stumbled upon it accidentally, in which case I shall put it as simple as possible: you gotta see it.

Mikey (John Cassavetes) sits in a shoebox hotel room, a price now on his head, scared stiff. In desperation he calls his gangster childhood pal Nicky (Peter Falk) to help him get out of town.

A synopsis doesn't cover the density of the film. Two fragile male egos rebound off each other as the leads recall just why they love and hate each other so much. I cannot think of a better casting move than coupling Cassavetes and Falk. Good friends in real life, and frequent collaborators, they bring an intimacy to the film rarely seen elsewhere.

Within the first half-hour it dawns on the audience that engrossing as the story is, the outcome is not the most important aspect. Director Elaine May draws strength from the honesty of the characters. Her handling is at once compassionate and even-handed. The result: the characters are likeable for all their flaws.

It resonates more and more every time you watch it, enough for me personally to consider it will be a major influence on anything I might have the chance to film in the future.

The passing of Cassavetes was heartbreaking, the casual neglect of his output just as much so. If you don't know much about the man who took Scorsese under his wing, take the time today to investigate. Elaine May went on to make ISHTAR. Sadly, she hasn't directed since.

MIKEY AND NICKY is one of the greatest American films ever made.

Cassavetes and Falk are excellent in this film. Unfortunately the film is let down by poor pacing, and poor production.

Each scene is drawn out just that little bit too long. By the time we hit the 2nd act I was finding it hard to keep focused. It felt like the director was trying to string out a short into a feature. It's a pity because both leads gave excellent performances'. Cassavetes's character was getting incredibly annoying. I was rooting for him to get whacked after 45 minutes.

I don't using complain about production value of 70's films. It was a LOT tougher back then. Mickey & Nicky had a sizeable budget though, and it looked terrible.

There are much better Cassavetes films, such as "Gloria" & "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie".

People give respect to give respect to Scorsese's "Casino", to "Taxi Driver", to "Mean Streets", they give respect to "The Godfather" and a whole slew of gritty organized crime movies. But I've never heard a single mention of this movie. Thankfully, people have been coming slowly around to Cassavetes-directed movies, but seldom, if ever, have I heard anyone compliment this movie for which Cassavetes is only credited for his acting. The silence regarding this movie is ridiculous, because of how great this movie is. It's so pure, it's so rough, it makes "Mean Streets" look big budget. The director, the comic-timing pro Elaine May, is a genius to let the actors do their thing, because they are legendary actors and to get too involved would ruin the chemistry. I think it's wise to go into this movie without knowing too much except maybe the names of the two leads and the director, and that the whole production is amazing without being perfect.