Lost in Yonkers

Memorable, well thought-out characters interact in this family disrupted by WWII. Set (of course) in Yonkers, a domineering grandmother inhibits aspirations of her offspring with selfish, puritanical behavior deriving from her own, difficult upbringing.

Neil Simon finally does some serious drama in this better than best movie. Although the movie is based mainly around the two boys, I believe the moral is how one individuals power can affect the lives and dreams of everyone else.

Although the movies ending was not a very happy one, it was nice to take a break from the routine "and they lived happily ever after" sort of ending. It's nice to have a not so nice ending in which most real life stories have.

The movie was very well planned out and the 1940's theme was very well detailed. Although the movie was nowhere near as good as the play, I still believe it's cast deserves a high rating.

This movie is an excellent screen adaptation of a great play. Instead of being hokey or sentimental, the story provides a candid portrayal of a family in crisis, as each family member is forced to deal with issues that have long repressed. Essentially, the story centers around the relationship between an overbearing mother, performed magnificently by Irene Worth, and her confused daughter, played by Mercedes Ruehl. Ms. Ruehl's performance is a tour-de-force. She completely dominates this movie. The climactic scene between the mother and daughter is both poignant and powerful, and raises this movie to the level of great cinema and drama. Richard Dreyfuss also gives a strong performance as the brother with the bravado but also with a heart. This movie should be a must-watch for anyone who likes screen adaptations of plays and for people in general who like strong drama.

This film is a good look on life during World War II. The film starts out as a comedy involving two youngsters, then evolves into a family drama towards the end. Richard Dreyfuss' character overreacts, is annoying, serves as a major distraction, and hardly has any screen time. Ruehl deserved an Oscar for her performance.

In all, a good warm film.

How often today do we see films about entire families? Even the missing are still in the frame here, as alive in memory as in space. The acting here from everyone is just superb. The feeling of the stage is wonderfully present. This film belongs to a somewhat small sample of a stage play perfectly realized on the screen.

There are a lot of funny lines in what becomes a very serious movie. Arty has the best one - "Do you think the Germans would let some Jew in Poland send $5000 to a Jew in Alabama?" Pretty sharp for a 12-year old in 1944.

An odd aspect of the film which I think makes the presentation even more theatrical, is the choice to film in the environs of Cincinnati, as far from Yonkers as could be imagined. This serves to isolate the family even more, in a complex way which cannot be described. It's a little like the world of Willy Loman, half real and half imagined.

I really enjoyed this film.