4 New-Yorkaises

After seeing this film, still not available on DVD, one wants to say, "How did this movie ever get made?" It is funny, intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive. No exploding cars. No teens making out. No monsters from outer space. Used People is just excellent and thoughtful entertainment of a sort that makes one want to cheer. The script is unusually good, and the acting is outstanding. The leads, Marcello Mastronini and Shirley McLaine, could not have been selected and directed with greater care. Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, and Marcia Gay Harden are terrific. The photography is outstanding, and the sets recreate the 1940s and late 1960s very believably. The contrast between Jewish and Italian families in New York is most amusing. Why were no academy awards lavished on this film? Perhaps because it is out of step with contemporary cultural norms and deals essentially with seniors, i.e. people who have lived through much and have a measure of wisdom. Don't miss it.

I can't think of a film that had a better cast, story and acting.

I absolutely loved this film and its performances. It is about a Jewish family in 1969 Queens but as we know, human stories can be about any religion or ethnicity.

An all-star cast delivers wonderful performances in this "overlooked treasure" of a comedy drama. The main story deals with a family's loss of their patriarch, who 20 years earlier was prepared to silently exit his family's life because he saw no hope for his marriage to a dominating wife. At the funeral a man enters the picture, insisting on speaking to the widow. He reveals the secret that during that fateful evening 20 years earlier, he had convinced the now deceased husband to save his marriage by "dancing with his wife". The man watched the couple from the street as they danced in their kitchen. He was hopelessly in love with the image of this woman who had just fallen in love again with her husband. Better late than never, he now percistantly builds a relationship and eventually marries the woman.

There are many subplots to the story. One tells of the boy who feels the "presence" of his dead grandfather, and is certain that he is now invincible. This leads to several incidents where the boy tempts fate by putting his life in danger. His mother, herself dealing with the recent death of a younger child, escapes into a fantasy world by dressing up as Marilyn Monroe or "Mrs. Robinson". There is also a sub-plot discussing how elderly view their prospects of growing more dependent on others and eventually dying.

The film's main setting is NYC 1969. There are several beautiful references to the time, i. e. the Moon landing and the Mets winning the World Series. -- You gotta watch this movie carefully in order not to miss a beat, but you will enjoy it. The final scene drives it home. 5 stars for this one!

Admittedly, I LOVE films about relationships. Perhaps this is because I am a therapist.

This film is not only about finding love, but also about waking up to love that is already there. The characters grow and change in this film and if it seems uneven, this may be why. When the character of Pearl tells us early on that she never did anything she wanted in life, you doubt her ability to break away from her old life, but break away she does, carrying her mother, daughters and grandchildren with her.

This film has a happy ending, but it is not all neatly tucked away in pretty packages. If you like films that say something, try this one on for size. Films of similar flavor are "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" "Harold and Maude" and "Moonstruck" .

My feeling is that the film could have been better. As a whole, it is a little irregular, lacking some cohesion. However, the parts it is composed by are very nice, charming, funny, smart. The collection of well-developped and unique characters is excellent, and all actors do a great job. Then, although with reservations, I consider it a good and singular romantic comedy.