Putzel

Putzel is the perfect blend of heartwarming and hilarious. A group of well written and well acted characters telling a story anyone can relate to. The acting, direction and script are so well done that you find yourself engaged by even the most minor characters. It encapsulates life on The Upper West side of Manhattan without alienating audiences elsewhere. Instead of being alienating it makes the Upper West side feel relatable, like it could be anywhere. Although at times it deals with surprising sad and dark subject matter it leaves you feeling hopeful. It also will make you laugh with some of the funniest moments you've seen in a film. These things and it's Billy Wilder like style make it an instant classic.

At times farcical, at times whimsical, PUTZEL is always true to itself. Walter (Jack Carpenter) is a young man grappling with his future. Paralyzed by both a familial legacy and his own neurosis, he struggles to achieve security and a clear path to happiness. Sally (Melanie Lynskey) presents an attractive yet thorny alternative to those expectations - but at a cost. In the end, freedom will come if only if he is able to - forgive me for this - swim against the tide. John Pankow's performance as the uncle continues to deepen in my memory. New York's Upper West Side gives an uncredited major performance. All principles are well cast but the secondary roles - Armando Riesco, Adrian Martinez, Jarleth Conroly, Steve Park - are delightful and nearly flawless. (A hilarious scene with Fred Berman will have to be kept hidden from his family.) Hard to believe it was shot on such a low budget. Definitely worth checking out - a modest gem.

We previewed this film at the Cinema Society of San Diego, and what a delightful evening it was. The movie was tender, funny, adorable and elicited laughter and embraces from the audience. Each role was played out with understated, well-cast characters who delivered believable performances, making the entire movie feel like home.

Our guest speaker, Allegra Cohen, who played the part of Willa, and produced the movie, brought it all to life with her own energy and enthusiasm to the members' questions and comments.

Though the story is age-old (boy meets girl, unrequited love unfolds, and the end turns out okay), it's the characters, setting and acting that make it so tender and touching.

You'll want to catch this flick on your film festival circuit, and hopefully, when it's out in theaters and on Netflix!

Enjoy, it's a little bouquet of pleasantly-scented flowers that we can all appreciate!

If, like me, you've bemoaned the lack of character-based, pathos-filled, and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny relationship comedies lately, then Putzel will come as a welcome breath of whitefish and lox-scented air. With all the bite and heart of the best Billy Wilder movies, director Jason Chaet tells a story of dysfunctional romance and blighted dreams, set entirely within the delivery radius of an old-school, family-owned Manhattan deli. The stakes have never been higher for Walter "Putzel" Himmelstein as he gamely attempts to manage an uncertain future, a wildly egotistical uncle, an irrational phobia, and a deli counter, which all finally comes into focus for him when a ballet and fish-loving shiksa goddess played by the always great Melanie Lynskey plies (plee-ayys?) into his life. There's bona fide laughter and tears here, and it all comes in a witty, Manischewitz-soaked punch.

Putzel is a film which demonstrates that with love and the right amount of courage, you can break free from your metaphorically familial and mental shackles to reveal the person you are truly meant to be.

Through the keen directorial skill of Jason Chaet paired with Rick Moore's quirky, sensitive and a tiny bit raunchy writing, you find yourself deeply engrossed in a love story that is rarely seen nowadays. It is a tale with true heart and soul acted beautifully by the likes of Jack Carpenter, Melanie Lynskey, John Pankow and Susie Essman. And to top it all off, it is set in the historic and world renowned Upper West Side of Manhattan! What you find in the end is that there is a little bit of Putzel in all of us. We have our faults and our strengths and this film helps you decipher between the two. So get together with some friends and family, have a nosh and go see Putzel. You'll be glad you did!