Customer Reviews

King of the Corner

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This film is the story of a middle aged man who is still unsure of who he really is (or should be). He struggles to have a decent relationship with his elderly father, his wife and his daughter. His job is less than secure and he is having a bit of an (after) mid-life crisis. Very well made film with an amazing cast and some great dialogue. Actor/director Peter Riegert (Animal House,Local Hero) has been traveling around the country promoting this film and hopefully it will find an audience soon. Mr Riegert holds Q and A sessions after the screenings of King Of The Corner and the man has a real love of acting (not to mention that everyone involved in this movie is outstanding). There is a nice dry sense of humor throughout the film, so when things do take a turn for the worse, you can expect a chuckle to be just around the corner. For fans of movies about love, loss and finding happiness in this short life we are given, this is a movie to cherish. The only passion you will find in cinema these days is within the indy film scene. I look forward to Mr Riegert's next project (whether it be acting or directing).

This is a very mediocre movie. I'm not surprised it didn't find a distributor, despite having a pretty stellar cast, which includes Eli Wallach, Isabella Rosellini, Rita Moreno and Beverly D'Angelo.

I really wanted to like this movie and I felt it started out pretty good but it became painfully clear that its main fault is that it tries to depict the Jewish experience in America with one worn out cliche after another. The wooden acting by most of the cast didn't help either.

King of the Corner is quirky and cute. Reigert is funny, with some great quotes. The ensemble actors are also great, especially Rossellini and Johnson. Enjoyable film with many great scenes.

Eli Wallach should be ashamed to appear in such a dull film. Nothing funny unless dirty words make you laugh.

What a great find! I recently saw this movie and was really impressed. Great cast, great performances, some very very funny scenes, and some surprisingly raw ones. I'm a huge fan of curb Your Enthousiasm and loved Sideways - it has that kind of appeal. I would highly recommend this.

I highly recommend this movie. Awesome cast with great performances and some very funny and sometimes akward moments lead me to laught out loud. Fans of movies like Curb Your Enthusiasm (akward/funny moments), Garden State (smart humor), Sideways (smart humor), and In Good Company (subject) will like this movie.

Reigert proves himself to be an accomplished director with this first feature-length outing. His Academy Award nominated short is also included and is a must see. Reigert delivers a terrific performance and is only enhanced by fellow veteran actors Rita Moreno, Beverly D'Angelo, Isabella Rossellini, Eric Bogosian, and Eli Wallach. Even the yonger actors, Jake Hoffman (Dustin's Son) and Ashley Johnson, stand out among the veterans.

I would not want to say that all the folks who found 'King of the Corner'
'rather dull and bad' are members of the pre-packaged dull and idiot crowd
....so I will not say....that they are pre-packaged dull individuals....and I will not refer to them as [all being] idiots because I am certain at least two of three of them are not of this.....well... idiots or....whatever. I'm sure that a few can tie their own shoe laces....feed themselves...and enjoy buttered popcorn.
I'm sure some folk will not find this review at all helpful....except if
one of the above crowd should invite you to go to a movie with them. Decline the invitation. But if you get a chance to see Peter Reigert's 'King of the Corner' on your own.....do so. Reigert is not
pre-packed for the "cutesie, hollywoodish types"...you take Riegert in the
box he is wrapped in.....and Riegert made a gem of a movie.
I have read and approve of this review!!!King of the Corner

Peter Reigert made a vanity film, which he wrote, directed and stars in. In case you don't know who he is, he's the guy who is not only IN every scene, but the center of every scene. No other characters are permitted to develop more than one or (maybe) two dimensions or interact with one another -- only with Reigert An outstanding cast that includes Eli Wallach, Isabella Rosellini, Rita Moreno and others is largely wasted in shallow, second-fiddle roles (although they are all solid pros who make what they can of the goofy lines they are given. Wallach particularly makes the most of his character).

The story actually starts off reasonably well, but begins to fall apart about 40 minutes in, after which it devolves into a series of random, inexplicable scenes that show a lack of thought or planning. It's like an onion: one layer, upon another layer, upon another layer, and in the middle -- is nothing.

Try "In Good Company" if you want to see a movie about a man in midlife crisis professionally and personally, or check out Steve Martin in "Parenthood." Another reviewer referred to this as Peter Riegert's "vanity film," and perhaps that's as good a label as any.

Mr. Riegert co-wrote, directed, and stars in this film, and there are problems in each of those areas, especially with the writing and acting. We never really can get a sense of the crisis that is building up in Riegert's character, Leo. When he suddenly finds himself in bed with his high school crush (Bevery D'Angelo), it comes out of nowhere. A better actor with a better script might have been able to clue us in along the way.

My wife and I are lifelong students of comedy, and we got the impression that many scenes were meant to be funny, but Riegert wasn't able to carry those scenes off as an actor or a director. Riegert's "reaction face" is almost without emotion--you can't feel his confusion or frustration building, so there's no laughs. Another actor might have conveyed more than the wooden Riegert.

And why on earth does Riegert's Leo complain endlessly about his "out of control" daughter, when we never see even one scene that convinces us that his daughter, who seems incredibly nice and sincere whenever she's on camera, is really acting up? Come on Mr. Riegert--"show us, don't tell us."

The best scene in the whole movie was the funeral; there is a lovely gesture in which Leo's late father's girlfriend is included in the family. Leo's speech is not bad here, and Riegert's acting finally reaches believability.

I think the idea of the film is okay, but its execution leaves so much to be desired. I like "little films" about the average guy's experience, but this film lacks a nuanced vision, both visually and verbally.

All in all, this is not a successful film.