Customer Reviews

Mikey & Nicky [VHS]

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Mikey and Nicky" is a lost treasure, one of those gems that slip through the cracks when a big studio doesn't know what do to with a film that they think isn't "commercial" enough. Director Elaine May shot 1.5 million feet of film ("Gone With The Wind" took only 500,000 feet) and spent over two years tinkering with it before an exasperated Paramount Pictures took it away from her and dumped it into theaters in a butchered version in 1977. A completed. smoothly edited version wouldn't be available until the early '80's and this is the film that is now on DVD.

The film stars Peter Falk and John Cassavetes as two middle-aged gangsters. Nicky (Cassavetes) has stolen a lot of money from his employers and is on the run from a blustery, not-too-bright contract killer (Ned Beatty). A frantic Nicky calls Mikey (Falk), his friend from childhood, for help. Critics have noticed that this film seems almost a parody of Cassavetes' own directed films like "Faces" and "A Woman Under The Influence", and "Mikey and Nicky" does have a sort of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" improv feel to it. But a couple of viewings will reveal a careful structure to the screenplay. Different layers of these wiseguys' characters are gradually and surprisingly revealed until we get an almost literary, rounded understanding of them. Indeed, May is said to have started working on this as a play in the 1950's, and it does help to think of it as a theater piece that thrives on the action of language. (Although it is marvelously cinematic; as the two stumble through their long night together we get a terrific sense of the grungy 1970's urban landscape, so different from the clean, well-lighted convenience stores and mutiplexes of today.)

Nicky is impulsive, immature and wild; Mikey is something of a nerd who is pained that the bosses don't like him. Their relationship does remind you of the Harvey Keitel-Robert DeNiro friendship in "Mean Streets", filtered through the absurdist mob comedy of "Prizzi's Honor." Eventually, though, the laughs begin to stick in your throat as it becomes clear that May is primarily interested in the anatomy of betrayal and back-stabbing. These two know everything about each other from childhood and can't refrain from using that knowledge as weapons. The film eventually builds to a shattering climax that is one of the most effective I have seen in a long time. May's dark gangster fable is a clear ancestor in tone and humor to "The Sopranos", especially in its view of mobsters as working stiffs who play out office politics with guns and knives. If you are a fan of that HBO masterpiece, you should really see "Mikey and Nicky."

This is a truly startling piece of cinema, considering it was directed by Elaine May, half the Nichols-May comedy duo and director of the biting comedies A New Leaf (sadly unavailable on DVD...or even VHS) and The Heartbreak Kid. Mikey and Nicky is unlike any other of May's films and, in fact, unlike any other American crime film, with one possible exception. And that exception is John Cassevetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.

The similarity is seen in the same jarring cinema verite-like style on display. The constant close shots of what the two main characters do throws us right into their problems, their anguish, their mental manipulations. The often sounds-like-it-was-improvised dialogue was, in fact, not improvised--but the two actors playing the title characters, John Cassevetes and Peter Falk, did a lot of improvising while the film was originally being shot. Almost none of it was used, but watching this film, you can't tell that; it feels like they're the actual characters who could say anything based on who these characters are, rather than actors portraying the characters. Brilliant acting.

Cassevetes is a unique talent whose films are unlike any others in American cinema and these no doubt provided the impetus for May's technique here; her inspiration was strong enough to cast Cassevetes himself as well as one of his regulars, Falk, as the two leads. These two play off each other so well it is impossible to stop the film and go to the fridge for a beer.

They're both criminals, close to the bottom of the totem pole for that era--mid 70s (this was actually released in 1977). Nicky (Cassevetes) has made off with a chunk of loot from his bosses and Mikey (Falk), his friend, comes to Nicky's hotel room when Nicky phones him to come and help him out. What ensues is a powerful back and forth of Mikey's allegiance to their mob boss, most obviously shown with his connection to a shooter, played, interestingly enough, by Ned Beatty. Mikey's allegiance to his boss plays off Nicky's paranoia based on what he's done and his fear that he'll get iced.

If this were only a tale of simple betrayal, we could call it quits right here and say, yeah, sure, been there, done that. But Mikey and Nicky have a relationship that's too complex for that. You can feel, when they're together, that they need something from each other, that they can give each other a sense of belonging, even if only to the same underworld connection that no one else can give each of them. This edgy psychological bond is the powerful glue that holds not only the two of them together, but the viewer to the film.

Whether or not betrayal actually happens IS the point, no question. It's really how and why we get there that makes this film a stunning piece of work.

A real gut punch of a film, Mikey and Nicky slams it home. See it.

It's interesting what having a film on your radar so long can do both to your own appreciation of it, and to your perception of it as an artifact. I knew this wasn't a TAXI DRIVER or STAR WARS (to name just a couple of popular examples released around the same time) in terms of its popularity, cultural impact or reputation, but for some reason through my own knowledge of it and being reminded of it regularly I had the impression that it was a better-known, more seen film than it actually is. As it happens, the film has less than half as many votes on the IMDb as May's earlier two films, A NEW LEAF and THE HEARTBREAK KID, and only a fraction of the number of reviews. Her well-publicized box-office bomb ISHTAR is much, much better known and more frequently seen. And star John Cassavetes' film THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE, which offers some interesting points of comparison and was released in the same year - also has many times as many votes and reviews on that film site, and on this one. One can't blame lack of availability either - it's been on DVD since 2004.

Why the obscurity then? The stories of the film's troubled production and even more troubled editing are well-known and appear in almost every lengthy later review or account of the film - so I'm not going to go into detail. Suffice it to say that though the budget remained modest even by 1976 standards (just over $4 million), the shoot went long and May's methods were called into question by her producer, cinematographer and seemingly most of the people on the crew. Roughly 1.4 million feet of film were exposed (three times as much as the much-larger-scaled GONE WITH THE WIND used) and May's tinkering with the editing took so long that she was eventually forced to put out an unsatisfactory cut to get it released at all. It was only several years later that the version we have now was made available, and people began to see that her perfectionism might in fact have paid off. Perhaps that ancient reputation - and also the reputation the film has for its bleakness - has contributed to the continuing lack of response.

What we have in essence in MIKEY AND NICKY is a two-person character drama, a story about friendship, paranoia and betrayal, that is so carefully rehearsed and so meticulously put together that it achieves something of the force of John Cassavetes' own work as a director - that is, it feels authentic, improvised and spontaneous despite the obsessive retakes and editing. Cassavetes is Nicky, a fairly small-time criminal on the downswing, separated from his wife and kid and holed up in a divey hotel in Philadelphia, waiting for death. Mickey (Peter Falk) is his only friend, and at the beginning of the film it's Mickey who Nicky turns to for help to get him out of the mess - though just how that's going to work is unclear. It's also rather unclear as to whether anyone is really after him - at first - for stealing a bookie's cash. Mickey doesn't seem to believe him - Nicky is sick with an ulcer and seemingly hasn't slept and has apparently always been more than a little paranoid.

But as the film progresses we do see that there is in fact somebody after Nicky, a not-too-bright hood named Kinney (Ned Beatty), who keeps missing the duo as they move on from bar to bar, to cemetery, to all-night movie theater, taking busses, walking and running, arguing and reminiscing over their shared childhoods. And we also start to wonder about the phone call Mickey places, early in the film from the first bar that he and Nicky drink in. If Nicky is on his way down - personally and professionally - we soon see that Mickey is on his way up, and perhaps it will turn out Nicky's choice of this oldest friend to confide in and trust isn't a very good one.

Mikey and Nicky is photographed in much the same sort of pseudo-verité style that most of Cassavetes' indie features were - lots of close-ups, lots of brief and jarring camera movements, handheld shots, longish takes side by side with very brief cuts, etc, and all done with a lighting scheme that attempts a very realistic palette of color and brightness in this entirely night-set and night-shot story. So it's interesting that the sound design of the film is almost completely at odds with the photography; even in long shots we always hear Mikey and Nicky perfectly clearly, much of their dialogue is clearly looped (very, very skillfully), and external noises are often kept to an unrealistic minimum or eliminated. The effect is almost a Brechtian distancing one - what we see looks real, what we hear seems more like a theatrical piece. In fact the film started out as an idea for a play that May had in the 1950s but never (apparently) wrote or produced as such. Given that the two main characters are both garrulous storytellers, and that the film consists of a fairly limited number of scenes which are all almost entirely dialogue-filled, this seems appropriate to me. It's an inherently theatrical and over-the-top stagey piece that manages to work miraculously well as a film.

Falk and Cassavetes are as good as I've ever seen them, with Cassavetes managing to play a character on the edge throughout the piece without ever going into self-parody, and Falk managing the difficult task of remaining likeable throughout even as we see more of his dark side growing minute by minute. One very interesting element that runs as an undercurrent throughout the film but occupies a fairly small portion of the running time is the relationships that both main characters have to women. It's apparent that on a certain level Mikey has maintained his sanity and moved up in the world in part through having a stable family life - and through giving up a certain part of his more macho, youthful attitude - and this may also help to account for his ultimate attitude towards his best friend. Nicky on the other hand is still reaching out to Mikey, and some of this may have to do with his inability to really connect with and be honest with any of the women in his life, let alone with just one of them. Whether the film is saying that men can have a stable relationship OR keep their friendships, or not, I don't know, but the ambiguity with which Mikey's actions are seen leads me to believe it's a pretty complex issue which I'll need more viewings to sort out.

Ultimately this is a pretty dark film about friendship, nostalgia, and betrayal which I think is open to a lot of interpretations, but is at the same time beautiful and moving to watch as a fairly simple character study with two great actors riffing on each other. I don't know if it exceeded all my expectations or dreams of what it would be, after 20 years of living with the possibility of it in my head, but it certainly didn't disappoint.

The DVD looks terrific, and there are some interesting interviews with cinematographer Victor J. Kemper and Michael Hausman, who while appreciative enough of May's talent don't hesitate to confirm the difficulties on the set, and afterwards. May herself, unsurprisingly, doesn't contribute. It's too bad - whatever the criticisms some might have of her methods, there's little denying the miraculous results.

Mikey and Nicky is possibly my favorite film. I've introduced many people to it (by force) and i don't think a single one has afterward not put the film on their top 5 list. Elaine May wrote and directed this but Cassavetes' influence is everywhere. That isn't to take anything away from May who has demonstrated her genius in so many genres. this film, however, almost cost her a career. the studio was outraged at the stark realism and 'artistic nature' of the movie and blacklisted May for years afterwards and tried to bury the film. Peter Falk and John Cassavetes are astonishing, strange and beautiful in this work of art.

A word to the wise: those purchasing this video hoping to have a letterboxed version of "Mikey and Nicky" will be sorely disappointed. It was not SHOT widescreen. It was shot in the standard 1.33:1 ratio

The one-star rating refers to the false advertisement, not the film itself, which is a five star classic. A full fledged review will appear another time.

Still, it is a pretty good transfer.

If you are a John Cassavetes fan, that is the movies he has directed, you would swear that this is one of his best. It isn't. Elaine May wrote and directed this mid 70s gem. The film is mesmerizing and unforgettable. Wish they still made them like this.

Directed with confidence by Elaine May, this gritty, pared-to-the bone crime drama about a penny ante Mafia associate who's on the run after embezzling a cache of money from the mob has a freewheeling, improvisational quality that perfectly matches its air of anxious desperation. The film succeeds brilliantly because of the give-and-take rapport between Falk and Cassavetes, who come across like a bickering old couple destined at any moment for a violent meltdown. Ned Beatty also contributes an edgy turn as the hired killer out to nail Nicky. With betrayal looming like an ominous shadow, "Nicky" is an engaging study of street life and strained male relations.

I Personally belive this film shows the gritty side of 1970's
crime world in great detail. Nickey, a nervous wreck thinks
someone has put a contract out on his life, calls upon his buddy
Mikey to help him as the two pair go on long night of tearing up
the streets and smokey bars and realizes their deep betrayal with every turn. Throughtout this film it sometimes resembles
1973's Mean Streets but not quite as good but holds it's own
with it's restless, edgy style.

Mikey and Nicky the characters aren't very compelling guys to begin with, and instead of getting to know them by action in the script, we are dropped into their lives after the crucial decisions that have led them the opening scene have already been made. We're left an abundance of expository dialogue that fills in what could have been an interesting first act to this drama.

There is no arc to any of the characters, no tension, and most disappointing of all, no payoff in end to the story. Nicky has a price on his head, but as the film opens he has already died the coward's thousand deaths, so who really cares what happens to him? Mikey, Nicky's long time but ambiguously loyal friend, unlike the prototypical film gangster doesn't seem all that devoted to the mob, God, or his family, so the viewer has no idea what sort of moral dilemma he faces in deciding whether to protect Nicky or expose him to the hit.

This is a film that I was really expecting to enjoy, but I turned it off halfway through and had to force myself to finish the following day. All the performers are top notch, but this is muddled, pointless story that does not deserve the hype surrounding its revival.

John Cassavetes (Nicky) and Peter Falk (Mikey) are two small-time hoods; Nicky is about to be bumped off by the mob and goes to Mikey for help. But Mikey is an ambiguous character who seems to be helping Nicky, but really isn't. Nicky gets it in the end--right on Mikey's doorstep. There is very strong acting by Cassavetes and Falk, much of it apparently improvised, though much of the movie has a very stagey quality to it: lots of dialogue in set scenes, not much action. Ellaine May directed, though not very well. Forgettable.