Customer Reviews

Minnie & Moskowitz

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

A little-seen treasure. I believe that this is the first official release on video, so this wonderful film can finally be seen other than on the late night movie or the occasional film festival. A charming, offbeat love story of the unlikely romance between a WASPy, middle class museum curator (Rowlands) and a slightly wacky hippie parking lot attendant (Cassel), this is one of Cassavetes' most satisfying works. Rowlands is terrific as usual, and Cassel is also great. He's one of the most underappreciated actors of the late twentieth century. The two are an odd combination, but somehow it works. Some scenes are hilarious, particularly an early date scene between Rowlands and the great Val Avery as an overzealous potential suitor. It's been said that Cassavetes couldn't do comedy, but you can't tell it from watching this movie. Minnie and Moskowitz is a great introduction to Cassavetes. It manages to be light hearted and comedic, while retaining the strong characterizations, dramatic depth, and offbeat feel of his more serious films. Four and 1/2 stars (rounded up to five). Highly recommended.

All Cassavetes movies are worthwhile, and those with Gena Rowlands in them are doubly so. I'm awfully surprised to see this out on video as it has been particularly difficult to see over the years. I wouldn't suggest it to someone who has never seen a Cassavetes film before. Although it is particularly lighthearted for him, I don't think it would make a particularly good introduction. The film is odd, odd, odd... The characters really do seem pretty darned mismatched, but you wind up happy to see them together after getting to know them. It contains one of Cassavetes lovelier non-endings, too... I am flabbergasted that this and "Husbands" both managed to make it out on video before "Love Streams", though... Now THAT would make the perfect intro to Cassavetes I think, if you could make sure the introducee sat through at least the first 30-minutes. "Minnie and Moskowitz" is likely to leave the uninitiated a bit intrigued, but mainly puzzled.

Many consider Cassavetes to be the father of American Independent Film. So, it's about time more of his film's are released to video. Minnie and Moskowitz is one of my favorites. Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel are uniquely genuine actors and their chemistry is exciting. It's a fun comic film yet still insightful. It is lighter than most of Cassavetes work. Therefore, it should appeal to a wider audience than, perhaps, Love Streams, which, I feel, is his best film. Unfortunately, Love Streams is currently unavailable.

before seeing this movie i never knew who gena rowlands was(that was about 15 years ago) since then i have seen most of her film work and she is the lovliest actress since ingrid bergman.i really enjoyed this funny and realistic movie about 2 misfits looking for love. i especially loved the scene where seymor(cassel) cuts off his mustache! rowlands expression is priceless!

What a wacky wonderful comedy! This movie is funny but it's much more than
funny. You can be laughing and crying in the same scene because it tells truths
about love and life. Cassavetes is never merely an entertainer. He wants to make
you think. I also want to highly recommend a new book where Cassavetes talks
about this film and all of his other ones. It's by Ray Carney and called
Cassavetes on Cassavetes, and is the geatest collection of "behind the scenes"
stories I've ever read anywhere. (It's available at a discount on this site.)
Great book. Great stories. Turns out that Cassavetes was as nutty and wild as
Moskowitz is in this film. Is that good or bad? You'll have to decide for
yourself. That's the way Cassavetes movies are. You have to think about them.
You'll be talking about this movie for a long time.

Is Moskowitz out of his mind? What's wrong with Minnie?

Cassavetes teaches us that love might not appear as we want it to; as "a knight in shining armor" or "Sleeping Beauty". Instead, love transcends fantansy, and may manifest itself as something strange and unfamiliar. It is a REAL emotion, a grounded, earthy emotion, that moves us to do and to act in ways "uncharacteristic" of ourselves; spontaneous and eccentric (Moskowitz), or, when we long for it, love can make us feel small and desperate (Minnie). In addition, Cassavetes uses love as the impetus in proving how complex we can be; the degrees of our humanity in infinite shades: frustration, anger, passion, doubt, etc. Without going into detail about the film I would like to add that I've recently finished "Cassavetes On Cassavetes", a book about the filmmaker and his films, and it brilliantly gives fans a greater understanding of his films; that they are explorations of humanity, and a plethora of reasons why Cassavetes is regarded as a pioneer in the world of independent film. I highly recommend this film, and this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and think it's one of Cassavetes best. It's been cast perfectly with Rowlands and Cassel and they both give moving, funny and electric performances. The exterior shots are amazing and the colours are great too. I laughed out loud many times at this shockingly real film and was deeply moved in parts like I am with most of his work. Seymour Cassel is a very underated actor and if you like him in this then you should watch In The Soup in which he is hilarious and very intriuging. I also recommend Cassavetes's Husbands which is just as good as the wonderful Minnie and Moskowitz. Check it out.

a great, great movie. seymour cassell and gena rowlands light up the screen together. i wish this movie were made more available. aside from a woman under the influence i think it is john c's best movie. and certainly the ultimate timothy carrey scene is here. in the diner. holy god, man.

For a fascinating behind-the-scenes info about Minnie and Moskowitz and a list of books about Cassavetes' work, go to Ray Carney's website dedicated to John Cassavetes (found through any search engine).

Minnie and Moskowitz is an unusual love story that has a very unique feeling to it right from the start. Minnie Moore is a pretty blond woman that works in a museum. Seymour Moskowitz is a parking lot attendant that is a bit of a goofball. Seymour's chance encounter with Minnie is love at first sight, but now he has to convince her to feel the same. Minnie is romantic at heart, but isn't sure if she believes in love so Seymour has quite a challenge.

If the romance between Seymour and Minnie could be compared to the sound of violin music, it would be the type that hurts your ears. They have a very rocky romance that is one roller coaster of a ride. It doesn't help that their personas clash a bit. Minnie has a sophisticated presence while Seymour may be headstrong; he isn't as polished as her.

Nearly all the characters are odd, but in a captivating way. You wouldn't think of anyone in the movie as really being crazy, but they certainly are unusual. Part of what gives the movie its magical feeling is the conversations these people have, which border on the philosophical side.

The emotion and drama that is part of this story may put off some viewers. There is a lot of yelling by a lot of the people in this film. What may repulse viewers even more is the violence. Minnie takes and gives some hits in her relationships. It is all part of the story, but may get on your nerves too. Despite this, everything ties together well at the end and finishes in a way that I enjoyed. The final message is one of hope and it makes the crazy ride all worthwhile.