Customer Reviews

Next Stop, Greenwich Village

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an autobiographical film by Mazursky featuring young, then unknown New York actors like Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Murray, and it gives us one of Shelly Winter's best performances (it's unforgettable). Greenwich Village in the 50s, the Bohemian era with its cafes, rent parties, and blossoming sexual freedoms. Lenny Baker promised to be our own Jean-Paul Belmondo--he died young--and this is his best performance: sensible, yearning, funny, and blossoming with talent and ambition, he catches it perfectly. The remaining cast is surprisingly powerful, and the mood that Mazursky catches is memorable: freedom and youth, humor and youthful hypocrisy in an era cracking at the seams to reinvent the world and still have it all.

It's hard to explain the lack of public response to this charming comedy in 1976. Perhaps because it was released when all cities, especially New York City, were having such hard times. Or maybe it was the casting of mostly unknowns that sank it.

For whatever reason, Paul Mazursky's NEXT STOP GREENWICH VILLAGE is a classic movie about youthful ambition, betrayal, tragedy, and never-ending surplus of hope. While most directors ultimately wind up knee-deep in schlock when making a movie about their youths, Mazursky keeps his focus on honesty. There's an integrity in his examination of these young characters, as they support and/or abuse each other in pursuit of their aspirations.

The performances are sparklers. The late Lenny Baker contributes just the right amounts of comedy, self-doubt and, ultimately, self-confidence the role demands. And, as others have mentioned, Shelley Winters is totally priceless! NEXT STOP GREENWICH VILLAGE should be your next purchase.

PS--When will the dvd version come out?

This early Paul Mazursky film could well be his finest achievement. Wonderfully mixing irony and affection, it examines bohemian New York in the 50's, its scenes generously filled with the assorted types - from fragile to vicious - who then flocked to Greenwich Village, seeking personal freedom and frequently a career in the arts. Mazursky's knowledge of that time and place is unerring; the pubs, the street life and the character types he presents are accurately, hilariously and, often, movingly drawn. From the frequenters of the San Remo to the Brando imitators at the Actor's Studio, he recreates the aspiring young people of a time long since gone but still fresh in the memories of some persons who were part of it.
A nostalgic invocation of the past, however, is not the film's sole or even chief strength. That honor goes instead to the amazing part of the actor hero's mother brilliantly portrayed by Shelley Winters, clearly in the role of her career. She is the Jewish Mother On Film for all time. Not just a stereotypical devotee of the classic formula - control guilt feelings and you control the child - she is also, surprisingly and freshly, herself a frustrated artist. When she weeps over the radio singing of Jussi Bjorling, vowing to hear him in person at the Met, or unconventionally jitterbugs, mad glint in her eye, with a black gay guy at a Greenwich Village party she crashes, we feel affection for her despite her cluelessness and manipulations. Hers is an unfulfilled life in Brooklyn, for she's bursting with an artist's energy which has no outlet. This becomes the ground of her aspiring actor son's and then our eventual respect and affection for her despite her meddling as the would-be power behind the son's throne. "Next Stop Greenwich Village," all told, is a film of considerable distinction, and it deserves to be far better known.

This is a bittersweet film about family, leaving "the nest", friendships, dreams, hope, & finding yourself. A young man from Brooklyn leaves home to become an actor in 1950's Greenwich Village. The late Lenny Baker is very good as Larry Lapinsky & Ellen Green is wonderful as his girlfriend. The quirky characters & situations around them add an ambiance to this movie that makes you believe it was filmed in the 1950's, & not the 70's, when it was actually made. A lot of attention was paid to detail & it shows. Shelly Winters is loud, obnoxious, funny & convincing as the typical Jewish mother (I love the scene when she shows up at his apartment with a chicken). This movie makes you wish you could jump into the film & sit with these characters, have coffee with them, ride the subway, go to one of Larry's rent parties, & experience the progressive, offbeat world of New York's Greenwich Village in the 1950's.

The Dave Brubeck music tracks backing the action were recorded long after 1953 when this film was set, as any jazz fan will immediately notice. And the street light poles are circa 1970s. Still, there's something warmly effective about this NYC period piece, even if Shelly Winters gets on your nerves as the Jewish mother. It's fun seeing 1976 New York set-dressed to look 20 years younger. The Caffe Reggio hasn't changed, though, even today. A little dated, overall, but worth the watch, as any Mazursky film usually is.

Next Stop, Greenwich Village was one of the smaller, gems of a movie, that came out in 1976, and for whatever reason was diffcult to find even on vhs (except for overly priced copies) for years, so I was happy to come across a copy of the dvd- which was a low-key dvd release. The quality of the dvd is great for such a bargain price. Set in the early 1950's, you forget that this a 30 yr old film, except when you see the much younger Chris Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and a brief glimpse of Bill Murray. Wonderful acting performances by the entire cast. Buy this dvd, sit back, and take the subway to the Village and you will be in for a real treat.

Excellent acting. Fun movie with real situations of life which seldom are exposed that openly today. It is nice to "feel" the old Greenwich Village, and NYC again. Loved it.

I recommend this film, being Jewish myself, and having lived in New York as a young girl, and being a "baby boomer" it was a nostalgic film for me. Just like life, there are the joys, the triumphs, the dramas, the family member embarrassments, the betrayals, etc but most of all it all seems to "work" itself well in the trapestry of life. If you lived in the East Coast (or didn't) I feel you will like this film. Great acting, Shelly Winters did a magnificent job as her role as the Jewish mother,the son, forever trying to escape the manipulative Jewish mom, the passive father, the cast of characters who were his friends, all made it a terrific film! Grab some popcorn (kosher ,LOL) and sit back and enjoy.

This is a sweet memoire of a precious time in the life of Paul Mazursky. The man has a lot of heart and it shows here in this film which could have been really bad in the hands of a lesser writer/director. The characters are familiar to us: the aspiring actor from Brooklyn, trying desperately to get away from his overbearing Jewish mamma, the henpecked dad, the younger set of arty types of mixed races and sexual preferences. What keeps the film fresh is the very real affection Mazursky feel for the folks; otherwise they could have fallen into terrible cliches.

The cast is uniformly good and perfectly chosen for their roles. Shelly Winters as the Mom gives one of her best performances, in my opinion. She is an actress whose shrill over-the-top style often turns me off and she still lets the stops go here but there is a warmth and genuine joie de vivre that I found endearing. The actor who plays the dad has few lines to say, as he did in life, but his face tells a lot. I found his presence quite moving and again he avoided the stereotype and brought a genuine human feeling to it. Ellen Greene is very good as the pretty Jewish girl who is the love interest. We never know quite how she feels about the actor; she plays it just right, somewhere between sweet and cagey.

Lenny Baker is Larry Lipinsky, the Mazursky alter ego. I suppose that since Mazursky chose him, he was right for the role. Personally I found him a little annoying, especially when he went into his grandiose acting spiels, but that's no doubt how 22 year old aspiring actors in the 50's were.

Christopher Walken, who is billed as "Chris Walken" is eye catching in a small role, as Robert, one of the buddies. He is portrayed as a cold hearted bastard, as opposed to Lenny who truly loves the girl, but frankly I thought the girl made the right choice by running off with him to Mexico. Lenny's version of love is just as egotistical in its own way as Robert's and his sense of moral superiority is a bit unfounded-- especially when he hit the girl. Jeff Goldblum gives a noteworthy cameo, too. No wonder Walken and Goldblum went on to greater roles.

It's a period piece and people who love New York, especially the New York of the 50's will find a lot to like in this film.

This movie was featured in a local Jewish Film Festival that I was unable to attend. Based on its inclusion, I felt it was probably a movie worth seeing, so I bought it and I did enjoy it.