Goodbye, Columbus
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Movie Reviews of Goodbye, Columbus
Movie Review: "It Must Be summer if Doris is Reading 'War and Peace'..."
Summary: 5 Stars
For years "Goodbye Columbus" has been an old movie favorite of mine, popping up sporatically on late night, broadcast television in various edited forms. I'm delighted, that this satirical 'slice of life', romantic-comedy (based on a novella by author, Phillip Roth) has now finally made it's appearence in the DVD format. The story is pretty simple. Neil Klugman (Richard Benjamin) is a guest at his Cousin, Doris' ritzy, country club. It is there, he catches sight of and is instantly attracted to the beautiful, Brenda Patimkin (Ali MacGraw). This poor young man from the Bronx asks out and starts dating the wealthy, spoiled girl from Westchester. We watch the relationship blossom over the course of the summer, as Neil falls in love with Brenda and gets involved with her crazy family. On the simplest level, this film is a satirical look at being young, Jewish and dating in 1960's suburbia. But it is also a film about being young and not knowing what you want out of life. Throughout the film, Neil is questioned repeatly about his low paying, Librarian's job and what his plans are. The truth is he dosn't really know. He dosn't want to "grub his whole life away trying to make money", yet he also finds the counter-culture answers of 1960's youth just as ridiculous.The film looks at the different view points on a variety of topics (sex, marriage, children, work) between baby boomers and the WWII generation, that came before them. This is all wrapped up in delicious satire, that pokes fun at Jewish life in suburbia (including, the most overly ostentatious wedding ever put on film). Director, Larry Peerce and Screen Writer, Arnold Schulman have created a wry movie, which is both humorus and inciteful.I love the scene where Brenda's father gives Neil a speech about the "contempt" that today's youth show for their elders. He pointly reminds Neil, that at one time he felt the same way. The casting for the film is also brillant. Actor, Richard Benjamin shines as the young man in love, who is trying to find his place in life as well as among Brenda's loud and obnoxious family. Ali MacGraw (in one of her first roles) is equally good as the spoiled, rich girl. But the cast member who really gives a memorable performance is actor Jack Klugman as Brenda's Father, Ben. He gives a great nuanced reading, showing us a father who works hard, loves his family and will do anything to make his daughter happy. The DVD itself has both good and bad points. The mastering of the picture is crytal clear, but the sound is only fair (but what do you expect from a 1969 film). The DVD is bare bones without any extras (not even a trailer). I would have loved to hear audio comentaries from either Bejamin or MacGraw. This is a great film comedy which makes for a wonderful evening of entertainment! Highly recommended!Movie Review: Still a gem....
Summary: 5 Stars
Sadly, it was a matter of timing. On September 10, 1969, two films opened on the same day. One was "Midnight Cowboy, the other was "Goodbye, Columbus." Both films were aimed at the young college crowd and the managers of the two theatres in our town which played the respective films made a bet on which one would outdraw the other. "Midnight Cowboy" won by a landslide and "Goodbye, Columbus" limped out of town. That was too bad, for "Goodbye, Columbus" was a great film, worthy of success. The story of a poor Jewish boy from the Bronx (Richard Benjamin) falling in love with a rich Jewish princess (Ali McGraw) from the suburbs, was one of author Phillip Roth's most popular stories. The film is rich in detail and atmosphere and is hilarious in many scenes, while achingly dramatic in others. It was this juxtaposing of drama and comedy (ala "The Comic") that threw many viewers and critics off during their initial viewing. But seen more than once, this opposing chemistry comes together in a unique and satisfying manner.
The film is seen through the eyes of Benjamin, a down to earth, unpretentious fellow, who is thrown into the rich excessive world of surburbia. Ali McGraw, in her first film role, is perfect as the spoiled oldest child of a successful wholesale plumber (Jack Klugman), a man who built his business from the ground up and now spoils his children rotten.
While the lead characters, McGraw and Benjamin, handle most of the scenes, it is an unknown actor, Michael Meyers (No, not Austin Powers) as McGraw's, gangly, lug-nut basketball-star brother who steals the film. His nearly wordless scenes are hilarious as his body twitches, shifts and undulates with almost unnatural ease. Watching Benjamin trying to do his lines with Meyers is almost as funny, as the veteran actor knows he is being had on camera by this unknown talent. The rest of the cast is superb, brash, loud and stressed to the max. The highlight is the wedding between McGraw's brother and his fiancè, who is just as down to earth as Benjamin, but has seemingly made the adjustment to life within this zoo of a family.
This is a film that grows better with each viewing, a testament to its ability to bring both laughter and tears and a wonderful look into the world of class separation.
Movie Review: Fine Adaptation of Roth Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Watching "Goodbye, Columbus" for the first time I flashed back to my sophomore year at Temple University when I was still undeclared. I took an American Lit class taught by an inspiring professor whose name unfortunately escapes me. His course offerings were a veritable stew of literary styles. I recall reading Henry James' "Daisy Miller" which spawned an underrated film by Peter Bogdanovich. I also recall reading Thomas Berger's "Neighbors" starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd that was generally reviled by the critics(I liked it, though). My impressions of "Goodbye, Columbus" is it is painstakingly faithful to Philip Roth's novella. Your opinion of the film I think depends on how much you liked the book. I like the film and the book. My only quibble here is that the principal actors, though ideally cast, may have been a tad too old for their parts. Richard Benjamin is superb as the Bronx librarian returning from a stint in the Army only to fall head over heels with a girl whose value system he finds contemptible. Ali MacGraw gives a sympathetic account of the spoiled preppie because you feel that she acts the way she does only because she's been programmed to do so. The attraction between the two is more than physical. Despite their protestations, Neil and Brenda possess character traits that the other finds desirable. The question you ask will the pull of their respective social classes accept this relationship or find it unacceptable and pull Neil and Brenda apart. The film is rich in Jewish color but the scenario that unfolds here could apply to any tightknit ethnic group. A real gem has been made here from a fine literary source.Movie Review: Sweet memories
Summary: 4 Stars
Goodbye, Columbus seems on the surface like a sweet, inconsequential tale. And maybe that's all it is. But reading it tapped some really nice pleasure zone in me that made me feel good while and after I read it. Who's to argue with that?
Part of its specialness was that as a young man I worked in Newark near the Library in the same general time period as this novel. I didn't much like the regimented boredom of adult life and responsibility, so I used to frequent the library (even when I was supposed to be busily working at Prudential Insurance Company) where the protagonist of Goodbye, Columbus worked. I was able to remember the marble staircase and the main reading room fondly and vividly based on Roth's evocative descriptions.
The book is hard to analyze and critique. It has lots of humorous and charming characters; everyone is a little kooky and flawed, just as in real life. But there is no evil to be seen anywhere.
The romantic plot just drifts along in a realistic way, and the hero is almost transparent, featureless, better allowing the reader to directly enter into the experience themselves. I rarely give 5 stars, but would to this book, except that I wonder if part of my especial appreciation of it was based on how well it evoked my own similar Jewish girlfriend and Newark experiences.
Movie Review: Philip Roth, please speak up!
Summary: 4 Stars
First, the film which was written and set in Newark, New Jersey and Livingston, New Jersey was replaced by the Bronx, New York and Westchester County, New York. The characters remain the same but the setting which I always find crucial in Roth's stories are often disregarded in favor of something more familiar. Brenda and Neil come from two different worlds. Richard Benjamin and Ali McGraw are both excellent as the young couple and make an impressive film debut in this film. Surprisingly, Susan Lucci has an uncredited role in the film. Nan Martin and Jack Klugman are excellent as Brenda's upscale parents. Just because Neil and Brenda are Jewish, doesn't mean that they don't have problems. They do because Neil is a poor Bronx librarian living with his aunt and uncle while Brenda is rich and lives in Westchester county with a housekeeper and multiple telephones in the house, a rarity in those days. The story remains intact but I would like to see Philip Roth talk about his novel made into a film. I think the author speaking out would have made me want to give five stars instead of four.