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{{short description|1986 film by Gene Saks}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Brighton Beach Memoirs
| name = Brighton Beach Memoirs
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| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Gene Saks]]
| director = [[Gene Saks]]
| based_on = ''[[Brighton Beach Memoirs]]''<br>by Neil Simon
| producer = [[Ray Stark]]
| producer = [[Ray Stark]]
| writer = [[Neil Simon]]
| writer = [[Neil Simon]]
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| runtime = 109 minutes
| runtime = 109 minutes
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $18 million<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090774/ |title=Brighton Beach Memoirs|website=[[IMDb]]|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref>
| budget = $18 million
| gross = $11,957,943<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=brightonbeachmemoirs.htm</ref>
| gross = $11,957,943<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl55150081/weekend/|title=Brighton Beach Memoirs|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=17 December 2021}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Brighton Beach Memoirs''''' is a 1986 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Gene Saks]], written by [[Neil Simon]], and starring [[Jonathan Silverman]] and [[Blythe Danner]]. Simon adapted his semi-autobiographical 1983 [[Brighton Beach Memoirs|play of the same title]], the first chapter of what is known as the ''[[Eugene trilogy]]'', followed by ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' and ''[[Broadway Bound (film)|Broadway Bound]]''. The film frequently breaks the [[fourth wall]] by having Eugene speak directly to the camera.


'''''Brighton Beach Memoirs''''' is a 1986 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Gene Saks]], written by [[Neil Simon]], and starring [[Jonathan Silverman]] and [[Blythe Danner]]. The film is adapted from Simon's semi-autobiographical 1982 [[Brighton Beach Memoirs|play of the same title]], the first chapter of what is known as the ''[[Eugene trilogy]]'', followed by the adaptations ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' and ''[[Broadway Bound (film)|Broadway Bound]]''.
==Plot overview==

Set in the [[Brighton Beach]] section of [[Brooklyn, New York]] in September 1937 during [[The Great Depression]], this [[coming-of-age]] comedy focuses on Eugene Morris Jerome, a [[Poland|Polish]]-[[Jewish]] American [[teenager]] who experiences [[puberty]], sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, his parents Kate and Jack, Kate's sister Blanche, and her two daughters, Nora and Laurie, who come to live there after their father's death.
Set in the [[Brighton Beach]] section of [[Brooklyn, New York]] during [[The Great Depression]], this [[coming-of-age]] comedy focuses on Eugene Jerome, a [[Poland|Polish]]-[[Jewish]] American [[teenager]] who experiences [[puberty]], sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, his parents Kate and Jack, Kate's widowed sister Blanche, and her two daughters, Nora and Laurie. The film frequently breaks the [[fourth wall]] by having Eugene speak directly to the camera.

==Plot==
In September 1937, Eugene Jerome is almost 15 and lives in a Jewish-American household in Brighton Beach with his parents Kate and Jack, his 18-year-old brother Stanley, his widowed, asthmatic aunt Blanche Morton, and her two daughters, pretty 16-year-old Nora and sickly 13-year-old Laurie. Blanche is Kate's sister, and after being widowed in her 30s, she and her daughters moved in with the Jeromes, causing Jack to take a second job to support the enlarged household. The extended family lives on the money from Jack's two jobs and Stanley's job at a men's hat shop.

Each member of the family has their own personal problems and concerns, which end up affecting the other family members. Eugene, who hopes to go to college and become a writer, is obsessed with baseball and attempting to see a well-developed girl naked, spying on both Nora and a sexy older woman neighbor. Jack loses his second job and is forced to work nights as a cab driver, until he has a heart attack and must stop working entirely to rest. Jack also worries about his cousin and other relatives who still live in Poland, due to the ominous news bulletins coming from pre-[[World War II]] Europe. Stanley dislikes his job, but hesitates to quit because the family needs his salary and he doesn't want to put more stress on Jack, whom he fears might die. Kate is fed up with the pressure of trying to take care of everyone, including her sister Blanche, who lacks confidence and is mutually attracted to the Jeromes' Irish neighbor Frank Murphy, who sometimes drinks. Blanche grieves her late husband and struggles with raising her daughters, especially Nora, who aspires to a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] career and wants to accept a well-known producer's offer of an audition. Blanche, finally forced to make a decision, forbids Nora from auditioning, telling her she needs to finish high school first.

Frank invites Blanche on a date, which she accepts despite Kate's disapproval. On the night of the date, Nora retaliates against her mother by leaving the house, causing Blanche to break down in tears right before Frank is due to arrive. Frank's mother, Mrs. Murphy, then sadly lets Blanche know that Frank won't be able to keep the date because he had a car accident while inebriated, is in the hospital, will likely face drunk driving charges, and then the Murphys will be moving away to get Frank help for his drinking problem. Meanwhile, Stanley confesses to his mother Kate that he gambled and lost his entire weekly paycheck trying to make up for the family's loss of Jack's wages. Stanley then leaves home to join the [[United States Army|Army]]. Kate and Blanche argue over Kate's lack of sympathy for the Murphys, and Blanche plans to move out the next day, get her own job and apartment, and send for her daughters as soon as possible.

Nora and Stanley (who at the last minute decides not to join the Army because his father needs him) both return home and are reunited with their respective parents. Kate and Blanche reconcile, and Kate suggests that Blanche remain with the family while she looks for a job, and also that Blanche should move into the Murphys' soon-to-be-vacant apartment across the street. To thank Eugene for his brotherly support, Stanley gives him a picture of a beautiful naked woman. Jack receives the good news that his Polish relatives have escaped from their country and are en route to New York, and the Jeromes excitedly plan for these new additions to their household.


==Cast==
==Cast==
*[[Jonathan Silverman]] - Eugene Morris Jerome, almost 15
* [[Jonathan Silverman]] - Eugene Morris Jerome, almost 15
*[[Blythe Danner]] - Kate Jerome, about 40: Eugene's mother, a strong Jewish matriarch
* [[Blythe Danner]] - Kate Jerome, about 40: Eugene's mother, a strong Jewish matriarch
*[[Bob Dishy]] - Jacob "Jack" Jerome, about 40: Eugene's father
* [[Bob Dishy]] - Jacob "Jack" Jerome, about 40: Eugene's father
*[[Judith Ivey]] - Blanche Morton, 38: Eugene's widowed aunt
* [[Judith Ivey]] - Blanche Morton, 38: Eugene's widowed aunt
*Brian Drillinger - Stanley Jerome, 18½: Eugene's older brother
* Brian Drillinger - Stanley Jerome, 18½: Eugene's older brother
*[[Stacey Glick]] - Laurie Morton, 13: Eugene's younger cousin
* [[Stacey Glick]] - Laurie Morton, 13: Eugene's younger cousin
*[[Lisa Waltz]] - Nora Morton, 16½: Eugene's beautiful older cousin
* [[Lisa Waltz]] - Nora Morton, 16½: Eugene's beautiful older cousin
* [[Jason Alexander]] as Pool Player
* [[James Handy]] - Frank Murphy


==Reception==
==Reception==
''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' holds a score of 71% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 14 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brighton Beach Memoirs |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brighton_beach_memoirs |access-date=May 18, 2021 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
[[Roger Ebert]], in his review for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', gave the film two stars out of four and wrote: "The movie feels so plotted, so constructed, so written, that I found myself thinking maybe they shouldn't have filmed the final draft of the screenplay. Maybe there was an earlier draft that was a little disorganized and unpolished, but still had the jumble of life in it.... The movie was directed by Gene Saks, who directs many of Simon's plays on both the stage and the screen, and whose gift is for the theater. His plays have the breath of life; his movies feel like the official authorized version. Everything is by the numbers."<ref>[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]]. [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19861225/REVIEWS/612250302 " 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' "] ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', December 25, 1986</ref><ref>{{IMDb title|0090774}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' also awarded two stars out of four and noted "a general softening of the tension in the Jerome household [from the play] ... Here on film the pathos is missing, and all we are left with is jokes badly performed by a weak central character."<ref>Siskel, Gene (December 26, 1986). "Siskel's Flicks Picks". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 7 p. A.</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the play "has become a film of surprisingly gentle charms. Mr. Simon's humor is much in evidence, but it is not the film's strongest selling point. Even more effective are the sense of a place and a way of life long vanished and the care and affection with which they have been summoned up."<ref>Maslin, Janet (December 25, 1986). "Screen: 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 23.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' declared, "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' emerges as one of the more successful transfers of a Neil Simon play to the screen ... Overall impact is mild, but very pleasantly so."<ref>"Film Reviews: Brighton Beach Memoirs". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. December 17, 1986. 18.</ref> Michael Wilmington of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' may be one of Simon's best plays, but the film's heart seems to be beating in a plastic wrapper. There's a kind of ''glace'' over everything, a sugary show-biz coat that dulls your taste buds. Everything is bigger, brighter and broader than it should be—though remnants of that simpler, more honest story often peek through."<ref>Wilmington, Michael (December 25, 1986). "Movie Version of 'Memoirs' Buries Charm and Honesty of Neil Simon's Stage Play". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part V, p. 1.</ref> [[Paul Attanasio]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film "a regularly funny and sometimes affecting movie that captures, if not always successfully, the kind of back-and-forth of any ordinary family."<ref>Attanasio, Paul (December 25, 1986). "'Brighton Beach': Lust & Laughter". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. C1.</ref>


[[Roger Ebert]], in his review for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', gave the film two stars out of four and wrote: "The movie feels so plotted, so constructed, so written, that I found myself thinking maybe they shouldn't have filmed the final draft of the screenplay. Maybe there was an earlier draft that was a little disorganized and unpolished, but still had the jumble of life in it.... The movie was directed by Gene Saks, who directs many of Simon's plays on both the stage and the screen, and whose gift is for the theater. His plays have the breath of life; his movies feel like the official authorized version. Everything is by the numbers".<ref>[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]]. [http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/brighton-beach-memoirs-1986 "'Brighton Beach Memoirs'"] ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', December 25, 1986. Retrieved April 6, 2022.</ref>
The film holds a score of 75% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 12 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brighton_beach_memoirs |title=Brighton Beach Memoirs |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |accessdate=April 2, 2019 }}</ref>

[[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' also awarded two stars out of four and noted "a general softening of the tension in the Jerome household [from the play] ... Here on film the pathos is missing, and all we are left with is jokes badly performed by a weak central character".<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (December 26, 1986). "Siskel's Flicks Picks". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 7 p. A.</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the play "has become a film of surprisingly gentle charms. Mr. Simon's humor is much in evidence, but it is not the film's strongest selling point. Even more effective are the sense of a place and a way of life long vanished and the care and affection with which they have been summoned up".<ref>[[Janet Maslin|Maslin, Janet]] (December 25, 1986). [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/25/movies/screen-brighton-beach-memoirs.html "Screen: 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. 23. Retrieved April 6, 2022.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' declared: "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' emerges as one of the more successful transfers of a Neil Simon play to the screen ... Overall impact is mild, but very pleasantly so".<ref>"Film Reviews: Brighton Beach Memoirs". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. December 17, 1986. 18.</ref>

Michael Wilmington of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote: "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' may be one of Simon's best plays, but the film's heart seems to be beating in a plastic wrapper. There's a kind of ''glace'' over everything, a sugary show-biz coat that dulls your taste buds. Everything is bigger, brighter and broader than it should be—though remnants of that simpler, more honest story often peek through".<ref>Wilmington, Michael (December 25, 1986). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-25-ca-563-story.html "Movie Version of 'Memoirs' Buries Charm and Honesty of Neil Simon's Stage Play"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part V, p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2022.</ref> [[Paul Attanasio]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film "a regularly funny and sometimes affecting movie that captures, if not always successfully, the kind of back-and-forth of any ordinary family".<ref>Attanasio, Paul (December 25, 1986). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/brightonbeachmemoirspg13attanasio_a0ad8c.htm "'Brighton Beach': Lust & Laughter"]. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. C1. Retrieved April 6, 2022.</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 54: Line 73:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Brighton Beach Memoirs (film)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brighton Beach Memoirs (film)}}
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:American comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1986 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American coming-of-age films]]
[[Category:Films about Jews and Judaism]]
[[Category:1980s comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:Brighton Beach]]
[[Category:Films about families]]
[[Category:Films about Jews and Judaism]]
[[Category:Films about puberty]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Neil Simon]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gene Saks]]
[[Category:Films produced by Ray Stark]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michael Small]]
[[Category:Films set in 1937]]
[[Category:Films set in 1937]]
[[Category:Films set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Films set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gene Saks]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Neil Simon]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Neil Simon]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Neil Simon]]
[[Category:English-language comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Brighton Beach]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michael Small]]

Latest revision as of 09:37, 8 September 2024

Brighton Beach Memoirs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGene Saks
Written byNeil Simon
Based onBrighton Beach Memoirs
by Neil Simon
Produced byRay Stark
Starring
CinematographyJohn Bailey
Edited byCarol Littleton
Music byMichael Small
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • December 25, 1986 (1986-12-25)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[1]
Box office$11,957,943[2]

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Gene Saks, written by Neil Simon, and starring Jonathan Silverman and Blythe Danner. The film is adapted from Simon's semi-autobiographical 1982 play of the same title, the first chapter of what is known as the Eugene trilogy, followed by the adaptations Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound.

Set in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York during The Great Depression, this coming-of-age comedy focuses on Eugene Jerome, a Polish-Jewish American teenager who experiences puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, his parents Kate and Jack, Kate's widowed sister Blanche, and her two daughters, Nora and Laurie. The film frequently breaks the fourth wall by having Eugene speak directly to the camera.

Plot

[edit]

In September 1937, Eugene Jerome is almost 15 and lives in a Jewish-American household in Brighton Beach with his parents Kate and Jack, his 18-year-old brother Stanley, his widowed, asthmatic aunt Blanche Morton, and her two daughters, pretty 16-year-old Nora and sickly 13-year-old Laurie. Blanche is Kate's sister, and after being widowed in her 30s, she and her daughters moved in with the Jeromes, causing Jack to take a second job to support the enlarged household. The extended family lives on the money from Jack's two jobs and Stanley's job at a men's hat shop.

Each member of the family has their own personal problems and concerns, which end up affecting the other family members. Eugene, who hopes to go to college and become a writer, is obsessed with baseball and attempting to see a well-developed girl naked, spying on both Nora and a sexy older woman neighbor. Jack loses his second job and is forced to work nights as a cab driver, until he has a heart attack and must stop working entirely to rest. Jack also worries about his cousin and other relatives who still live in Poland, due to the ominous news bulletins coming from pre-World War II Europe. Stanley dislikes his job, but hesitates to quit because the family needs his salary and he doesn't want to put more stress on Jack, whom he fears might die. Kate is fed up with the pressure of trying to take care of everyone, including her sister Blanche, who lacks confidence and is mutually attracted to the Jeromes' Irish neighbor Frank Murphy, who sometimes drinks. Blanche grieves her late husband and struggles with raising her daughters, especially Nora, who aspires to a Broadway career and wants to accept a well-known producer's offer of an audition. Blanche, finally forced to make a decision, forbids Nora from auditioning, telling her she needs to finish high school first.

Frank invites Blanche on a date, which she accepts despite Kate's disapproval. On the night of the date, Nora retaliates against her mother by leaving the house, causing Blanche to break down in tears right before Frank is due to arrive. Frank's mother, Mrs. Murphy, then sadly lets Blanche know that Frank won't be able to keep the date because he had a car accident while inebriated, is in the hospital, will likely face drunk driving charges, and then the Murphys will be moving away to get Frank help for his drinking problem. Meanwhile, Stanley confesses to his mother Kate that he gambled and lost his entire weekly paycheck trying to make up for the family's loss of Jack's wages. Stanley then leaves home to join the Army. Kate and Blanche argue over Kate's lack of sympathy for the Murphys, and Blanche plans to move out the next day, get her own job and apartment, and send for her daughters as soon as possible.

Nora and Stanley (who at the last minute decides not to join the Army because his father needs him) both return home and are reunited with their respective parents. Kate and Blanche reconcile, and Kate suggests that Blanche remain with the family while she looks for a job, and also that Blanche should move into the Murphys' soon-to-be-vacant apartment across the street. To thank Eugene for his brotherly support, Stanley gives him a picture of a beautiful naked woman. Jack receives the good news that his Polish relatives have escaped from their country and are en route to New York, and the Jeromes excitedly plan for these new additions to their household.

Cast

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

Brighton Beach Memoirs holds a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.[3]

Roger Ebert, in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film two stars out of four and wrote: "The movie feels so plotted, so constructed, so written, that I found myself thinking maybe they shouldn't have filmed the final draft of the screenplay. Maybe there was an earlier draft that was a little disorganized and unpolished, but still had the jumble of life in it.... The movie was directed by Gene Saks, who directs many of Simon's plays on both the stage and the screen, and whose gift is for the theater. His plays have the breath of life; his movies feel like the official authorized version. Everything is by the numbers".[4]

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also awarded two stars out of four and noted "a general softening of the tension in the Jerome household [from the play] ... Here on film the pathos is missing, and all we are left with is jokes badly performed by a weak central character".[5]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the play "has become a film of surprisingly gentle charms. Mr. Simon's humor is much in evidence, but it is not the film's strongest selling point. Even more effective are the sense of a place and a way of life long vanished and the care and affection with which they have been summoned up".[6] Variety declared: "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' emerges as one of the more successful transfers of a Neil Simon play to the screen ... Overall impact is mild, but very pleasantly so".[7]

Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "'Brighton Beach Memoirs' may be one of Simon's best plays, but the film's heart seems to be beating in a plastic wrapper. There's a kind of glace over everything, a sugary show-biz coat that dulls your taste buds. Everything is bigger, brighter and broader than it should be—though remnants of that simpler, more honest story often peek through".[8] Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post called the film "a regularly funny and sometimes affecting movie that captures, if not always successfully, the kind of back-and-forth of any ordinary family".[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Brighton Beach Memoirs". IMDb. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "Brighton Beach Memoirs". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Brighton Beach Memoirs". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger. "'Brighton Beach Memoirs'" Chicago Sun-Times, December 25, 1986. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Siskel, Gene (December 26, 1986). "Siskel's Flicks Picks". Chicago Tribune. Section 7 p. A.
  6. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 25, 1986). "Screen: 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'". The New York Times. 23. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Film Reviews: Brighton Beach Memoirs". Variety. December 17, 1986. 18.
  8. ^ Wilmington, Michael (December 25, 1986). "Movie Version of 'Memoirs' Buries Charm and Honesty of Neil Simon's Stage Play". Los Angeles Times. Part V, p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Attanasio, Paul (December 25, 1986). "'Brighton Beach': Lust & Laughter". The Washington Post. C1. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
[edit]