Diner | | Cast : | Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon | | Director : | Barry Levinson | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | March 05, 1982 | | DVD Released Date : | February 03, 2004 | | Language : | Unknown (Dubbed), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | February 28, 2005 | | Summary | THE most BORING movie EVER!!! | Content
 | This is what happens when you buy movies that Amazon recommends; I consider my EXTREME boredom with this movie my PUNISHMENT for letting them recommend a movie for me to buy. Don't let the fantastic cast lure you; this movie is BORING!
True, it is realistic in the sense that conversations among friends -- more often than not -- don't necessarily go anywhere, and oftentimes the texture of a movie is -- not in the conversations themselves -- but in the relationships that become evident within those conversations, but nevertheless DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY on this movie.
Did I mention that it was BORING? |
| Rating | | | Date | November 11, 2004 | | Summary | "Could go either way". A classic! | Content
| Living in Mpls. I could relate to going to the diner on a cold night for a burger and a plate of fries (w/gravy). Now living in the NW I have a ritual every year on a cold day in November where friends come over to watch Diner. Before we start the movie us guys go out to the best burger joint in town and pick up burgers,fries,onion rings and shakes while the women stay home and hang out. We all then gather around the tv and eat a splendid, tasty meal and laugh at all the great scenes we love. I think the reason some reviewers are grumpy is that they watched it on an empty stomach. Try it with burgers and you will fall in love with Diner. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 27, 2004 | | Summary | French Fries With Gravy & Cherry Colas | Content
| I have a lot of affection for this movie, not least because I was born and raised in Baltimore - although I was younger in 1959 and lived on the other side of town. Baltimore is as much a character as any of the actors and the film lovingly recreates the city as I remember it.
Diner is about a bunch of guys who are never happier than when hanging out at the wonderfully nostalgic eatery of the title. The emphasis is on atmosphere and character more than plot, although there are several memorable set pieces - most enjoyably in the cinema when Mickey Rourke's date finds a surprise in the popcorn.
The cast - the heart and soul of the film - are universally strong, except for Kevin Bacon's periodic lapses of overacting. The dialogue seems natural and occasionally improvised - especially Paul Reiser's, whose character unfortunately gets lost in the middle of the film. The female characters are more basic and less deep, but then this is really a film about the guys. And their camaraderie - which developed during rehearsals and filming - is the major charm and attraction of Diner.
I love the film, but then I'm from Baltimore. But it must have universal appeal because my English wife also loves Diner and she's only been to Charm City once. It's a great film that rewards repeated viewings. For me, the only downside is the sight of the Little Tavern and the knowledge that those gorgeous little burgers are now extinct. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 07, 2004 | | Summary | As delicious as fries with brown gravy | Content
| DINER has been receiving a lot of unkind remarks in recent years, and much of it is undeserved. Time is really what has been unkind. In 1982, after years of hippie doldrums, disco ho-hum, and punk self-destruction, Barry Levinson reached back to a different era which seemed like a simpler one. But he did so without a nostalgic eye. He presented five young men at a point in life when hard decisions have to be made. To compound this, each of the five young men are facing critical issues at this critical time. (Notice I say five men, not six. Modell [Paul Reiser] doesn't have a plot line. He's there for comic effect mostly.) Boogie (Micky Rourke), his gambling problems aside, struggles to keep his dreams but must learn to accept the responsibilities of life. The intellectual but alcohol-plagued Fenwick (Kevin Bacon) must face-down his crusty, aloof family once and for all. Shreevie (Daniel Stern) must learn to translate his love for love songs for love for his wife before his marriage completely evaporates. Mama's boy (with a twisted mama), Eddie, (Steve Guttenburg) who has no real excuse for treating his fiancee so badly, is the most desperate in need of growing up. To me, Billy (Timothy Daly) has the most poignant of all problems. He's willing to face up to his responsibility; he's willing to do the right thing. In one scene, where he decks the last opposing player of a baseball team that had ganged up on him, he essentially has put his boyhood behind him. What's standing in his way is the woman carrying his child but won't marry him. (She has good reason, by the way, for being reluctant.) But comedy is watching other people struggle with their problems, after all. To me, the more believeable the problems (and they are believeable) the more effective the comedy. Levinson squeezes so much humor out of these characters, and the actors deliver beautifully. The ease with which the cast interacts makes the viewer wonder whether they had been friends for years before making this film. Unlike other comedies of the early 80s--the infamous one-liners strung together--DINER's tangle of plot lines grows logically; it progresses as a result of the characters, not the situation. And while the film ends, according to true comic convention, with a wedding, it is the only traditional aspect of the film. It was truly unique for its time. And perhaps the time will come again when people will appreciate the value of this movie. |
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