Judy Berlin 1999

     Arthur Gold is married to Alice, they have a son David and he’s 30 years old.  He is severely depressed after a failed attempt to be a Hollywood filmmaker.  He weeps bitterly in the bathroom every morning.  The marriage between Arthur and Alice is just OK.  Arthur is the Principal of an elementary school.  Sue Berlin is a teacher and she is preparing her class to witness a solar eclipse.  Arthur and Sue would like to be more than boss and employee but there doesn’t seem to be much future in that for them?  Sue’s daughter Judy Berlin is leaving town and going to Hollywood.  She is hoping to be a star.

     There is just not enough going on in this film.  Edie Falco talks so much and so fast you wonder how she can accomplish this?   Everyone seems to be aging right in front of your eyes and wearing out except Judy Berlin?  2* (I didn’t like this movie) 

93 min, Comedy directed by Eric Mendelsohn with Barbara Barrie, Bob Dishy, Edie Falco, Carlin Blynn, Aaron Harnick, Bette Henritze, Madeline Kahn, Julie Kavner, Anne Meara, Novella Nelson, Peter Appel, Marcia DeBonis.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, 77% critic 68% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle clapping, Metacritic 74 out of 100 with 30 critics,

Special Note:  Filmed in Nassau County, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Suffolk County, The Plainview-Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Round Swamp Road, Long Island, New York.  The profits from this film’s premiere were donated towards ovarian cancer research in memory of Madeline Kahn.  This was her final feature film.  Judy Berlin was the name of one of Eric Mendelssohn’s classmates.  There is a mistake with the solar eclipse.  The sky goes so dark that the streetlights come on.  Much of the story continues through this dark time for too long of a period.  A real eclipse has the totality and darkness for about two minutes.