Crossing Delancey

source: Crossing Delancey

"Crossing Delancey", a warm, achingly romantic comedy, is a rare jewel and deserves to be in the romantic comedy pantheon with such movies as "When Harry Met Sally". One of the nicest things I can say about this movie is that, no matter how many times I watch it - and I have watched it MANY times! - I NEVER want it to be over. I want the movie to go on, and to follow them to see what happens next. Each time I come to care so much about these 2 people that, by the end of the movie, I feel they are my personal friends. And this happens every time! I cannot recommend this movie highly enough, although I am sure most would consider it a "chick flick". If you have not seen it, it is well worth your effort.

I first watched this film one night at about 1:00 a.m. after coming home from a evening out on the town. I sat down to unwind from the night. Crossing Delancey was one of my choices, and since I have a fondness for Manhattan, at the very least, the scenery would be a pleasure. I was quickly engrossed in Issy's love of books as well as the eclectic personalities at 'New Day Books'. Issy's life, though full of prominent authors and publishers, was unfulfilled which leads to Issy's interest in writer Anton Maes. Jeroen Krabbe plays well the author with the sugary sweet drippings of poetry he offers Issy to keep her handy. It works well. Issy's grandmother offers an endearing kindness to the plot, always looking to improve Issy's life in ways Issy may not be aware are wanting. Bubbie is fragile, yet stealthy in her quest to find Issy a mate, much to Issy's protest. Enter Sam Posner. Polite and grounded, but lacking spark at first glance. He is introduced to the plot by an overly chatty matchmaker. It didn't take long for me to warm to Sam. He was a man who knew who he was, and was proud of his life, however unappealing it may seem to others. (There is a sweet scene where Sam helps Bubbie by washing the windows. It's clear he is getting frustrated, but maintains his calm, all the while knowing she is up to something.) Bubbie continues to encourage Sam though Issy poo-poo's the idea of dating a man who sells pickles. I watched as Sam is put into scenarios where he could have easily taken a different attitude, but chooses to respond with dignity. Near the end of the film, while Issy is still unconvinced he would be a good catch, I was losing my heart to him. There is a scene where Sam peeks through a window with an expression that I can't quite explain. To this day, when I see that scene, I fall in love with him all over again. In the end, it's not about whether Issy 'get's the guy'. It's about allowing people to reveal their true selves to us. (At least it was for me.) There are some Sams in the world that, thankfully, don't live only in the movies.

THIS is yet ANOTHER one of my Favorite Movies of All Time! A small movie. No dizzying array of special effects. No computer generated images that seem to take over the story-telling. THIS MOVIE, is ALL ABOUT characters. It's character-driven. That means it's a turn-off for about 90 per cent of the viewing audience. You see, character-driven "stuff" is hard work for most movie-goers, today. No car chases, no explosions, no pyrotechnics, no blue-screen CGI. Poor babies, ALL they have left is narrative and story! WHAT can THEY make of THAT? Look, I fell in love with "Izzy," the main character in "Crossing Delancey," as played by the wonderful, sublime actress, Amy Irving, the VERY FIRST TIME I saw it! Man, WHAT kind of putz is Steven Spielberg for ever divorcing her? I feel sorry for anyone that dislikes this movie. It's got a GREAT "feel good" ending to it!

Very nice ethnic movie about two people who seem to have problems finding a mate. The movie stereotypes Jewish romantic life in New York City. A matchmaker gets involved in matching up young people. The girl works in a book store. The boy works in a pickle store. He has always noticed here from afar. But, now it's time to put them together for life. Nicely acted movie. It does not seem to reflect how people really find each other in America and as such tends to play on an older 18th century concept of matchmaking for people to find their mates. This is more of a movie for a woman's fantasy than a man's concept of mate finding. But, what I like most about the actual story is that it's not about a rich man who finds a poor girl as in Pretty Woman! Here, both the boy and girl are representative of a similar upper low middle income and life style. Such makes it a believable story. Well acted by all cast members. Larry de Illinois

This is one of my favorite movies. Amy Irving shines as the hesitant young woman being wooed by the very appealing Peter Riegert, owner of a pickle store. Her delightful but meddlesome Jewish grandmother, whom she calls "Bubby," is worth watching all by herself and reminded me of my own equally feisty Greek grandmother. Irving lovingly interacts with Bubby but seems resistant to her well-meaning advice. Irving seems to know that Riegert is a nice guy but cannot get past his unglamorous profession. As the story unfolds, their would-be romance is complicated by a writer that Irving meets at the bookstore she works in. The writer, played by Jeroen Krabbe, represents the more glamorous literary lifestyle that Irving aspires to, casting a big shadow over the earnest pickle salesman. Comic relief is provided by the marriage broker, Mrs. Mandelbaum, who tries to get Irving and Riegert together. Keep the Alka-Seltzer handy, though; watching her eat is a horrifying experience. This is a movie I never tire of. Underlying the humor and the uncertain romance is the sense that these are good people and that the strength of family and tradition run deep.

Isabelle, played by Amy Irving, is an attractive thirtysomething single woman without much depth or character. She has a job at a bookstore where she gets to meet some interesting authors, including a charming but slick Dutch author. And there is a guy she sleeps with occasionally (old boyfriend? neighbor? married?) Her grandmother, with the help of a matchmaker, tries to fix her up with Sam, played by Peter Riegert, a nice guy who sells pickles in her old neighborhood on the Lower East Side, a neighborhood she feels she has outgrown. We all know who she is drawn to, and who she will end up with. The movie of course puts the characters through hell before we reach the inevitable conclusion, but I gave it 5 stars because my wife and I talked about the movie for 45 minutes after it was done. It brought up a lot of issues, as I was 31 in 1988, when this movie was made, and I lived through the whole nice guy experience. Sam becomes more interesting as the movie progresses, displaying hidden depths- and making us wonder why he is drawn to such a shallow woman as Isabelle. Is it just because he likes her looks? He's better than that. There are some funny scenes, some good lines from Sam, her Grandmother (Bubbie) and the matchmaker- but the movie is about her journey, and Sam becomes just a prop, given the unlikely attraction. At least there is the contrast between the old Jewish ways of Bubbie and the matchmaker, and Isabelle's more modern sensibilities, to give it some redeeming social value. I didn't like the movie, would not recommend it, but it did lead to an interesting discussion and a rare IMDB review from me.

This is my favorite movie of all time with an unbelievable cast of great character actors. I remember a New York reviewer at the time calling Amy Irving's performance "lukewarm" and I could not disagree more. Irving's performance and character epitomize the thirty-something single New York working woman trying to move up in the world. Irving's character is completely enraptured by the experience of being the book manager of a very prestigious uptown neighborhood book store and falls for the good-looking, European writer who is completely enraptured with himself! Riegert is the nice "pickleman" who any girl knows would make a great husband but the fireworks just don't go off for the girl. Any woman can definitely relate to the dilemma of being attracted to the charming, good-looking rogue but when you get right down to it, it is the everyday "picklemen" who stay true and truly make the world go round. And I must say that this film captures the city better than any movie I have yet to see complete with crazy singing woman in crowded narrow hot dog joint, midage man struggling to play handball in local park, elderly women learning self-defense at community Y. Classic New York stuff! I could go on and on but do note far out performances by Sylvia Miles as the tacky matchmaker and Rosemary Harris, the great English actress, in a cameo near the end.

trying to pass itself off as a romance. I hated that this pretended to be a warmhearted little romance, when it actually extolled the virtues of intercultural prejudice. Amy Irving's character, in the beginning, was a self-hating Jew who had nothing in common with the pickle vendor, and chose to surround herself with uptown goyim, even if it meant sleeping with somebody else's husband. As the story unravels, we see that every single Gentile is snobby, or phony, or hateful, or somehow otherwise flawed, and every single Jew is mensch and warm and good and wise - even, it turns out, Amy Irving, who needs only the love of the mensch, warm, wise, pickle man to turn her from a self -involved adulteress into a good Jewish woman. Yech! The only reason I even scored this mess a "4" was for the excellent soundtrack featuring music of The Roches.

Izzy (Amy Irving) is a talented bookstore employee in New York City. Although it is a low paying position, she rubs elbows with some of the finest writers in the country, by setting up book talks. Despite her success, she is in her thirties and is not married. Izzy is fine with this but her Jewish grandmother is appalled that her sweet relative does not have a husband. Therefore, grandmother arranges for a matchmaker to search out some candidates for Izzy. The first one is a pickle vendor! What was grandma thinking? This film, set partly in an old, traditional Jewish neighborhood in Manhattan, is a movie fan's delight. Irving, charming and pretty, sails right through her role with absolute believability. The rest of the cast is just perfect, including an early role for David Hyde Pierce. What a wonder, also, to get a glimpse of a preserved neighborhood, where time moves slowly. Those who adore romantic comedies must not put a viewing of this movie off any longer. Try catching it at the library or video store today.