SnoopyStyle
It's the summer of 63 in Brooklyn. Hawk Ganz (Fisher Stevens) and Steve Dawkins (Brian McNamara) return to the old neighborhood and invite Jeffrey Willis (Matt Dillon) to the Flamingo Club to play cards. Car dealer Phil Brody (Richard Crenna) is the best gin player in the club and father of Steve's girlfriend Joyce. Jeffrey is taken with Joyce's cousin Carla Samson (Janet Jones) from California which drives Alfred (Bronson Pinchot) jealous. He gets a job parking cars at the club. His father Arthur (Hector Elizondo) expected him to work an office job at an engineering firm for the summer. He befriends fellow newbie Fortune Smith. Jeffrey idolizes the successful Phil Brody who takes him under his wing. His wife Phyllis (Jessica Walter) isn't so keen with the lowly help when Carla invites him for dinner. This is no jab at Matt Dillon because he does this character well. I simply don't like this character. To be fair, I don't like any of the characters in this Garry Marshall movie. It's missing the usual Marshall comedic touch. There is a real good father son conflict. I could invest more into their relationship if I could feel more love than anger in the family. The few jokes fall flat for me. It's an OK coming-of-age movie.
tfrizzell
Likeable little film has Matt Dillon and some of his friends trying to make some extra money for college by working at a high-class country club. Dillon likes the way life is there to father Hector Elizondo's dismay. Involvement with a car salesman who has a knack for poker (Richard Crenna) engrosses Dillon even more, but soon he learns that all is not as squeaky clean as it appears on the surface. A good screenplay and subtle direction by Garry Marshall help out this movie immensely. All the actors work well together. Watch for a then-unknown Marisa Tomei during one of the country club sequences. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
wmcduffe
I thought this movie was very good. The cast is excellent. I loved Dillon, Elizondo and Crenna. They had great chemistry together. Janet Jones was nice too look at, but as far as acting goes, she didn't do it for me. The story was very good and kept me interested.On a whole I rate the movie a 8.
renfield54
This is a wonderfully entertaining story chock full of lessons in life. The lessons, are pretty universal and most have to be learned the hard way. The "kid", played by Matt Dillon, enters the world of the well-to-do, more well to do than him anyway. He is from a blue-collar neighborhood in 1963 Brooklyn. His entry??? Employment at the "El Flamingo", an upper-middle class beach club. Richard Crenna, wonderful as the slick, gin rummy playing member, befriends the kid. The lessons of the world revolve around the "big" gin rummy game. Lots of laughs, lots of fun, and Janet Jones make this movie a must see. I've seen it dozens of times myself, and will probably watch it dozens more.One more thing. A special mention to Jessica Walter. She gave one of the most believe-able performances I've ever seen. I HATED HER.
AD
