In the final week of 1959 -- between Christmas and New Year's -- six Baltimore buddies in their early 20s hang onto each other and adolescence as adult concerns and responsibilities increasingly press in on them. Robert "Boogie" Sheftell (Rourke) is the stud and mentor who works as a hairdresser but is in big trouble with a loan shark over gambling debts. Edward "Eddie" Simmons (Guttenberg) faces an impending marriage with great trepidation. Laurence "Shrevie" Schreiber (Stern) is already married, in a joyless relationship with Beth (Barkin) and yearning to stay with his buddies. Fenwick (Bacon) is a self-destructive alcoholic who is smarter than he looks and acts. William "Billy" Howard (Timothy Daly) is the straight guy home from college but fearful that he's gotten a girl pregnant. And Modell (Reiser) is the champion mooch and wisecracker. They all hang out at the local diner, trying to figure out what makes girls tick, worry about the future, and (in Boogie's case) try to figure out how to come up with some money fast. Barry Levinson had been writing for Mel Brooks and various TV shows for some time before this very personal, character-driven 1982 film presented the opportunity for a memorable directorial debut.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
DINER is the first movie of Barry Levinson he wrote and directed in 1982. The picture earned a nomination for the Academy Award in the "Best Screenplay Written directly for the Screen category".
The setting is Baltimore in December 1959. One week in the life of five friends in their early twenties. Boogie is a compulsive gambler who gambles on virtually anything, Shrevie has married Beth but is spending more time at the local Diner than with his spouse, Eddie has promised to marry Elyse only if she passes with success a test about football, Fenwick is drinking all day long in order to forget his family and Billy must deal with a pregnant girl-friend. When Boogie loses a $2000 bet, he creates the most improbable bets involving girls in order to raise some money. At the end of the week, these young men will become adults and a new era can begin.
The review of this Movie prepared by Daniel Staebler
