Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 24, 1993 TAG: 9302240166
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
STRANGERS IN THE BIG APPLE ARE A MOVIE STAPLE
In movies, the city of New York has a simple message for strangers: Stay away. If you come here, you will suffer great pain and you'll probably be killed.Think about it. Have you ever seen a character in a film get on the subway in New York without something terrible happening to him or her? And you know that in a crime film, any character making a call from a public telephone on the street will be shot and/or run over by a car. These are basic cinematic truths, but in real life and in movies, strangers continue to go to the Big Apple.
The most recent example is "Lonely in America." It's a sweet-natured low-budget comedy about Arun (Ranjit Chowdhry), a young Indian who emigrates to New York to work at one of his uncle's magazine stands.
Things start well enough for him, but Arun is ambitious and wants to move up to a job with a future, preferably something involving computers. Then, out of the blue one day, he gets his chance. Not only does the innocent Arun land a job, but Jim (Robert Kessler), a slick con-man and co-worker, offers him a place to stay. His uncle is furious but Arun, flushed with success, decides to do everything he can to become a real American.
The film itself is a mixed bag. While some of the physical humor works, some doesn't, and the acting ranges from amateur to effective. The pace in the script by Satyajit Joy Palit and director Barry Alexander Brown is slow at first. At the beginning, when it needs to be most involving, the story is unfocused. Later, when the film turns to the cultural conflicts that Arun has to wrestle with, it becomes much more interesting. The immigrant experience is inherently fascinating, rich in conflict and strong emotions.
Ranjit Chowdhry is able to make Arun a sympathetic and engaging protagonist, someone you enjoy spending time with. Even when the film itself isn't as good as it might be, he's excellent. Brown, known best as Spike Lee's editor, shows that he can work well behind the camera, too. This is light comic material, and he doesn't try to make too much of it.
All in all, "Lonely in America" is much more enjoyable than the similar "Coming to America." That 1988 Eddie Murphy vehicle is much more lavishly produced, and it tells essentially the same story within a fairy-tale context. Even though Murphy and his co-star Arsenio Hall aren't bad, director John Landis is so heavy-handed that the whimsical side of things is overpowered by a leaden pace. For my money, this one hasn't improved with age.
\ "Career," on the other hand, is a fair little sleeper that's worth a look, particularly for fans of genuine '50s nostalgia.
This 1959 film is about Sam Lawson (Anthony Franciosa), a veteran who leaves his fiancee (Joan Blackman) in the Midwest to find work as a stage actor in New York. The key players in his life are an unscrupulous director (Dean Martin), a sympathetic agent (Carolyn Jones) and a drunken rich girl (Shirley MacLaine).
James Lee's story, based on his play, touches on several of the topical concerns of the time - premarital sex, divorce, communism. At its best, it's well-crafted and remarkably well-acted melodrama; at worst, it's half-baked Irwin Shaw. Even though it was made on a Hollywood back lot, the film has a strong New York feel. No doubt the sharp black-and-white cinematography, which earned Joseph LaShelle an Oscar nomination, had something to do with it.
By the way, "Career" is available on tape in the slower EP/SLP mode. It's selling for about $10. The quality of both the image and sound are first-rate.
Finally, no column that claims to deal with the Big Apple's treatment of strangers would be complete without some mention of the largest and most famous stranger of them all, "King Kong."
There he was, happy in his provincial home until his head was turned by a cute blonde (Fay Wray) from the big city. He tried to show her a good time, and thought that she loved him. But no! She missed the nightlife, and when her fellow sophisticates saw how innocent her big new beau was, they drugged him and carried him off!
Of course, like any young fellow on his first visit to New York, Kong got himself into trouble as soon as he was alone on the streets. Since he'd never even seen an elevator, he got to the top of the Empire State Building as best he could. And we all know how the authorities overreacted to that.
He wasn't the first country boy to be done in by a sexy girl and the fast-paced world of skyscrapers and bright lights. But the story has never been told better.
Next week: The evolution of the Killer Babe!\ \ New release
Sneakers: ***
Stars Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Mary MacDonnell, Dan Aykroyd. Directed by Phil Alden Robinson. PG-13, 125 minutes. (MCA/Universal)
The story by no means stands close scrutiny, but that doesn't matter all that much because this is meant to be disposable entertainment. Watch it, enjoy it and discard it. Robinson and a trio of writers have concocted a kid's adventure for grown-ups. Redford and company play a bunch of electronic wizards who become involved in a plot to steal a startling new invention. The performances are up to the standards of the stars, and the movie as a whole serves as engaging escapism.\ \ What the ratings mean:
**** Memorable. One of the best of its kind; maybe worth owning.
*** Outstanding. An excellent video, worth searching out.
** Average. You've seen better, you've seen worse, but if it sounds interesting . . .
* Poor. This is why your VCR has a fast-forward button.
A waste of time and an insult to your intelligence. More a warning than a rating.
Note: Star ratings are not available for reviews from wire services.
THE ESSENTIALS:\ \ Lonely in America: *** Academy. 96 min. Rated PG-13 for mild sexual content, strong language.\ \ Coming to America: *1/2 Paramount. 102 min. Rated R for profanity, brief nudity.\ \ Career: **1/2 Paramount Gateway. 105 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.\ \ King Kong: **** Turner. 103 min. Unrated, contains some violence and sexual content.\