Genres

Visitors Review

Lee Eisenberg 2012-05-22 22:45:05

life as a memory

One of Barry Levinson's many movies about growing up in Baltimore,"Liberty Heights" portrays a Jewish family in 1954-55. Specifically,patriarch Nate (Joe Mantegna) runs a burlesque house, older son Van(Adrien Brody) has the hots for a Grace Kelly lookalike but may havetrouble getting to her, and younger son Ben (Ben Foster) develops arelationship with an African-American girl in his class.This movie isn't intended as a massive historical epic or period piece(although I certainly got the feeling of the 1950s). I interpreted itmostly as a look at the changing world - namely school integration -that the family inhabits. The movie looks at racism: Nate and hisfriends are selling their business to African-American fast talkerMelvin (Orlando Jones (happy birthday, Orlando!)), which theauthorities clearly don't like. But it also looks at anti-Semitism:there's a particularly memorable scene in which a Jewish teenagerpretends to be Scandinavian (and I mean all of Scandinavia). But theworld is clearly changing, whether in learning about "the other kind"or determining the descending order of racial condescension.Overall, I recommend it. Maybe it isn't Levinson's best movie, butworth seeing. Also starring Ralph Tabakin and Carolyn Murphy...and letme tell you: SHE IS REALLY HOT!!!!!!!!!!

cinemel 2012-05-22 15:21:33

Entertaining but finally unsatisfying addition to Levinson's Baltimore tales

Barry Levinson has added another chapter to his insightful and entertainingseries of tales which useBaltimore as a background (Diner, Tin Men, Avalon). `Liberty Heights' refersto an almost all-Jewish suburban community. Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth portray a marriedcouple living there with two young sons. Mantegna's character has a burlesque house which fronts for hisnumbers racket. His younger son is having asweet and innocent romance with a young African American girl much to thechagrin of her parents. His older son (Adrien Brody) isinterestedin a waspy debutante type (Carolyn Murphy) being dated by his close friend.When one of dad's bettors, the slick but not too bright, Orlando Jones, wins$100,000 which he can't pay, events take a turn for the dangerous. Theundercurrents of prejudice and bigotry which were just hinted at inLevinson's earlier entries, here are explored through humor andcharacter.However, something is missing. The story seems to be leading toward acrescendo of incident whichnever occurs. The youthful performers here are appealing and their firstexperiences in the world of sex and romance are entertaining, but they justdon't go anywhere. Bebe Neuwirth, so special in her Broadway performance in`Chicago', is here miscast. Joe Mantegna does a creditable job creating thecharacter of the father who is given an interesting history by Levinson.`Liberty Heights' needed a little of the darkerside, which Levinson's TV show `Homicide: Life on the Streets' was soeffective at, and a little lessof the light side, so well portrayed in the earlier film, `Avalon'.

2012-05-21 20:57:11

An excellent film that is often overlooked

A Barry Livingstone production, which is semi-autobiographical. The story centers on a Jewish family living in Baltimore at the height of anti-Semitism. Other racial issues emerge, such as the introduction of African American students into White schools. Despite the `weighty' content, this movie is actually a comedy, and there are several moments that are truly funny. Benefits from a great cast, including Adrian Brody - before his `mainstream' emergence.

JR-59 2012-05-21 03:10:31

I loved the film, but.......

As much as I like this film, this was the first time that I can say thatsexual content was unnecessary to a film. The language was overdone, andwedidn't need all of the scenes with the strippers to get the point acrossabout what Joe Mantegna's character did for a living (some of them,definitely. But all of them?).

2012-05-13 01:33:32

Much like a TV show movie

I felt like I was watching The Wonder Years, except in the 50s and dealing with slightly more serious themes. I thought it was pretty good, I did not get bored, and the music was very good. I may even buy the soundtrack. Very beautiful girls, funny situations, gives you a very strong nostalgic feel. Simplifies the complex religious, racial, and social borders that are felt by many people, and makes you wonder why they are there. They shouldn't be. A good movie, very much worth watching if you are looking to rent a movie that is new and you have never heard of before. I will probably buy the soundtrack first before buying the movie though... It is that good.

TxMike 2012-05-12 22:06:23

"Liberty Heights" is a fine film, but I think you have to be over 50 to really appreciate it!

I grew up in the mid-50s, when this film was set. I enjoyed this movie formany of the same reasons that I enjoyed "My Dog Skip." Both of them dealwith the everyday life of growing up and dealing with an ambiguous andchanging world. I rate this film a solid "8" of 10.CAUTION -- MAY CONTAIN A SPOILER OR TWO --This film, about 2 hours, set in NW Baltimore in 1954 and 1955, tells threeprimary stories in parallel. Ben is the high school senior just learningthat not all the world is Jewish, and first learns what prejudice anddiscrimination are. The sign at the local swimming hole -- "No Jews, Dogs,or Coloreds." His older brother, Van, falls for a non-Jew, a temperamentalblonde, and he eventually finds out she is not as perfect as she seems tobe. And their father, who runs a "Burlesk" theater and a numbers game on theside, always managing to duck the law. Until a black drug dealer happens towin $100,000 dollars that can't be covered, and they go into businesstogether. He eventually has to go to jail. The main story is Ben's, and he first gets exposed to a "colored" girl inhis school through integration. Her prayerful attitude catches hisattention, and they become friends. There is a funny scene where her fathercomes home early and Ben is in the closet, and they converse. Another wherethey go to the same James Brown concert but not on a date. And the very lastscene right after graduation, where they say goodbye, he kisses her for thefirst time, just as friends, and both sets of parents go off the deep end. Anice touch.There isn't much action, no one gets killed or even badly beat up. Thecharacters seem real, and this film offers a portal through which we canview a little of what it was like growing up and dealing with racism at thesame time, all the while keeping a sense of humor. You almost have to be oldto really appreciate "Liberty Heights."

Roland E. Zwick 2012-05-12 00:42:18

watchable but uninspired

If there is one subject the reflective, autobiographically-inclinedfilmmaker seems to obsess about above all others, it is the gloriousinnocence of his own childhood. This seems to be doubly the case when thatupbringing has taken place in a heavily ethnic family and neighborhoodfilled with intergenerational and societal conflicts. With Barry Levinson,of course, the scene is the Jewish section of Baltimore known as LibertyHeights at a time – 1954 - in which the old standards of segregation andunquestioning devotion to tradition were beginning to crumble in the face ofan up-and-coming generation of freethinking youths. The youths in this caseare two brothers in their late teens, sons of a local burlesque theaterproprietor and local numbers runner, who face down anti-Semitism as theyflirt with interracial and cross-cultural dating.`Liberty Heights' is a perfectly decent little film, well acted, relaxed inits pacing and admirably lacking in obvious melodramatics. Its portrayal ofinterracial tensions - paradoxically, between two equally despised andmistreated minorities, Jews and blacks – is surprisingly restrained andsubtle. Thanks, too, to understated performances from a first-rate cast(Adrien Brody, Bebe Neuwirth, Joe Mantegna) and an air of casualbelievability in its screenplay, the film does relatively well by itself. Most admirably of all, the movie does not overstate the villainous qualitiesof its `bad guys,' and by so doing, manages to see the subtle shadings ofvirtues and faults that lie in each of us. However, all this niceness comes with a price. With so little in the way ofgenuine conflict, the film seems to wander a bit aimlessly for much of itsrunning time. For one thing, the relationship between the father and histwo sons remains strangely sketchy, possibly because they share very littlescreen time together. We never sense the reality of the bond that soobviously exists between them, so much so, that, when the father is finallycaught and sent off to prison, we have no way to fairly register thefeelings or reactions of the boys. Not only does this incident seem toleave no mark on their emotions, it provides no sense of how it colors theirperceptions of their father's moral character.The unfortunate fact is that this material has simply been played out now bythe umpteen similar films which have come before it. What are needed atthis late date are some fresh insights to help breathe some new life intothe formula. These Levinson, as both writer and director, simply fails toprovide. We watch with cool detachment as the scenes play themselves out inpredictable and uninspiring fashion. Perhaps it is time for filmmakers as awhole to move on past thinking that their every childhood memory shouldserve as fodder for the audience's edification. Unfortunately, for`Liberty Heights,' fine as it is at times, we discover we much prefer ourown childhood experiences to theirs.

F_Jenkins 2012-05-11 20:41:17

Boring

Next to Scorsese, Barry Levinson is my favorite director. But as Scorsese's"Bringing Out the Dead" seemed like it was directed by a Scorsese wannabe,"Liberty Heights" seemed like it was done by a Levinson wannabe. Forceddialog, a boring script and virtually every part miscast, this film seemslike it was trying to go somewhere, but just fades away. Although I stillsay "Sleepers" is Levinson's worst film, this is right up there. If youwant to see real Levinson, see "Diner," "Tinmen" or "Rainman."

SHAWFAN 2012-05-10 20:47:26

Levinson's masterpiece

Joe (SPY-18)'s comments come the closest to my own feelings about this moviein its emotional receptivity to BL's message. Those who saw no connectionbetween the various subplots seemed to have missed Levinson's brilliantlyironic juxtapositions and parallels such as white burlesque dying out infront of no patrons while Black rock stars pack them in, etc. Emotional,poignant, witty, ironically but lovingly observed and recollected: this isone of the greatest films ever made. Mantegna superb, everyone else ditto;production design incomparable, use of Baltimore landmarks gorgeous,sociological recall of the way we were right on target: movies just don'tget made any better than this. Of course I saw this movie last night atBaltimore's art deco Senator Theater, a preserved relic of the daysportrayed in the film. Out in front, just like in Hollywood, are preservedin cement numerous mementos of important Baltimore and Maryland cinematicevents (like Levinson's pictures). Also, I spent 16 years in Baltimore soappreciated much more keenly than his more general fans all of BL's localreferences, and use of architecture, and landscapes. Like all of BL'smovies this one too will become a classic. Don't missit.

SamRag 2012-05-10 14:24:28

Real story w/real people…

From time to time one comes across remarkable films like Liberty Heightswhere simple story is told in extraordinary manner. This film is about theJewish Kurtzman family, but we follow the father and his two sons as threeseparate stories. Each one of them having their own struggle and challengesto face. What struck me as the most amazing part of the story was theeasiness of it, how it flowed and gently tackled serious issues in thecommunity of that time. It portrait itself in a realistic manner, wherethere were no real baddies or large showdown, just people going throughlife. The performance of the actors was brilliant, with Joe Mantegna (thefather), showing once more what a talent he is. This film won't leaveanyone untouched. 8/10

sddavis63 2012-05-02 20:04:00

Changing Times

A passable story about growing up Jewish in 1950's Baltimore, "LibertyHeights" lacks any consistent dramatic storyline, but deals with avariety of issues in a sensitive manner.Seen largely through the eyes of two Jewish teenagers (Van and BenKurtzman, played by Adrien Brody and Ben Foster) and their father Nate(Joe Montegna) the movie deals with the social changes just beginningin the early 1950's. Nate owns a burlesque house long after burlesquehas gone out of fashion, and runs a numbers game on the side,constantly risking charges. Meanwhile, Van and Ben deal withanti-Semitic feelings (swimming pools with signs that read "NO JEWS,DOGS OR COLOREDS ALLOWED), but at the same time also deal with thechanges brought about by integration, making friends and makingtentative steps toward romances with those of other ethnic groups. Weget a sense throughout of the difficulty that people must have felt inbeing asked to give up long-standing social conditioning, and we see(perhaps unrealistically) that the young people are far more willing tobreak out of these restrictions than their parents.The movie isn't all that exciting, but does provide an interestingslice-of-life perspective that makes it worth watching. I rated it as a5/10.

2012-05-02 09:09:38

I love this movie

This review is from: Liberty Heights (DVD) This beautiful movie captures so many nuances of prejudice, with humor, warmth and a heavy dose of bitter sadness. Anti-semitism is a multi-faceted thorny issue, as old as forever, and this movie is one of the best depictions of it. This includes many aspects of American anti-semitism during the 1950's that are often not quite spelled out.These days, when all manner of racism and the insanity of ethnic hatred are raising their ugly head again all over the world, watching this beautiful movie is as powerful, painful, and good for emotional health as it ever gets.

2012-05-02 01:45:13

Movie's Box Office Failure May Be A Good Sign

"Liberty Heights" revolves around a Jewish middle class Baltimore family of the mid 1950's. The father (Joe Mantega) is a decent and honorable man who just happens to earn a living as a boss of an illegal gambling organization. He is not perceived as a criminal to his immediate community, but merely as a family bread winner doing the best he can. To hide his earnings from the IRS, the father also runs a unprofitable burlesque house. The acts are so tame by today's standards that they seem hysterically funny instead of lascivious. Many like myself born into a minority Catholic background will readily commiserate with the young son (Ben Foster) who is astonished to learn that few people in the world are Jewish. There is a warm and tender scene where the child unintentionally insults his gentile lady host for serving him white bread, luncheon meat, and milk. The boy is appalled by all the revolting "white stuff" on the table. The innocent child looks at the well meaning woman as some sort of weird human being. Later we observe him as a teenager tackling the mysteries of adolescent sexuality and interracial relations. He is forced to learn that racial prejudice is not limited to the outright cruel and uncivilized. The older brother (Adrien Brody) is already thrust into an adult world where being Jewish is an serious obstacle to full economic and social participation. His buddy even goes so far as to hide his Jewish heritage from a WASP female in order not to repel her. This incident is very uncomfortable to watch. The whole family undergoes a crisis when the father's betting operation has to make good on a bet that it doesn't have the money to cover. These characters are engaging and the audience cares about what happens to them. We may even get to love them.This latest Barry Levinson quasi-bographical release failed at the box office. It was a well done film deserving of respect but perhaps made twenty years too late. Do I recommend this movie? The answer is yes. Levinson is offering us sufficient new material and themes to make it worth our while. Nonetheless, I suspect that the great film maker perhaps should think twice before returning again to his roots for creative inspiration. Levinson may have gone to this particular well one too many times. The subject matter is starting to exhaust even his most loyal admirers. Most of us have already seen the beautiful and thought provoking "Diner" and "Avalon." I dare say that "Liberty Heights" would have been financially successful only if Jews were still victims of virulent discrimination. Younger Jews fortunately ( or at least I hope this is the case!) can no longer identify with an era of almost fifty years ago when signs were posted on Baltimore area swimming polls denying admission to "Jews, Dogs, or Coloreds." Some anti-Semitism persists today in America, but it is rarely blatant. Most hostility usually results from the low self esteem of individuals possessing marginal power and influence. Ignoring history increases the chance of evil repeating itself. The overindulgence of focussing on past troubles, though, may deter us from confronting the challenges of the here and now.

2012-05-01 20:32:28

A very well made movie

"Liberty Heights" is a simple coming-of-age story told beautifully. I have seen this story told many times in a variety of ways; at times I find it mundane and uninteresting. In this case, the subtext -- 1950's Baltimore community and the three world represented (Jewish, WASP and African American) made the story more engaging.Frankly I could watch this film over and over again and not get tired of it. I highly recommend it.

Agnt_Kat_Mulder IDoBleave84@aol.com 2012-04-28 18:40:50

Excellent Telling of History...

I will admit that I originally wanted to see this film because I have beenahuge fan of Ben Foster since his Flash Forward days of Disney, and a fanofDavid Krumholtz since his Chicago Sons series. I adore them both and Ithinkthey're wonderful actors. So, I thought, this movie must be worth seeing.Ireally hadn't heard too much about it. I just saw it. I loved it. Theactingis superb. I love the plot. It touched my heart. It showed how Jews andAfrican Americans were treated then. And the ignorance of people when itcomes to color or religious beliefs. I think Levinson captured itbeautifully. A Jewish family going through trials and being so daring andunashamed of their heritage and belief. I loved it. I can't stress howmuchI loved it. SEE IT. Its a beautiful piece of art.Katrina B.

Natasha Coger 2012-04-28 08:45:06

Beautiful!

I went to see Liberty Heights because Ben Foster, from the Disney show,"Flash Forward" was in the film, and simply because the film was about raceissues. The movie was wonderful! I don't think that many people in thetheater knew what it was about, because of poor marketing. The movie isabout a Jewish father, and his two sons. I don't really think that it wasabout race issues, now that I've seen it three times! Adrien Brody waslovely, and he had plenty of talent to back up his beauty, unlike a lot ofactors. He was the perfect choice to play "Syilvan", the eldest son. Hisperformance was warm and you colud feel things while you were watching him, at least I did. Ben Foster was a great choice to play, "BEN", theyoungest son, also. Johnson, "Sylvia", could tune up her acting a bit, sheneeds work. I didn't have any major problems with the movie, I just thinkthat they could have shown "Syilvan's-Van's" friends a little more. And theending could have had more "SNAP" to it. I did love it much, though.

2012-04-25 07:26:44

EVIDENT TENSION

An excellent film which captures perfectly the time frame and even more importantly the sense of tension that was prevalent in the location and time in which the film is set. Throughout the film you feel like you are on pins and needles just waiting for something bad to happen even though the film is overall a "feel good" kind of film. Nothing REALLY bad happens, but you always feel like it might with all the religious and racial tension that runs rampantly through the society of Baltimore in the immediate post-war (WWII) era. Apart from conveying the societal norms and conventions the film centres on a Jewish family which begins with the narrator telling the viewer that prior to going to school he thought the whole world was Jewish because he never knew anything different. This is an interesting observation. This is pretty much the way all people see their early experiences unless they are subjected to a large amount of diversity, and most of us in middle class America are not. The sense of humour and tradition that runs through the film is subtle and clever. The characters are imbued with life, and the actors bring the script to life. Bebe Neuwirth is always a pleasure, and Joe Mantegna is great. The actors who played the teenage children of Neuwirth and Mantegna are also excellent.

Megan Luminais 2012-04-25 04:51:10

REAL GOOD MOVIE!

WELL I LIKED THIS MOVIE VERY GOOD IM HAPPY THAT I GOT TO SEE IT BECAUSE ITS A REAL COOL MOVIE ESPICALLY IF YOUR JEWISH!

Claudio Carvalho 2012-04-24 18:41:54

A Wonderful Story About Segregation and Love

In Baltimore, 1954, the Kurtzman family is a Jewish family living in thearea of Liberty Heights. Ben (Ben Foster) is a rebel teenager, who has acrush on his black friend Sylvia (Rebekah Johnson). His college brother Vanfalls in love with Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy – why this gorgeous actress hasjust this movie in her filmography?), a very problematic girl. He becomesfriend of Trey Tobelseted (Justin Chambers), a young man from a very wealthfamily and boyfriend of Dubbie. Nate (the excellent Joe Mantegna) is thefather, who lives from an illegal lottery of numbers. Nate loves his familyand keeps them apart of his legal problems. Ada (Bebe Neuwirth) is themother, who keeps the tradition of their family. Little Melvin (OrlandoJones) is a drug dealer, who wins a fortune of US$ 100,000 (in 1954) inNate's lottery, raising a serious situation in the plot. This movie iswonderful: the soundtrack, photography and costumes are marvelous. Thestory, about segregation of Jews and blacks and love between races, is verybeautiful. The viewer will not be disappointed with this entertainment. Myvote is eight.

kitt-3 2012-04-24 01:43:58

interesting slice of life

The three stories it covers don't really connect to makea whole picture, but I enjoyed each of them individually, especiallythestories of the two sons.The eldest son's love triangle has a very real sadness and desperation toit,while the younger son's lighter story of being a Jewish boy in love withablack girl keeps the film bright. The father's story feels like asupportingstory to the younger son's, rather than a story I'd want to watch on itsown.The movie drags a bit here and there, but all in all, I came out verypleased.