by Lars Lindahl, High School Student (c) 1999 Lars Lindahl
Liberty Heights (1999) Directed by Bartry Levinson Written by Barry Levinson Starring Adrien Brody, Joe Mantegna, Ben Foster, Bebe Neuwirth
Grade: C+
Barry Levinson can safely be called "the master of Baltimore cinema". He has done exceptional work in the past focusing on this city, from "Tin Men" to "Avalon" to "Diner". And he has also been able to bring this sixth sense to the small screen with the mesmerizing "Homicide: Life on the Streets". It's no wonder Levinson has written and directed yet another film to his recognized collection. "Liberty Heights" follows two generations of an average Jewish family living in Liberty Heights, Baltimore in the 1950's. The family faces racism and rejection at the local swimming pool, in the court house, and by the police. The nostalgia presented is a terrifying look at how are society was function less than half a century ago. The film contains some hilarious and some heart wrenching scenes but over length seriously hurts the mood and nothing big happens to keep the audience truly entertained and attentive. It plays like an episode of a dramedy television show-however it is like the episode before the finale, where everything is built up very specifically but nothing huge comes out of it because it will be shown in the finale next week. However, this is a movie. There are no episodes and therefore the plot must not only be developed but something must come out of this development. In "Liberty Heights" there is no distinct climax.
The film is broken up into three sections, following three members of the family. The father, Nate, (Joe Mantegna) runs a strip joint which is not drawing profits from its desired range of customers. In order to change the gloomy future of his failing business, Nate decides to add gambling for his customers to enjoy. This plan, however, backfires when an unemployed man wins five hundred thousand dollars and Nate is unable to pay. This section of the movie was the least developed and seemed out of place from the other teen romance subplots. If Levinson was trying to make the film about the Jewish family as a whole, then why did he leave out a section focusing on the mother (Bebe Neuwirth) and her interaction with society? Instead Neuwirth is an automaton who's only purpose in the film is to comfort or scold the male family members when they are misbehaving or troubled. The oldest son, played by Adrien Brody, is seriously in love with a girl he is not supposed to go near. After he and his friends sneak into a non-Jewish party, Brody is swept away by a mysterious girl who he soon after cannot stop thinking of. This story, at first starts out very vibrant and vivacious, but as it drags on there are no surprises to maintain interest. Brody is excellent in another wonderful performance, but the supporting cast is very cliched and dull. Ben Foster plays the youngest son fittingly named Ben. This is the most interesting of the three stories because it is funny, tragic, and romantic without one of these elements dominating the others. Ben is a curious boy who wonders what the world is like outside of the Jewish community. This curiosity leads to a forbidden friendship with an African American girl played superbly by Rebekah Johnson. Together they learn more about each other and about themselves. Racism plays an important role in this subplot as the characters must fight against it in order to remain bonded. A powerful message is given by Levinson stating that the youngest generation is the most open- minded and the most mature. One obvious problem is that Levinson, out of nowhere, adds a completely unnecessary scene containing, you guessed it, bodily fluids. Is this a requirement now for films in the 90's? You know there is a serious problem when a film trying to explain the seriousness of discrimination adds a scene which can be directly compared to a scene in "There's Something About Mary."
Levinson's most recent film contains many superb performances and an important story line which educates the audience. There were just too many scenes with no importance and too many characters with no importance. If Levinson had cut some of these scenes and characters out and had focused more on creating a better ending, then "Liberty Heights" would have been an interesting, entertaining, educating movie.
(c) 1999 Lars Lindahl
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