WENT TO CONEY ISLAND ON A MISSION FROM GOD... BE BACK BY FIVE
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 2000 filmcritic.com
filmcritic.com
Who would have thought that the life of Jon Cryer -- actor in such memorable films as Hiding Out and Morgan Stewart's Coming Home -- would be such fertile ground for based-on-a-true-story filmmaking?
Based on a script co-written by Cryer himself, Went to Coney Island... is a movie about exactly that. Daniel (Cryer) and Stan (Rick Stear) head to the New York landmark in the dead of winter, based on a rumor they've heard about their childhood friend Richie. The long-missing Richie, it seems, has taken up residence under the boardwalk, joining ranks with the insane and otherwise homeless Coney Island-dwellers. It's Daniel and Stan to the rescue.
Why has Richie gone nuts? Will Stan come to terms with his alcoholism and gambling issues? Will Daniel loosen up a little? All these questions will be answered in the 90 minutes that Coney Island runs -- and these are some of the bleakest moments on film.
Washed out to the point of near monochrome, Coney Island is a hard film to watch because the anguish onscreen is unrelenting. Cryer and his compatriot Richard Schenkman have obviously poured a lot of soul into this picture, so much so that the film feels insular to the cast and crew -- and off-putting to the audience. Fortunately, a number of lighter moments (and a memorable by Frank Whaley as a Skee-Ball attendant) make the film quite watchable, not to mention keeping you, as a viewer, from slitting your wrists thanks to all the melancholy.
Ultimately, Coney Island tries to be a mini-Magnolia with its tales of intersecting pasts and presents, and in some aspects it is successful. But Coney Island could steal a thing or two from Magnolia about how a depressing story can resonate with an audience by tricking the viewer into caring deeply about its subjects. The Wonder Wheel may not spin fast enough for that.
RATING: ***
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Richard Schenkman Producer: Jon Cryer, Richard Schenkman Writer: Jon Cryer, Richard Schenkman Starring: Jon Cryer, Rick Stear, Rafael Báez, Ione Skye, Frank Whaley, Peter Gerety
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