The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)
There’s a school of thought that the only way to play comedy is to play it like a drama; if you’re laughing, the audience isn’t. If you subscribe to that school, you’ll absolutely love The Prisoner of Second Avenue. Even though this is a Neil Simon play and clearly meant to be a comedy, it’s taken seriously. I wouldn’t really classify it as a comedy, but instead an amusing drama. There are parts that seem so realistic, it’s almost scary.
Jack Lemmon takes center stage as an ordinary man who finally snaps. He has a broken-down apartment, a job, a wife, two grown daughters who never visit, and a brother he doesn’t get along with. In the beginning, we side with his wife, Anne Bancroft. Jack’s finding fault with all the little problems in their apartment, from a broken toilet to noisy neighbors, and she just wants him to stop complaining and see the bigger picture. As the straws mount, we start to get less amused and more concerned, until finally the last straw breaks him.
It would have been easy to play this as an over-the-top silly venture, but Jack is so realistic, it’s as if we’re really witnessing a breakdown. Given the script, there are many moments that could have turned into a one-dimensional, manic comedy, but Jack makes it relatable. While yelling at his neighbor, he’s given the line to shout, “Respect my a**!” and wiggle his backside. I’m sure you can imagine the laughs other comedians would have tried to get from that line, but when Jack says it, he’s lost all control.
It would have been easy to play the wife’s character as a sidekick with nothing to do but provide and respond to quips, but Anne makes it so real, we understand her entire married life within the first twenty minutes of the movie. They have such an easy chemistry together that at no point in the movie do we worry about the strength of their relationship; what a load off! With all Jack and Anne have to deal with, at least we don’t have to worry that they’ll split up.
If you’re in the thick of things in your own life hitting the proverbial fan, you might want to wait on this movie. It might give you ideas. Then again, there’s no way for you to truly appreciate this movie unless you yourself or someone close to you have snapped. Then you’ll know how realistic Jack’s descent is, and how realistic Anne’s stumbling but devout support is. Remember that scene in The Four Seasons when Alan Alda loses it and Carol Burnett looks on, scared? If that scene moved you, you’ll love this movie.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Anne Bancroft movies here!
Jack Lemmon takes center stage as an ordinary man who finally snaps. He has a broken-down apartment, a job, a wife, two grown daughters who never visit, and a brother he doesn’t get along with. In the beginning, we side with his wife, Anne Bancroft. Jack’s finding fault with all the little problems in their apartment, from a broken toilet to noisy neighbors, and she just wants him to stop complaining and see the bigger picture. As the straws mount, we start to get less amused and more concerned, until finally the last straw breaks him.
It would have been easy to play this as an over-the-top silly venture, but Jack is so realistic, it’s as if we’re really witnessing a breakdown. Given the script, there are many moments that could have turned into a one-dimensional, manic comedy, but Jack makes it relatable. While yelling at his neighbor, he’s given the line to shout, “Respect my a**!” and wiggle his backside. I’m sure you can imagine the laughs other comedians would have tried to get from that line, but when Jack says it, he’s lost all control.
It would have been easy to play the wife’s character as a sidekick with nothing to do but provide and respond to quips, but Anne makes it so real, we understand her entire married life within the first twenty minutes of the movie. They have such an easy chemistry together that at no point in the movie do we worry about the strength of their relationship; what a load off! With all Jack and Anne have to deal with, at least we don’t have to worry that they’ll split up.
If you’re in the thick of things in your own life hitting the proverbial fan, you might want to wait on this movie. It might give you ideas. Then again, there’s no way for you to truly appreciate this movie unless you yourself or someone close to you have snapped. Then you’ll know how realistic Jack’s descent is, and how realistic Anne’s stumbling but devout support is. Remember that scene in The Four Seasons when Alan Alda loses it and Carol Burnett looks on, scared? If that scene moved you, you’ll love this movie.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Anne Bancroft movies here!