Mikey and Nicky (1976)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A Masterpiece!

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Dear Elaine May, your film is one which can be enjoyed for the actors alone. Peter Falk and John Cassavetes literally live their roles as a couple of lowlife gangsters. I could smell the always pleasant odor of whiskey and cigarettes coming off their bodies. Ned Beatty is terrific in a very restrained portrayal of an assassin. I noticed Emmet Walsh in a bit role as a bus driver.You did a great job filming the empty streets, bars and run down hotels of Philadelphia. Frankly, so many filmmakers have exploited the gaudy and pensive beauty of America's cities - especially its underbelly. You've got to respect a country which gives so much space and opportunity to its depressed and crazy to destroy themselves. It is the sort of film which makes you want to drink a lot. Falk and Cassavetes are so stylish holding their drinks.The fight scene in the black bar was so real and intense with all its suppressed violence. It could well have been directed by Scorsese. I read this was shot in the same year that Mean Streets (1973) released. There are so many similarities between the two lead characters of both films and the relationship between them.I was not stunned by your film, Elaine. I found myself losing interest in the second half. Some of the scenes in the houses of the women went on for too long. The dialogs were indecipherable at times. The low key style does not always work. But I bet the likes of Jim Jarmusch were heavily inspired by this film.I was thinking about Pulp Fiction when I saw the scenes with the references to the watch and Mikey's relationship with his father. Certainly, Tarantino ripped that off.Anyway, I am surprised this was made by a woman.Best Regards, Pimpin.(7/10)

A brilliantly acted film. Infantile John Cassavetes is a low level gangster who finds he has a contract on his head. He enlists the help of best friend Peter Falk. What transpires is a night of truth-telling and betrayals that does not end well for either of them. Elaine May wrote & directed this tough-as-nails expose and it's as far from THE HEARTBREAK KID as it could be. Falk & Cassavetes excel and the outstanding supporting cast includes Ned Beatty, Sanford Meisner (the legendary acting teacher making a very rare movie appearance), Joyce Van Patten as Cassavetes extremely angry wife and, in a shocking role, Carol Grace (aka Carol Matthau). The expert cinematography is by credited to Victor J. Kemper but appears to have been worked on by a number of people. May reportedly shot more than a million feet of film, leading to a battle with Paramount Pictures over how best to assemble & release this. May's 119 minute version is astounding.

Viewers familiar with John Cassavetes' directing style will see his influence in this film, but Elaine May wrote and directed it. It is an engaging, highly unusual drama about two childhood pals mixed up with the mob. Don't expect Martin Scorsese or Francis Coppola glitz here---this movie is different. There is a real, uncinematic edge to it. It almost plays like a documentary, or a "reality movie." And the actors--Falk and Cassevetes were good friends and frequently worked together--allow for unique male-bonding (and a dissection of the male sex) that rarely occurs in modern film (another characteristic of a Cassavetes-directed film). Women are basically throwaway characters in many of his films, and that is the case here. This movie will either be an endurance test for audiences, or a fascinating experience. It was the latter for me.

A list of best films-you-didn't see from the seventies and eighties could not be complete without a host of John Cassavetes films: THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (1976 - given thumbs down on release, lauded as a classic now), and LOVE STREAMS (1984) are just two overlooked gems. Likewise, the only reason you can make for anybody not seeing MIKEY AND NICKY (Cassavetes starred, but didn't write/direct) is that nobody heard of it.I assume you have one of two reasons for reading this review. Either (a) you love the film and are looking for like-minded opinion; or (b) you stumbled upon it accidentally, in which case I shall put it as simple as possible: you gotta see it.Mikey (John Cassavetes) sits in a shoebox hotel room, a price now on his head, scared stiff. In desperation he calls his gangster childhood pal Nicky (Peter Falk) to help him get out of town.A synopsis doesn't cover the density of the film. Two fragile male egos rebound off each other as the leads recall just why they love and hate each other so much. I cannot think of a better casting move than coupling Cassavetes and Falk. Good friends in real life, and frequent collaborators, they bring an intimacy to the film rarely seen elsewhere.Within the first half-hour it dawns on the audience that engrossing as the story is, the outcome is not the most important aspect. Director Elaine May draws strength from the honesty of the characters. Her handling is at once compassionate and even-handed. The result: the characters are likeable for all their flaws.It resonates more and more every time you watch it, enough for me personally to consider it will be a major influence on anything I might have the chance to film in the future.The passing of Cassavetes was heartbreaking, the casual neglect of his output just as much so. If you don't know much about the man who took Scorsese under his wing, take the time today to investigate. Elaine May went on to make ISHTAR. Sadly, she hasn't directed since.MIKEY AND NICKY is one of the greatest American films ever made.