NYC went through a rough time in the 70s and 80s. It was a dangerous, lawless, decadent place. That's NYC we know from so many gritty movie portrayals: the brutal world of Taxi Driver, The French Connection, Serpico, Across 110th St, or the wild decadent world of Midnight Cowboy, Joe, Ciao Manhattan, Warhol's Chelsea Girls. Director Milos Forman's "Taking Off" captures that same NYC, but seen through an affectionate, playful lens. The result is an unconventional, deadpan, charming time-capsule that sometimes strikes comedy gold. There's an endless parade of quirky folks making fools of themselves, but Forman presents them sweetly: we laugh at them, but not in a mean-spirited way: because they're just adorable idiots trying to be free...just like the rest of us. Buck Henry is wonderful as the uptight, long-suffering dad, his deadpan performance a master class in blank comedy. And the film is a character actor's paradise, with memorable appearances by Vincent Schiavelli, Paul Benedict, and numerous open mic hopefuls. Milos Forman's previous film, the Czech 1967 The Fireman's Ball overlaps heavily with Taking Off's good-natured irreverence, with extra satirical bite delivered to any character who claims moral authority. Forman's seems to say "Ah humans, they're so absurd and adorable!" Maybe it took a newly-arrived Czech emigre to reveal 1971 NYC's hidden sweetness to itself.
Review of Taking Off
