Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Nick is desperate, holed up in a cheap hotel, suffering from an ulcer and convinced that a local mobster wants him killed. He calls Mikey, his friend since childhood, but when Mikey arrives... See full summary »

Director:

Elaine May

Writer:

Elaine May

Stars:

Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Ned Beatty

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Mikey
John Cassavetes	...	Nicky Godalin
Ned Beatty	...	Kinney
Rose Arrick	...	Annie
Carol Grace	...	Nellie
William Hickey	...	Sid Fine
Sanford Meisner	...	Dave Resnick
Joyce Van Patten	...	Jan
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Bus Driver
Sy Travers	...	Hotel Clerk
Peter R. Scoppa	...	Counter Man
Virginia Smith	...	Jan's Mother
Jean Shevlin	...	Lady on Bus
Danny Klein	...	Harry
Martin Wolfson	...	Candy Store Man

Storyline

Nick is desperate, holed up in a cheap hotel, suffering from an ulcer and convinced that a local mobster wants him killed. He calls Mikey, his friend since childhood, but when Mikey arrives, Nick won't let him in: his moods swing. So begins a long night as Mike tries to take care of Nick, calm him down and get him out of town. Their sojourn - on foot and in a city bus - takes them to a bar, a club, toward a movie theater, to the cemetery where Nick's mom is buried, and to Nick's girlfriend's apartment. Tempers fray and the friendship is tested. Meanwhile, a hit man who's getting information from someone is indeed looking for Nick.

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Plot Keywords:

bar | cemetery | friendship | mood swing | club | 

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Taglines:

In the mob you trust no one. Not even your best friend.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

21 December 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jogo Mortal

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 106 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 1973, not released until 1976.

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Goofs

Sitting in a bus after having been to the graveyard Nicky is smoking a cigarette. It keeps disappearing and reappearing and it is randomly getting shorter and longer.

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Quotes

Nicky: It's very hard to talk to a dead person. I have nothing in common.

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Connections

References An Investigation of Murder (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Good Times Bad Times"
Words and Music by John Strauss

User Reviews

Mikey and Nicky is a tour de force

This film stuck with me for a few days. Peter Falk (Mikey) and Cassavetes (Nicky) give powerful performances and the film makes one wonder 1) if Mikey intends to go through with his dirty job all along and 2) while Nicky seems to know intellectually that it is likely that his friend could betray him, does he believe it or not? When Nicky spontaneously takes Mikey to his mother's grave, it seems that it is not really to pay respect to his mother before he dies but rather to remind his friend that death is final and that if Mikey kills him he'll be killing an irretrievable part of his past. Nicky yells out, "Mom, if anything happens to me Mikey did it!!" This seems to force Mikey to think a bit more deeply about the job he's embarking on; it won't be so easy for him to see his job through to the end. But near the film's end, Mikey tells his wife a story from his childhood that Nicky had reminded him of in the graveyard--does Mikey tell his wife the story as it really happened? The film leaves room for interpretation, but one thing is clear; the night that Mikey and Nicky spend together they are both forced to face their shmuckhood--- not something that either of them are very good at. A must see, especially for Falk and Cassavete fans.