Permanent Vacation (1980)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

26 July 1986 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young slacker wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.

Plot Keywords:

Slacker | Manhattan | New York City | Mental Patient | Tribeca

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Richard Boes	...	War vet
Ruth Bolton	...	Mother
Sara Driver	...	Nurse
María Duval	...	Latin girl
Frankie Faison	...	Man in lobby
Jane Fire	...	Nurse
Suzanne Fletcher	...	Girl in car
Leila Gastil	...	Leila
Chris Hameon	...	French traveller
John Lurie	...	Sax player
Eric Mitchell	...	Car fence
Chris Parker	...	Allie
Lisa Rosen	...	Popcorn girl
Felice Rosser	...	Woman by mailbox
Evelyn Smith	...	Patient
Charlie Spademan	...	Patient

Directed by
Jim Jarmusch

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim Jarmusch		written by

Produced by
Jim Jarmusch	....	producer

Original Music by
Jim Jarmusch
John Lurie

Cinematography by
Tom DiCillo
James A. Lebovitz

Film Editing by
Jim Jarmusch

Production Management
Sara Driver	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sara Driver	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Kevin Dowd	....	sound
Mike Hessing	....	additional sound
Lisa Kaplan	....	sound mixer: final mix
Virgil Morefield	....	additional sound
Shi Sun	....	additional sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Brookner	....	gaffer
Ken Kalb	....	gaffer
Louis Suckle	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Tim Brennan	....	negative matcher

Music Department
John Lurie	....	musician: saxes

Other crew
Philippe Hagen	....	title designer
Skeezo	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Cinesthesia Productions

Distributors

• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• King Record Co. (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (all media)

Runtime:

75 min | Argentina:80 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:Btl | Finland:S | Hong Kong:I | Switzerland:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cinesthesia Productions

Trivia:

This film is featured on second disc of the Stranger Than Paradise (1984) DVD released in 2007 by the Criterion Collection.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bed coverings are rearranged between shots in the apartment.

Quotes:

Allie: Some people, you know, they - they can distract themselves with ambitions and motivation to work, you know, but not me... They think people like myself are crazy, you know. Everyone does because of the way I live, you know.

Movie Connections:

References The Savage Innocents (1960)

Soundtrack:

Up There in Orbit

Permanent ennui

Let's not put too much lipstick on this pig. Permanent Vacation ... cool title, memorable lead, nice style and all that, but ultimately an often boring movie. The only thing that keeps this above the water is the simple fact that director Jim Jarmusch followed it up with some of the best movies of all time. So it's cool to see him blunder his way through his first oeuvre.

The fact that our hero Allie is disenfranchised because his mother is in a mental institution might constitute the oldest plot device in the book. There is really no development, no suspense, nothing intriguing. Jarmusch commits the classic mistake of every first-time filmmaker; he has yet to learn that it's not enough to put a crass character before the camera. You have to make the viewer care about him. And unfortunately you can't do that by boring the crap out of the viewer. Allie is a high-strung, messed-up kid who could franchise disenfranchisement if only he could be bothered. He has a girlfriend that should rightfully be mine, who gets a kick out of dating a pretentious freeloader with a croaky voice. He meets a bunch of strange people, nicks a car, then gets the feck out on a boat. Cue amazing end sequence shot on a boat going away from Manhattan but looking back at it.

Check it out if you're a spotty movie boffin with no social life.

Give it a miss if you're more into Hannah Montana.