Jersey Girl (1992)

Director:

David Burton Morris

Writer (WGA):

Gina Wendkos (written by)

Release Date:

17 June 1992 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It takes a special kind of girl to know exactly what she wants... and not give up anything to get it.

Plot:

Sal is a wealthy and triumphant yuppie who normaly would not do everything in order to get a woman....

Plot Keywords:

Cigarette Smoking | Party Dress | Wrong Side Of The Tracks | Male Female Relationship | Ex Girlfriend

Cast

Jami Gertz	...	Toby Mastallone
Dylan McDermott	...	Sal
Sheryl Lee	...	Tara
Aida Turturro	...	Angie
Molly Price	...	Cookie
Star Jasper	...	Dottie
Joseph Mazzello	...	Jason
Joseph Bologna	...	Bennie Mastallone
Philip Casnoff	...	Mitchell
Pat Collins	...	Gabe
Regina Taylor	...	Rosie
Amy Sakasitz	...	Monica (as Amy Johanna Sakasitz)
Mary Beth Peil	...	Day Care Center Teacher
Jordan Dean	...	Tim
Richard Maldone	...	Bobby

Runtime:

USA:95 min | Spain:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Spain:T | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bendix Diner - Route 17 and Williams Avenue, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Electric Pictures

Quotes:

Toby: I just think we got off on the wrong foot is all.
Sal: The wrong foot? You wrecked my car. We got off on a really, really bad foot.

Soundtrack:

HANG ON (TIL TOMORROW)

A cute and entertaining romantic comedy, but it misses the mark on capturing the reality of Jersey culture.

The Jersey Girl of 1992 (not to be confused with the Jersey Girl of 2004 — I have seen both) gets kudos for being a warm, funny, and entertaining romantic comedy. As a native New Jerseyan of Italian ancestry who spent the first ten years of his life in Hackensack, however, I had mixed feelings about the film's portrayal of middle class New Jersey culture.

Sometimes they hit the nail on the head and I smiled with nostalgic recognition, as when Toby comes home with a grocery bag with a loaf of Italian bread sticking out of it — that's an everyday Jersey occurrence. Ditto for her apartment above Foschini's bakery and a storefront Italian shop that sold ravioli and Italian sausage. Even the Bendix Diner evoked some nostalgia, but the producers may not have realized it is an anachronism. Most Jersey Diners no longer fit the 1950s stainless steel model — most now have been expanded into Mediterranean-styled restaurants that basically look like Denny's but still have traditional diner food like Taylor Pork Roll sandwiches and home fries.

Most disturbing, though, was the portrayal of working class Jersey females as dumb bimbos who talk like grammar school dropouts and dress like prostitutes. Sure, I saw a few of those types from cities like Newark and Jersey City back in the '60s, but they are a thing of the past. Even urban areas of New Jersey like Hoboken and Jersey City have become too gentrified to reinforce a culture of gum chewing, slutty dressing bimbos. And Hackensack, where the story takes place, has become more affluent in recent years than it was when I grew up there in the 50s. My second grade teacher in Hackensack taught us how to pronounce words correctly, not like the girls in the movie who sound more like they're from Brooklyn.

And where on earth did the writers get the idea that people in New Jersey humbly look to New Yorkers as something to emulate? Most people I grew up with in Bergen County, looked DOWN on New Yorkers, especially the people from "the Boroughs." Maybe the writers should have read the demographics showing New Jersey is perennially tied with Connecticut as number one (or two) in the U.S. in per capita income.

These things didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie. They just made me think that the production staff was composed of typically ignorant and arrogant New Yorkers. You know, those jerks who come over to Jersey and drive below the speed limit in the left lane and refuse to move over as NJ law requires!