Mr. Jealousy (1997)

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writer:

Noah Baumbach (written by)

Release Date:

5 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Lester is an occasional substitute teacher and he's very jealous. He is jealous about the last boyfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Psychiatrist | Fight | Iowa | Greenwich Village New York City

Cast

Eric Stoltz	...	Lester Grimm, aka Vince
Annabella Sciorra	...	Ramona Ray
Chris Eigeman	...	Dashiell Frank
Carlos Jacott	...	Vince, aka Leo
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Lucretia
Brian Kerwin	...	Stephen
John Lehr	...	Lint
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Dr. Howard Poke
Vincent Polidoro	...	Young Lester Grimm
Yvette Brooks Grant	...	Paulina
Jose Soto	...	Club Promoter
Delaine Yates	...	Ariana
Nico Baumbach	...	Ex-Boyfriend
Joel Kastelberg	...	Curt (as Joel Castleberg)
Dean Wareham	...	Music Video Director

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #35510) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Joel Castleberg Productions

Trivia:

On The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance marquee that appears in the film, a quote ("a classic") is attributed to G Brown. The critic in question is Georgia Brown, famed Village Voice film critic and mother of writer/director Noah Baumbach.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Numerous occurrences. At one point, not only is the mike visible, the *boom* is visible.

Quotes:

Narrator: Avoiding the dentist for 3 years will come back to haunt you.

Movie Connections:

References Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Soundtrack:

Beauty

Offbeat and thoughtful, this film may, nevertheless, lose viewers with its slow delivery

Lester (Eric Stolz) has a new girlfriend in Ramona (Annabella Sciorra). She is a beautiful lady, with a swell job in a Brooklyn museum, and she is continuing work on a graduate degree at Columbia. Substitute teacher Lester, however, is obsessed with Ramona's past relationships. He was burned by a couple of former girlfriends and fidelity is paramount to him. When Ramona actually gives Lester a book to read, written by a former boyfriend, Lester is stunned. Not long after this, Lester stumbles upon the nouveau-celebrity author at a therapy group. Ah ha! If Lester assumes an alias and becomes part of the group, he has a chance to find out more about Ramona's past and her predilections for loyalty. Yet, even as Lester discovers revelations about his new girlfriend, he may be endangering his own chance of survival with Ramona, by not living in the present alone. Should he continue? This film has an offbeat charm that makes it attractive. The script is thoughtful, clever, and original, daring the viewer to listen closely to every word and idea presented. The actors, in addition to the two stars, are very fine, with Chris Eigeman giving a nice turn as the newly famous author, and Bridget Fonda, Peter Bogdanovich, and others on hand to help out in a big way. The costumes are attractive and the NYC setting always a winner. However, this is not the typical romcom by any means. It has a slower pace and its commitment to dialogue over action makes it a hard sell for the ADD crowd. This said, do catch Mr. Jealousy at your earliest opportunity, if you like to vary your viewing habits. Here is one movie that offers charm and intelligence without losing its own unique identity.