Liberty Heights (1999)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer (WGA):

Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

17 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

You're only young once, but you remember forever.

Plot:

Anti-Semitism, race relations, coming of age, and fathers and sons: in Baltimore from fall, 1954, to fall...

Plot Keywords:

School | High School | Anti Semitism | Burlesque | Brother

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Van Kurtzman
Ben Foster	...	Ben Kurtzman
Orlando Jones	...	Little Melvin
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Ada Kurtzman
Joe Mantegna	...	Nate Kurtzman
Rebekah Johnson	...	Sylvia
David Krumholtz	...	Yussel
Richard Kline	...	Charlie, Nate's Assistant
Vincent Guastaferro	...	Pete, Nate's Assistant
Justin Chambers	...	Trey Tobelseted
Carolyn Murphy	...	Dubbie the Blonde
James Pickens Jr.	...	Sylvia's Father
Frania Rubinek	...	Grandma Rose
Anthony Anderson	...	Scribbles
Kiersten Warren	...	Annie the Stripper

MPAA:

Rated R for crude language and sex-related material.

Runtime:

127 min | Germany:122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Yiddish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 (video rating) | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Baltimore County Courthouse - 401 Bosley Avenue, Towson, Maryland, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Part of a series of films based Barry Levinson's family and friends from Baltimore. The other films are: Diner (1982), Tin Men (1987) and Avalon (1990).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the part of the film which was set in October/November, 1954, the trees had way too many green leaves on them for Baltimore at that time of the year.

Quotes:

Grandma Rose: Get a haircut.

Movie Connections:

References "The Milton Berle Show" (1948)

Soundtrack:

If

I can relate, sort of

I can relate a little to this film because I am also Jewish and can sympathize with being afraid to like someone just because of my religion (as this film states). But I don't completely go along with this film because this shows life in Baltimore, Maryland (writer/director/producer Barry Levinson grew up in Baltimore and has made several films in this area) and has life in strict religious Jewdiasm while I am sort of a, uh, reformed one. But that has nothing to do with this review, just trying to get a feel for the movie.

Anyway, this film is well made with scenes that people might find humorous (mainly by identifying with it) and also touching. Story follows a Jewish teen in Liberty Heights (a suburb of Baltimore) who goes through his years OK, but then meets a black girl and starts to really like her (which is a problem for both families). Pretty bright, but not exactly Levinson's best film to date. But it is a compassionate film with good stuff and Joe Montegna playing a orthodox Jewish father. A-