Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30 (1973) User Reviews

Doormat Protagonist Discovers Little Comfort Throughout Rambling Tale.

[rsoonsa · 6/10 · 15 July 2007]

Although several threads coexist with the principal storyline during the course of this low-budgeted eccentric character study of a single Brooklyn man, George Trapani (John Lefkowitz), who works as a printer at his family's business, and who has never moved away from his parents' home to be on his own, the work nevertheless impresses as being from the Slice Of Life cinema genre, wherein nearly any of the episodic scenes may be eliminated without having even scant effect upon such normally significant plot elements as exposition, conflict and climax, each barely present in this film. George correctly believes that he is mired within a well-trodden relationship with scatterbrain Flo (Maureen Byrnes), a waitress, and is highly frustrated with the quotidian nature of his existence. The choppily rhythmed picture portrays his clumsy attempts to alter a lifestyle that he increasingly dislikes as his thirtieth birthday approaches; however, it becomes increasingly obvious that a drastically naive George may indeed lack any sort of ability required for adaptation to a higher than jejune mode of living. Filmed largely in New York City, this piece revolves the daily activities of commonplace metropolitan area citizenry, and benefits from a good deal of cogently naturalistic dialogue in addition to some inventive camera-work contributed by Burleigh Wartes. It is the only credited film for Lefkowitz, portraying a man who rebels against his drab lot, while a majority of the other principal players show but few roles in their portfolios. Frank Quinn wins the acting honours as a sleazy film producer. The film has been re-released upon a Hollywood Entertainment DVD, retitled HURRY UP, OR I'LL BE THIRTY, that is rather shabby in the technical sense, and its cover is primarily taken up by the close-up visage and name of Danny DeVito, plainly a marketing strategy since his part is of only middling importance for the scenario.

Surprisingly sweet, somewhat dull.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 2 January 2022]

Being any age is tough, but for young John Lefkowitz, the prospect of turning 30 is a difficult one because he's not married, not successful enough according to members of the older generation (who found success before they turned 30), and is romantic efforts, particularly with young actress Linda De Coff, are unsuccessful. He's got a difficult relationship with his father (David Kirk), a mother who just wants everybody (Selma Rogoff) to get along, and a brother (Ronald Anton) who can do no wrong. Among his friends is a young Danny DeVito, but he's only on screen for a few minutes.

Then he becomes involved in a seeminglysShady audition for a play that De Goff auditions for, concerned about seemingly unnecessary nudity. That audition sequence is amusing when the overweight Susan Peretz shows up, demands to be seen and then complains about the script in a hysterically obnoxious manner. There's also a sweet theme song which is heard both instrumentally and vocally, utilized as the heroes love theme. A little sleeper of a coming-of-age film, this is certainly better than I thought it would be, but rather generic.

A bad film. SO bad, it's worth a watch. Eventually, it just grows on you - much the same you end up humming an annoying pop song.

[nm-freelance · 1/10 · 9 November 2006]

It's late. You're bored. You fancy watching a movie. But you're out, of movies. So, you stumble across this in the bargain basement of your average bargain basement. Buy it. This film is SO bad, it's worth a watch. The acting is awful. The script/story is so utterly bland and riddled with typical 70s movie clichés. It's also such a typical hard luck tale about some random angst-ridden bloke about to be 30 who gets knocked back at every turn. This has got to be one movie that puts the C-L-I-C-H-E in cliché. Danny DeVito's role is typically excellent, but very much of a cameo job. That said, it's worth it. I paid 99p to watch all 84 minutes of this and figured it was actually worth it in the end.

Really Don't Understand the Hate

[fatcat-73450 · 8/10 · 2 December 2021]

I've read some reviews calling it disorganized or expressing some variation of the claim that it's only worth watching for Danny DeVito's performance. Maybe I haven't seen enough 70s dramas, but I found the movie fresh, entertaining, and well-made.

It's about a one Italian-American George, who's about to turn 30 and comes from a rather strict Italian-American household.

This guy is as lame as his monk haircut implies. He's homely, he's short, he's shy, he's afraid of other men, and everybody cows him into doing stuff. He's never done anything he could be proud of in his life because of his meek personality. While there's some woman he sleeps with, it's not clear if she's just a prostitute he's a regular customer of or what.

By some stroke of luck some cool man about town takes an interest in him at a bar and decides to talk at him while Georgie fidgets around nervously. Georgie boy decides to go out on a limb and take him up on some invitation to go to an audition for a play he's producing, where he meets a beautiful waitress who decides to give him a chance.

It's a little bit chaotic and it has a lot of dead ends, but it never abandons its identity as a poignant character study about this generic loser who's not going to amount to anything in life. In fact, he's such a loser that even when good things fall into his lap he can't pull the trigger. It's like watching the proverbial lemming leap to its death off of a cliff.

Danny DeVito is briefly in this movie, but who cares. He doesn't do much other than make salacious facial expressions at the camera. If you really want to see 70s DeVito, go watch Taxi (1978). That show is great.

Good, well-acted character study with a superb ending and a fascinating scenes of urban life in the 70s in USA.

Honourable Mentions: Marty (1955). Probably the best movie on the topic of frustrated sexually unlucky young man who becomes painfully aware of his stuation and prospects on the brink of middle age.