Permanent Vacation (1980)

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

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch

Stars:

Chris Parker, Leila Gastil, John Lurie

1 win.

Cast

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

Storyline

In downtown Manhattan, a twenty-something boy ('Chris Parker')whose Father is not around and whose Mother is institutionalized, is a big Charlie Parker fan. He almost subconsciously searches for more meaning in his life and meets a few characters along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | drifter | graffiti | manhattan new york city | slacker | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean-Michel Basquiat was present while they were shooting the scenes in the apartment, sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag.

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Goofs

There are fittings on the ship's railing visible in the rear shot but not in the front shot of Allie.

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Quotes

Leila: Where have you been? I haven't seen you since Thursday.
Allie: Walking, just walking around. I can't seem to sleep at night, not in this city.
Leila: Doesn't seem like you sleep at all.
Allie: Well, I have my dreams while I'm awake.

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Connections

Referenced in Unique Congratulation (2014)

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Soundtracks

My Boyfriend's Back
Written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer
Performed by The Angels

User Reviews

as tedious as it is beautifully filmed, without form and very much the student film

Jim Jarmusch is a filmmaker I'll always admire and will see anything he puts out. Perhaps though my expectations of his student film, Permanent Vacation, were a little high as I thought this could be the link to Stranger Than Paradise as Who's That Knocking and Mean Streets were perfectly connected for Scorsese. This is not the case, at least from what I got from the film. It's an exercise in the mundane and plot less, a tale of a vagabond type character who may or may not be nuts, who has an insane mother, and usually just loafs around the more deconstructed and decaying parts of lower Manhattan. There are some chances for it becoming more interesting than it does, and it's really because it's a case of a filmmaker finding his footing and not getting there yet.

A few bits are noteworthy in the kind of fascination that comes with watching Jarmusch's characters- like when Allie (Chris Parker) dances to the jazz record in his apartment, or the very random scene on the island. And there's a grin for a bit part for John Lurie. But there almost comes a point where the randomness becomes too diverting, and the script and (obvious) amateurs don't help matters. A monologue in a movie theater- which another commenter said was beautiful- is rambling and loses its point even as Jarmusch sorta goes back to it. Part of that scene is interesting, but it's before the monologue with the Nicholas Ray movie. Parker as an actor has that cool, quiet swagger that would be found in Stranger Than Paradise, but he also can't carry the dialog that well (particularly in the odd voice-overs).

The end of the film caps it off as he just decides to leave New York City for good on a ship. This might have a little more resonance if what led up to it had one feeling much more for Parker than distance. Permanent Vacation is like a condensed, rough, patch-work example of everything that is wrong and sometimes right with Jarmusch's work, like an early demo from some rocker who hasn't quite got the gist of everything from his inspirations. What's right with the work is that it's very well shot, particularly for an ultra low-budget drama, co-DP'd by later talent Tom DiCillo. In the end, I almost found that the film was like a Godard work, though the ones really from the 80s as opposed to those of the 60s. It's got an artist's eye and the occasional touch of grace, but it's also a jumble of a sketchpad of what's really in the filmmaker's gifts. It is unique in that you can tell who made it, that it's not another write-off of a future hack. That it doesn't really spell the promise of Jarmusch's other 80's classics is harder to figure.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 1984 (France)

Also Known As:

Permanent Vacation

Filming Locations:

Roosevelt Island, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinesthesia Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1