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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Doppler Effect mentioned by the man in the lobby ('Frank Faison'), is the change in a sound (frequency and wavelength) noticed by an observer as a sound source moves relative to the observer.

---

Goofs

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

---

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.

---

Connections

Features The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Some people they can distract themselves with ambitions and motivation to work but not me

Jim Jarmusch's debut 'Permanent Vacation' is said to be his student film. It does have a certain student-film feel to it mostly because of the minimalism and the actors. It is an exceptionally well shot film. However, it also felt somewhat sketchy and a few dialogues felt out of place.

In a way, 'Permanent Vacation' reminded me of 'Catcher In The Rye' as the story here follows a slacker in search for meaning in New York city (it's refreshing to see the non-glamorous, non-typical Hollywoodized but rawer side of the city) before taking a permanent vacation. The plot does sound simplistic and perhaps even uninteresting to some but the film is engaging as Jarmusch immediately gets his viewers involved into the subjective world of Allie. Whereas most of Jarmusch's films are conversational, 'Permanent Vacation' is more of a wandering. The story itself may be familiar in the filmworld but it also applies to today's society. The film's also tedious at times.

Chris Parker is quite effective as Allie Parker. The rest of the actors, with the exception of Frankie Faison, aren't particularly impressive but that doesn't ruin the film.

Although it may have some faults, Jarmusch's first experimental film is quite a compelling debut.

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