The Cruise (1998)

Affectionate portrait of Tim "Speed" Levitch, a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses. He talks fast, is in love with the city, and dispenses historical facts, ... See full summary »

Director:

Bennett Miller

Star:

Timothy 'Speed' Levitch

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Timothy 'Speed' Levitch	...	Himself

Storyline

Affectionate portrait of Tim "Speed" Levitch, a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses. He talks fast, is in love with the city, and dispenses historical facts, architectural analysis, and philosophical musings in equal measures. He's reflective and funny about cruising: he loves it, got in it to meet women, and he'd quit work if he could. His personal life is disclosed in small doses: he takes home $200 a week for 20 hours work, home is his suitcase and wherever he can flop, he's been arrested for going out on the roof tops of skyscrapers to see his city; he stands between the towers of the World Trade Center, spins until he's dizzy, then looks up.

---

Plot Keywords:

1990s | tour guide | manhattan | new york | tourist | 

---

Taglines:

You are 3 1/2 blocks away from infinity.

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

I periigisi

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$139,064 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,127, 25 October 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$238,434, 10 January 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charter Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edward Norton's favorite movie.

---

Quotes

Timothy 'Speed' Levitch: I am cruising, currently, right now! I am cruising because I have dedicated myself to all that is creative and destructive in my life right now, and I am equally in love with every aspect of my life, and all the ingredients that have caused me turmoil and all the ingredients that have caused me glory. I am the living, whispered warning in the Roman general's ear, 'Glory is fleeting', and in that verb - that active verb 'fleeting' - there I live, there I reside, in this moment. I have dedicated ...

---

Connections

References The Odyssey (1997)

---

Soundtracks

Autumn In New York
Written by Vernon Duke
Performed by Stan Getz & Chet Baker
Published by BMG Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Verve Records by arrangement with Polygram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

A Cruise Worth Taking

Part Allen Ginsberg, part Woody Allen with a sprinkling of Harvey Fierstein and Albert Camus Timothy Speed Levitch takes you on a unforgettable tour of NYC - The genuineness of his love for NYC, it's history, it's culture is infectious- There is an alluring innocence about Levitch though you can't help wondering what the issue or issues are that darken his soul; is it drugs, his sexuality, mental illness? Add Levitch to the long list of highly actualized, highly troubled human beings whose struggles illuminate the journey. The scene of his visit to the grounds of the twin towers is haunting and you wonder if this film could have been made in post 9/11 world