NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Ed-from-HI A genuine Lost-Treasure for movie fans of Romantic-comedy = "Crossing Delancey" (circa1988) is authentically heartfelt, subtle & realistic in presentation and refreshingly free of cliché or artifice.  Directed by the abundantly gifted but perplexingly underrated Joan Micklin Silver who made the incredibly unique film about the early Jewish immigrant experience in NYC called "Hester-Street" With "Crossing Delancey" Micklin-Silver updates her chosen milieu to Late-1980's NYC = populated by an endlessly intriguing mix of old-World East-European culture inexorably transformed/transforming into the modern-assimilated artistic-intellectual enclave populated by ambitious but still deeply-sensitive Souls like the beautiful 'Isabelle Grossman' (portrayed by equally beautiful Amy Irving, in one of her finest film roles)*spoiler-alert* Isabelle's bubbie/Grandma 'Ida' (Reizl Bozyk with extensive Yiddish theater-background) is worried-sick that her granddaughter is still unmarried at the ripe old-age of 33, and possibly heading-down the path of permanent 'spinster-status' unless a pro-active action-plan & intervention is implemented immediately. Enter 'matchmaker' extraordinaire Hannah Mandlebaum (the absolutely indescribable Sylvia Miles) who finds Isabelle a match-made (perhaps fermented) in Heaven, with pickle entrepreneur Sam Posner (down-to-Earth, unpretentious Peter Riegert)Sam is most certainly an all-round 'good-guy' but Isabelle can't seem to reconcile the fact that her irrepressible 'dreams' both personally & professionally have up to now hovered amidst the rarefied-air of mingling with celebrated NYC intellectual literati and noteworthy authors.  Isabelle has spent much of her waking-hours endlessly hosting poetry-readings, book signings and other promotional events in which the literary-minded have flocked, and in fact Isabelle works directly for one of the oldest, most hallowed bookstores/ booksellers in NYC, affording her ample opportunity to meet & greet successful writers on a regular basis. One such individual that catches Isabelle's attention early on is the renowned poet-novelist Anton Maes (played by Jeroen Krabbé) who is married but seems utterly lonely & perpetually angst-ridden nonetheless.Isabelle's fascination with those gifted few who successfully apply pen-to-paper (while making a good living at it) most definitely leads her down a few blind-alleys. Not fully able to 'see' the 'pickle-man' as the promising long-term prospect that he may very well prove to be.  At one point Isabelle even sets the 'pickle-man' up with her outgoing garrulous friend Marylin Cohen (played by straight-talking Suzy Roche of the vocal-group the 'Roches'  who contributed a number of excellent songs for this movie!)Joan Micklin-Silver's "Crossing Delancey" reflects an authentic film and ultimately timeless-Tale (adapted by Susan Sandler from her original stage play of the same-name) about people searching for genuine meaning & authentic identity along with choosing (hopefully wisely) who they are willing to spend the rest of their natural lives with."Crossing-Delancey" is also most certainly a near perfect romantic-comedy that seems infused with boundless good-humor, great thespian performances and unpretentiously profound insights  =  reflecting a genuine 'Lost-treasure' and priceless re-discovery for movie fans particularly of the Romantic-comedy variety.

Blueghost I'm always jealous of film makers who can make nice, intimate, light-hearted and warm films that have challenges for characters. Simply put it's stuff I can neither write nor shoot, but the intellectual film maker's hub that is (was?) New York, at one time, cranked out films like "Crossing Delancey" with delightful regularity.It strikes me that female protagonists like "Isabelle Grossman" in these kinds of films, are perpetually deceived by what they think they want and desire. It is the story of a New York Jewish single woman searching for love. Does she know what she want, or does mother know better? The film is classified as a romantic comedy. I suppose it is. There aren't a whole lot of jokes here, though there are some entertaining performances, some of which can make the audience grin, and perhaps laugh a little.It's a fine piece of film making. I can't spot any real flaws other than it could have used a gag or two more, but the energy level is about right for this kind of story.My only real societal comment is that I'm sorry that we don't see more films like this anymore. I could go into why, but that would bring down this review. All I can say is this film is not too sophisticated for anyone, is well shot, a bit slow paced, but well acted and put together.Enjoy.

mark.waltz Crossing Delancey and Essex is dangerous at any point of the day, but when a single but sweet book seller (Amy Irving) finds romance with a pickle man (the likable Peter Riegert), it's going to be complicated. She's got all sorts of headaches. When first seen, she's slyly removing the shop-lifted book from an obviously wealthy kleptomaniac during a book store signing event, and has issues with a Dutch author who won't leave her alone, a neighbor with relationships of his own, and most lovingly, her "bubbie" (Reizl Bozyk), aka her Jewish grandmother who most likely raised her who intends to see her married. Enter marriage broker Sylvia Miles (at her most obnoxious) and you can see why Irving has remained single. She's feeling pressure from all sides, but the sweet pickle man might just be the one to bring her out of her obviously lonely, if still very busy, life.New York in the 1980's was a fascinating place, as busy as any era past and present, dangerous yet exciting. The lower East side remains one of the busiest sections of the city outside of Midtown, and is culturally one of the most mixed. Great location scenes of various New York areas fill the camera lens as it is obvious that Irving doesn't live anywhere near there yet knows it even more than where she most likely lives now. She's patient and calm with everybody, even the aggressive Miles who at one point grabs her and won't let her go until she hears her out. But don't be put off by Miles as aggressive as she is. She's not just a modern day Yente; She really believes in what she is doing, and at one point softens her aggressiveness by admitting that every now and then, she actually manages to be completely right.While Irving and Riegert are a lovely couple as book seller and pickle seller and deliver the goods, it is Reizl Bozyk, a Polish born stage actress, who wins the praise as the feisty grandmother, loving and devoted, extremely well meaning and filled with a sparkle that outshines the Chrysler Building. Her good intentions in her case are the pathway to Paradise for her, and she is a treasure to watch in the only mainstream film she ever appeared in. Jeroen Krabbé is a bit hard to take as the over zealous Dutch writer, but it is obvious that he doesn't stand a chance of winning Irving over. The great Broadway leading lady Rosemary Harris shines in a cameo as a poetry writer, while musical character actress Paula Laurence is hysterical in a deli scene where she all of a sudden breaks out into "Some Enchanted Evening" with Irving as her target.Small little gems in the detail make this shine as a sweet little sleeper of a film. Joan Micklin Silver made a name for herself in modern Jewish cinema by directing the cult classic "Hester Street" which brought an Oscar Nomination for Carol Kane, and gets some equally fine performances here from her wonderful cast. Sweet background music helps move the story along, although some of it distinctly sounds like some of the score for the movie version of "On Golden Pond". At almost 30 years old now, this film stands the test of time in its vision of life in lesser known Manhattan neighborhoods, the only difference now being that you probably can't walk down these busy streets without bumping into somebody reading their phone.

alanf999 On one level, "Crossing Delancey" is a fun, heartwarming romantic comedy; on another, it has an agenda that is as pushy as any over-the-top matchmaker. Ironically, for a movie that undoubtedly shares much of its audience with those who loved "Fiddler On the Roof," it tries to undo the social revolution that drove "Fiddler's" plot; "Delancey" suggests that a Jewish woman might be better off relying on matchmakers and familial authority figures than actively choosing her own spouse, a job she only seems to mess up when it is entrusted to her. And while she's at it, maybe she should rethink her life in the non-Jewish world and come back home. You've come a long way, baby, but what did it get you? For the record, I believe women are best off finding their own mates, and preferably from a set that is larger than two. But what I find most troublesome in this movie is not so much the implied counterargument as the fact that it is made poorly. I can imagine a movie where a woman rejects her background, is miserable alone, encounters repeated disappointment in the Gentile world, and finally returns to her grandmother's milieu to find true fulfillment, romantic and otherwise. It might be done as propaganda; it might be done as a persuasive, touching story. But "Crossing Delancey" doesn't make a serious effort to do it at all. Izzy never really rejects her background in the first place, never comes across as particularly lonely or unhappy, and only undergoes a single unpleasant romantic failure. Then, when she does surrender to the man who has been preselected for her, the movie fails to make a convincing case that she will truly be happy. Sam is pleased with how things work out. Izzy's grandmother is ecstatic. It is almost as if the romance is between those two characters, and Izzy is simply the one who, through her sacrifice, allows the match between them to be consummated.It's a pity, because the movie does raise some interesting questions before it rushes to extinguish them. There is a rich potential in the premise of a woman unfairly dismissing a suitor due to how he has been thrown at her, perhaps due even to a small amount of snobbery, only to gradually discover his merits and discover that they are good for each other after all. There are certainly possibilities in the idea of a woman being romanced by a man with what she thinks is an aesthetic sensibility, only to recognize that he exploits people and the artistic impulse alike. It would be interesting to see a character seriously wrestle with which components of the literary world she values and which she decides are simply based on vanity, and the extent to which she reconciles her ongoing involvement in that landscape with her attachment to a man who doesn't fit particularly well into it. There are even interesting minor notes that are never satisfactorily explored: how do a woman who has essentially used her friend as a means to flee from a potential relationship, and a man who has taken the bait, reconcile their behavior and their future friendship with her when they push her out of the picture again? But as this is not a movie designed for a sequel, we are not meant to explore those questions further.According to its tag line, "Crossing Delancey" is "a funny movie about getting serious." If only its makers had been more serious about exploring the questions it raised, this could have been a better film.