Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 31-August-03
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Diner (1982)

I have watched "Diner" periodically over the last 20 years, and it has never failed to impress me. Whereas some movies stand the test of time because they're visually dazzling or relate a good story in the best possible way, this one has the distinction of actually drawing upon the passage of time to enhance its impact, like a fine wine. This is because the essence of "Diner" doesn't reside in its plot or characters, but in the nostalgia it evokes --- nostalgia not only for Baltimore in the 1950s, but also for the period between youth and adulthood, when life gets complicated and relationships take on new meaning. Whatever your age when you first see it, "Diner" makes you feel like you've been given insight into something beautiful and fragile, and this feeling intensifies as you get older, as if the simpler days the characters have lost are your own poignant losses as well.

Although writer/director Barry Levinson's script does have a very deliberate structure, it manages to convey the impression of an impromptu look at a group of male friends in 1959. The movie opens at Christmas, one week before the wedding of one of the friends and the dawning of a new decade. Although their relationships are entirely believable, each young man represents a different character type or phase in emotional development: Eddie, the groom-to-be (Steve Guttenberg), is the all-American boy on the brink of manhood; Shrevie (Daniel Stern) has already gotten married but doesn't know what to do next; Fenwick (Kevin Bacon) simply refuses to grow up; Boogie (Mickey Rourke) is too cool to walk the beaten path and thereby comes close to destruction; and Billy (Tim Daly) is the most mature of the bunch but still can't come up with the answers. These men spend almost every night at a 24-hour diner, where they blather, argue, joke, and attempt to hang onto their shared youth through each other. Women, including Shrevie's frustrated wife Beth (Ellen Barkin), are either peripheral or intrusive to their fraternity, and their confusion about what lies ahead is in no small part connected to their inability to see beyond the confines of gender.

"Diner" possesses the appropriate look and feel for its era, but it doesn't rely on the soundtrack, costumes, and classic cars to develop its uncannily potent nostalgia. Levinson knows that a deeply felt affinity cannot be generated by cultural references alone; an emotional response also requires an attachment to particular characters and situations. He therefore stocks his "Diner" with many tasty quirks and piquant interactions, including Shrevie's love of B-sides, Eddie's obsession with the Colts, Billy's old schoolyard vendetta, and the passive-aggressive mutterings of Modell, the gang's other, most overtly comedic member (Paul Reiser). But not all of the movie's humor is of the subtle variety; in fact, some of its finest moments are the unforgettable pecker-in-the-popcorn scene and the raucous holiday cheer of Fenwick in the manger.

This picture contains a lot of dialogue (in vastly different tones, speeds, and levels of intensity) and relies on the chemistry between an usually large cast of characters. Fortunately, every one of its stars seems to have hit his or her stride in this very film. It's easy while watching "Diner" to remember that Mickey Rourke once had a commanding presence worthy of his "next big thing" rep, and to see why Barkin, now MIA, enjoyed a short reign as the queen of sexy-but-fragile roles. Stern and Guttenberg carry weights here that their later careers would never suggest, and Bacon shows that he started out strongly playing A-movie damaged instead of B-movie damaged. As for Daly: in a Spotlight last year I called him an underused talent and lamented that he never made it big in the movies; if you have any doubts about that opinion, I invite you --- if for no other reason --- to check out this movie.

Barry Levinson appears to have peaked in "Diner" as well. Although he made two other Baltimore pieces heavy on nostalgia ("Avalon," "Liberty Heights") and found some success with more commercial films ("Rain Man"), he has never matched the simple, eloquent purity of his first hit. "Diner" truly is a movie for the ages, and with every passing year it becomes more and more touching to visit.

Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.