It's 1937 Brighton Beach Brooklyn. Eugene Morris Jerome (Jonathan Silverman) is a young Jewish boy who dreams of pitching for the Yankees but probably will be a writer. His aunt Blanche and her daughters live with them after her husband's death. The older daughter Nora wants to be in a Broadway play and the younger Laurie is sickly. His father Jack works extra hard to feed the extra mouths. His mother Kate is in charge of everybody. His older brother Stanley is struggling with his job problem.
My main problem with this is that Jonathan Silverman is too old to play this role. He's as tall as Brian Drillinger. I can imagine the lines being much funnier coming from a kid. Coming from a 20 year old, it sounds a bit dumb. Gene Saks's directions are functional. It's the words from Neil Simon that gets a few laughs. It is his play that is touching. The translation to the big screen isn't the best but it still works.
My main problem with this is that Jonathan Silverman is too old to play this role. He's as tall as Brian Drillinger. I can imagine the lines being much funnier coming from a kid. Coming from a 20 year old, it sounds a bit dumb. Gene Saks's directions are functional. It's the words from Neil Simon that gets a few laughs. It is his play that is touching. The translation to the big screen isn't the best but it still works.