Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986) User Reviews

I have seen the Golden Palace of the Himalayas. Puberty is over! Onward and upward!

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 14 September 2019]

Brighton Beach Memoirs is directed by Gene Saks and adapted to the screen from his own play by Neil Simon. It stars Jonathan Silverman, Blythe Danner, Judith Ivey, Bob Dishy, Stacey Glick, Lisa Waltz and Brian Dillinger. Music is by Michael Small and cinematography by John Bailey.

This is the first of what would become a trilogy of films detailing the adventures and learnings of Neil Simon's life trajectory. His alias in the three productions comes in the guise of Eugene Morris Jerome, here played by Silverman, and by Matthew Broderick in Biloxi Blues (1988) and Corey Parker in Broadway Bound (1992). This is set in 1937 Brooklyn, New York, and finds Eugene, a Polish-Jewish American youngster experiencing sexual awakening in a family home packed to the rafters.

Having never seen a Neil Simon play before I have no frame of reference, either here or with Biloxi Blues, the latter of which is a personal favourite. So taking it on its filmic terms only, it delivers much of the requisite razor sharp humour that was a trait of the hugely talented writer. The young version of Eugene here has sporting dreams as well as that of being a professional writer, his literary bent evident in his vocal discourse with his family and us on the fourth wall. He's the family gofer, a slave to his adoring but firm handed mother, as if battling the on-set of puberty wasn't taxing enough!

Though primarily humourous in narrative drive, the serious side of family values is always a strong current within. Gambling addiction also features, so to does vivid sibling rivalry later in life, while the dangling thread of Polish family members trying to exit their homeland for a better life in New York strikes a poignant chord. I can't vouch for accents or adherence to natural race standards, but the sense of the period and areas (real location filming of course) is impressive - the cast uniformly tight to the material's various themes.

Obviously not for everyone, but for those not bothered by closeness to the play, and those who love the sort of zingy dialogue found in other Simon film adaptations, then this hits the spot for sure. 8/10

A sweetly nostalgic look at Neil Simon's childhood...

[Isaac5855 · 6/10 · 29 March 2007]

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS was the first of a trilogy of plays that Neil Simon wrote about his own life, renaming himself Eugene Morris Jerome. This play was a Broadway smash and made a star and Tony Award winner out of Matthew Broderick. When it was time to bring the play to the screen, Broderick was unavailable because he was back on Broadway in the second play of the trilogy, BILOXI BLUES, so Jonathan Silverman was pegged to star in the film version as Eugene, the slightly neurotic teen going through puberty and other realities of being a Jewish teen during WWII with the help of his loving family. Silverman makes a suitable replacement for Broderick and seems quite at ease speaking directly to the camera. I'm one of the few who really liked Blythe Danner as his strong willed mother...maybe the accent was a bit much, but Danner infuses the character with warmth and strength and Bob Dishy has one of his best roles as Eugene's father, a quiet tower of strength whose world weariness never allows him to neglect his family. Judith Ivey plays Danner's sister, a lonely woman whose lack of self-esteem seems to have stemmed from feeling she has lived in her sister's shadow her whole life and Brian Drillinger also scores as Stanley, Eugene's older brother, who loses his paycheck gambling and then loses his job and doesn't know how to tell Mom and Dad. Gene Saks directs with a loving, if loose hand and the film could have been more tightly paced, but the performances of Silverman, Danner, and Dishy made it worth my time.

Raging hormones, nutty family, circa 1937

[Fad King · 7/10 · 10 May 2002]

This is a gently amusing coming-of-age comedy that comes from the later, more mature period of Neil Simon's writing. Although there are plenty of wisecracks to go around, this is not one of those Neil Simon pieces where every character spouts out one-liner jokes for 2 hours like they're guest stars on a Bob Hope special. There are also dramatic elements (some work, some are overkill) that lend some weight to the story.

The performances are good across the board, especially Blythe Danner as the mother (although she and Judith Ivey were oddly WASP-ish choices to play Jewish women). I've never been a fan of Jonathan Silverman, but I will say that he hits the right notes as the obnoxious, gawky, and totally horned-up teen-age narrator/protagonist of the story.

The movie is very similar in tone to Woody Allen's "Radio Days," but the latter is far more imaginative and funny than this one.

I love this movie!

[Jonathan-18 · 16 April 1999]

One of my favorite movies. Great cast, lead by Jonathan Silverman and Blythe Danner. Serious drama situations with brilliant comedic punches. An exact mixture of character and story. Real people with real problems, and everyone has a different relationship with each family member. Sensitively moves from slightly-sad to hilariously-funny. Read the quotes. This is the best adaptation of a Neil Simon play.

If you wanna see more of Eugene check Biloxi Blues (starring Matthew Broderick who played in both stage versions) is OK, a bit on a darker side. Get away from the made-for-TV Broadway Bound.

Very Funny Movie With Wit and Insight!

[jbartelone · 7/10 · 12 August 2012]

I like Brighton Beach Memoirs very much. The pacing of the movie and the character's delivery really draws the viewers into the time period. While Johnathon Silverman's accent may be a bit forced at times, he reflections about growing up in a bitter dysfunctional family are very natural, honest, and direct.

Brighton Beach Memoirs balances comic wit with the trails and tribulations of family values without being overly sentimental or preachy. Some sensitive moments are lightened with Johnathon's character, "Eugene's" audience narration. However, the narratives are never forced nor overly done. They really help the viewer see the types of struggles that a depression-era/pre-World War II family might have seen, even if members of the audience might not have lived in that time period.

The only critique I have is that Eugene's "sex fetishes" were too overdone and brought the movie down a little bit. These suggested dialogs make the movie inappropriate for children under 13, (It's rated PG-13) I would probably wait until my kids were 15 before letting them see this movie for the suggestive sex dialogs. Note that some are strong, especially in many of the conversations with Johnathon and his brother, Stanly. If you're over 15 and aren't bothered by suggested sex dialog, you will find these scenes to be very funny, as is most of the movie! I enjoyed Brighton Beach Memoirs and would recommend it, even for repeated viewing.

Ah, to go through puberty again...

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 20 November 2012]

Not! But for the young Jewish Eugene (Jonathan Silverman, taking over the role he played on Broadway, originated by Matthew Broderick), he's living in a much more innocent time, where his biggest challenges include making it across the street with the glass milk bottle in his hand that his mother made him return for the deposit, keeping his drawings of the female anatomy out of the hands of his older brother, and trying to control his lust for his sexy cousin (Lisa Waltz) and even his own widowed aunt (Judith Ivey). If this makes Eugene sound a bit sick or at least majorly weird, it gives him various characteristics and confirms his heterosexuality.

The semi-autobiographical series of plays by Neil Simon seem stagy to some, but in an era of blockbusters, "Hamlet" on screen with Laurence Olivier would be stagy! Silverman's Eugene is surrounded by a wonderfully eccentric Jewish family, much like Woody Allen's clan in "Radio Days", just miles away at Far Rockaway. The wonderful Blythe Danner allows her beautiful face to be dowdied as the hard working mother with a hidden bitterness towards her sister, Bob Dishy as the quietly understanding father whom everybody goes to for sage advice; Stacey Glick as the precocious sister (watch Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" and see if you don't see a similarity with that family's youngest daughter, Anne) and Brian Drillinger is the troubled older brother who is faced with humiliation for standing up to his tyrannical boss. Ivey, one of the gems of stage, screen and television, totally reminds me of the lovable Dianne Wiest's character in "Radio Days" with her ever optimistic attitude that never fades even though romances come and go. Dishy, who played a couple of eccentric characters on "Golden Girls" ("Mr. Terrific", for example) is totally recognizable, but the usually sophisticated Danner (Will Truman's mother on "Will and Grace", DeNiro's wife in "Meet the Parents", etc.) bravely lets herself go, and gives a performance of massive strength and understatement.

While "Radio Days" took place throughout World War II, this is set in the late 1930's, with mentions of Europe at War on the radio that Dishy demands that nobody touch. This is more of a linear plot line than Woody Allen's sketchy but hysterically funny film. The sweetness and less in your face crudeness of today's films helps make this stand out in a nostalgic yet not cloying manner of "We had a better life than you do today" way that some film makers remind us of. Ivey and Danner would ironically be reunited 15 years later for the first Broadway revival of "Follies". Teenagers and adolescents of the 30's and 40's in my opinion did have it better, with the Masked Avenger Ring and Jitterbugging a great predecessor to today's I-Pads, Cellphones and Crap Music.

Excellent Movie About Growing up and Family Values

[Scoval71 · 9/10 · 24 April 2006]

The viewer who said he was disappointed seems to be wildly missing the point here. This is a superb movie, excellent and realistic portrayals of a middle class Jewish family in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, of long ago. The nuances are perfect and I felt the casting of everyone was superior. I especially found the acting done by Judith Ivey just perfection---especially the speech she has with her daughter when the daughter comes home late one night. That scene was Oscar worthy. But, really, all the acting was fine. I recommend this movie. It is a fun, family film and delightful to see how a lovely middle class family lived in Brooklyn so long ago. See it and you will be glad you did. Has some very funny lines and the Eugene character is a real comedian--very funny.

Silverman too old for role

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 June 2015]

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.

Terrific slice of life

[Al-164 · 10/10 · 2 July 1999]

This is without a doubt one of Neil Simon's best plays turned movies. It's full of great characters, and memorable dialog. Johnathan Silverman makes a great screen version of young Eugene(he was played by Matthew Broderick on stage).This is the first of Simon's autobiographical trilogy, its followed by the wonderful "Biloxi Blues", and closes with the TV movie "Broadway Bound". If I had to say the movie has any flaws it would maybe be that characters sometimes usually speak in obvious dialog, but that's alright because it's great dialog. Rent this little gem, you won't be sorry!

Any resemblance between this story and the actual Brighton Beach is purely coincidental.

[PWNYCNY · 5/10 · 11 July 2012]

A strong story about a family in crisis is transformed into a tepid parody of what is supposed to be a Jewish family. The movie has several problems. First, the casting. There is no way that Blythe Danner can pass herself off as a Jewish-Brooklynish mother. She is completely miscast. Second, the Eugene Jerome character has to be one of the most obnoxiously unfunny adolescents in the history of cinema. Not only is he nasty, he is a pervert too, as the movie shows. Third, the staging of the story fails to convey the family's desperate financial straits. That is, the family does not seem as poor as the story suggests. Fourth, the interpersonal issues, which are the strong points of the story, are resolved in a way obviously meant to ensure that the movie has an upbeat ending. The conflict between the two sisters is intense and quite dramatic, yet its resolution is pure schmaltz as their mutual anger inexplicably evaporates. But perhaps the worst feature of the movie is the treatment of Eugene's brother who is the most complex of all the characters. His issues alone could have been the basis of a great movie. Instead, he is relegated to being a straight man for the unfunny Eugene. That the brother, who is a troubled young man, returns to a home housing the likes of Eugene Jerome is proof of movie company can take a perfectly good story and turn it into pulp.

Talk About Gratitude!

[Dizizjen2 · 10/10 · 3 August 2001]

This movie moves and inspire you, it's like you are one of the family. Just to see and witness life during the depression era, makes you feel humble and grateful. Jonathan Silverman delivered well, so convincing and very witty! A must see for Teens!

Poor acting, poor directing, weak writing

[hanabluma-546-540480 · 2/10 · 18 October 2014]

If you want to see an almost perfect demonstration of the proposition that film is a directors's medium, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS is the movie to see. The performances are uniformly dreadful, leading the viewer to conclude that, without decent direction, actors are largely incompetent. And, in addition to his overall ineptness, Gene Saks , the director, has such a tin ear that he allows his actors to speak in accents incomprehensible as the Yiddish-inflected New Yorkese that presumably was intended.

Furthermore, the audience is invited to believe that this story is something of a transcription of Neil Simon's boyhood experiences. We therefore are asked to accept that this tale is a reasonable approximation of the attitudes and values of a first-generation working-class Jewish family of the 1930s. Yet one of the key elements of the narrative presents a situation that is virtually unbelievable, which is that the family accepts and even encourages the prospect of a serious relationship between one of its members and an alcoholic Irish Catholic. It's also doubtful that the suitor's mother would have viewed her son's interest in a Jewish widow with the equanimity her character displays, but that just demonstrates Simon's cluelessness about a world beyond his own. But what's his excuse for such egregious ignorance of the one he purports to be representing? Either he doesn't really understand the culture he's writing about, or he's distorting it to advance his plot. Neither works to the story's advantage, and either option undermines the integrity of the narrative .

One Of My Top Five Comedies

[johnhiatt · 17 February 2004]

One of my top five comedies ever. You'll appreciate it more if your a guy who came of age in the 1930's-60's. I identify so much with this movie, especially the bathroom scene, when Eugene's 15 year old cousin Nora accidentally walks in on him while he's "on the crapper." This actually happened to me when I was 10, and let me tell you there is no worse horror for a boy at that age. Eugene worries that his life was over, as I did. I also remember my first time seeing a picture of a naked woman. A very tame pose by today's standards, but like Eugene, there was a sense of relief that the quest was finally over. No more was it just the occasional breast shot, I too had seen "The Golden Palace of the Himalayas." Jonathan Silverman's running narration is hilarious and really makes the movie for me. Well worth the investment time-wise, IMO.

Brigton Beach Memories-Brooklyn Can't Get Better Than This ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 5 July 2008]

Blythe Danner and Judith Ivey deliver wonderful performances here as Jonathan Silverman, as Eugene, recounts his life in 1937's Brighton Beach.

What makes the film so good is the relationships among the characters with a backdrop of extremely wonderful family values.

Bob Dishy had a marvelous opportunity here as the father of the clan. He gives a restrained but compelling performance as the patriarch of the family.

His sons played by Jonathan Silverman and Brian Dillinger are fabulous. There are certain scenes when Silverman is skating or hopping where I'm reminded of Jerry Lewis.

As for Danner and Ivey, they too are wonderful. Their mannerisms, intonation and idealism of the Jewish culture are beautifully realized by them.

The cinematography is just wonderful. Beautiful Brighton in 1937! Even as the inevitability of war loomed, the film is rich with many of the typical problems faced by families in that period. In a sense, you don't have to be Jewish to experience what the family is going through.

A must see for nostalgic buffs, and those of us who believe so strongly in family values.

I loved it, but then I never saw the play

[johnegopher · 10/10 · 6 March 2009]

How many of us have read a book or seen a play, and then when the movie version came out we were terribly disappointed? Well, maybe this would be one of those movies for those who saw the play too, but as someone who never had the opportunity to see it on stage, I was extremely entertained by this movie. The characters were funny, the music was great, and the story was interesting and made you feel genuine empathy for the characters, flaws and all. Jonathan Silverman has such good comedic timing, and his lines especially are hilarious. I'm not going to give any spoilers, it's just a nicely done, funny movie showing the inner workings of a middle class family during WWII. So if you never saw the play, and if you have enjoyed other Neil Simon movies, don't be held back by the couple of negative reviews seen here. On its own, Brighton Beach Memoirs is a GREAT movie. I guarantee it (no money back, though).

This is not Brighton Beach

[jeffe-71199 · 2/10 · 26 August 2020]

Recently watched this again on HBO. This film is so, so. It does not look anything like the Brighton Beach that I knew growing up and visiting my grandmother in the neighborhood. It's a film, so yeah, artistic license. The one thing that kept annoying me the most, other than the lousy Brooklyn accents, was Jonathan wore a Yankees cap. There is no way a kid from Brooklyn in 1937 would be caught dead in a Yankees cap. He would be wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers cap. Maybe he was Yankees fan, I suppose there were a few. The thing is a kid playing stick ball on the streets of Brooklyn would have lasted 5 minutes wearing a Yankee cap.

Excellent Movie

[masjax · 10/10 · 19 December 2008]

I love this movie. The cast were all terrific in the portrayal of their various characters. Judith Ivey did so well portraying a weak, fearful, dependent, who was passive aggressive in her complaining and self-involved character, that it was a relief to see the character's metamorphosis. Blythe Danner was equally appealing in her role as a somewhat judgmental Jewish mother, devoted wife, and loving sister. Jonathon Silmerman, Bob Dishy, Stacey Glick, and Lisa Walz performed their roles equally well.

If you enjoy movies that relate to going through challenging times without loosing your sense of humor and hope, you will love this movie.

Brighton beach Garbage

[VanillaJesus · 4/10 · 14 March 2006]

I starred as Eugene Morris Jerome in my high school adaptation of the play and this film definitely doesn't live up to the script or the imagination of Neil Simon. I know this play backwards and forwards and I can honestly tell you that the acting was off, The production was cheesy. The changes in the play's script were poorly done. If you want to really enjoy this play you should see the actual play, not a Hollywood movie adaptation. The Eugene character lacked soul and was overly sarcastic in all he said. The other characters were off key as well. A general disappointment, messy, disloyal to the play, amateurishly executed!

Who's gonna get blamed for the war in europe?

[courty61 · 6 August 2000]

Brilliant! Eugene is just like any 15 year old boy. Silverman comes out with some very funny lines with his mother : 'Theres a bone in my throat' 'THERE ARE NO BONES IN LOVER!' And when they are sat at the table at dinner Voice over-'The tension was so tense i would of cut my wrists but the liver had blunted the knifes'

So if you haven't seen this film go and see right now.

Go and search for and see the golden palace in the himalayes!

Brighton Beach Memoirs

[Coxer99 · 9 July 1999]

With the exception of the miscasting of Danner, this adaptation of Neil Simon's autobiographical play is well transfered to film with Silverman taking over where Matthew Broderick left off on the Broadway stage. Silverman stars as Eugene Morris Jerome, a 15 year old aspiring to be a writer with only two things on his mind - baseball and sex. The film captures the essence of Simon's upbringing with a comedic look at the trials and tribulations of growing up in a crowded Jewish household. Dishy is wonderful as the father. Keep an eye out for a young Jason Alexander as a pool shark.

The worst accents ever!

[bohemiac1 · 17 July 2012]

Whether the actors are really Jewish or not, these are some of the most forced Brooklyn/Jewish accents in Hollywood history. The way they spread the schmaltz around it's downright unbearable. Blythe Danner in an unbelievably poor piece of casting, lumbers her way through the part of the Jewish mother like a shiksa doing the horah. The mess of bad interpretations is practically racist. It made it impossible for me to stick with it. Oy gevalt! Avoid this piece of work at all cost. On the other hand if the play comes around to your local theater, go see it--there it works! Neil Simon always works best in live theater anyway, Yep, that's it.

VERY DISAPPOINTING

[KatMiss · 3 July 2002]

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" is a very disappointing movie. How disappointing? Instead of leaving the theater with a smile on your face and a tear in your eye, you leave moody and depressed. This is not how one is supposed to feel after seeing a comedy.

This is the film version of one of Neil Simon's very best plays. On stage, it is full of energy, wit and spunk. On film, or at least this film, it's all very flat, like day old cola.

One major problem is the casting. Jonathan Silverman is all wrong as Eugene Jerome. He's too willing to play Eugene in Jerry Lewis style. There's nothing wrong with Jerry Lewis style; I happen to love that style of comedy. But that approach just doesn't work for this play. A better choice would have been Matthew Broderick (who played Eugene on stage and ironically was cast in Biloxi Blues)

As Eugene's mother, Blythe Danner is one-dimensional. WHAT????? Blythe Danner one-dimensional in a movie? God, I wish I was joking. There is nothing sadder than to see an actress who is capable of bringing so much passion to a maternal role (The Great Santini, Man Woman and Child, The Invisible Circus)struggling to find this character.

The only one who more or less gets the job done is Judith Ivey as Blanche. She plays it exactly the way it should be: subtle yet passionate. She goes all out in her performance. It's all for naught.

Do I blame Neil Simon? Not at all. The material was there to begin with and it's one of the best plays I've ever read and performed (in my acting class). Do I blame Gene Saks? Not completely. Saks is a very capable director with some good films behind his belt (Mame, The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park; the latter two being two of the best Neil Simon adaptations made so far). But here, his direction is lackluster; I don't know what happened, but he fails to make this material work as well as it did on Couple and Barefoot. Maybe studio interference? Just asking.

The photography is murky and dark. I know they were trying to recreate a long gone era, but sheesh, this isn't film noir. A little brightness can go a long way.

Forget about "Brighton Beach Memoirs". You'd be much better off watching a high school or community revival than seeing this cinematic travesty.

* (out of 4 stars)