Name: Radio Days (1987)
IMDb: link IMDb
Genres: Comedy Country of Origin: USA.
Cast: Woody Allen as Joe (the adult Narrator), Seth Green as Joe (the child), Wallace Shawn as Masked Avenger (radio character), Mia Farrow as Sally White, Tony Roberts as MC of 'Silver Dollar', Dianne Wiest as Bea (the aunt), Danny Aiello as Rocco (hit man), Jeff Daniels as Biff Baxter, Julie Kavner as Tess (Joe's mother), Michael Tucker as Martin (Joe's father), Larry David as Communist neighbor, Kenneth Mars as Rabbi Baumel, Renee Lippin as Aunt Ciel, Josh Mostel as Uncle Abe, Julie Kurnitz as Irene, David Warrilow as Roger, Joy Newman as Cousin Ruthie, Diane Keaton as New Year's radio singer ('To Come Home To').
Written and directed by: Woody Allen.
The initial tableaux: This is a two-tier movie. One layer is a blue collar story of young Joe growing up in NYC starting around 1942: his school life, home life, and time spent with the radio. The upper layer is about the stars of the radio programs. Sally White starts in one layer, as a cigarette girl in the nightclubs, who wants a life more like the stars she serves.
Delineation of conflicts: Sally White has a rough start climbing to the top, but she perseveres. Joe's family contends with strange neighbors, the coming of the war, an additional child, the national rationing programs, underemployment, and a single aunt who cannot catch a break in terms of romance.
Resolution: Time marches forward. The story threads interact this way and that in dozens of vignettes. This movie is more about nostalgia than about giant climaxes. Sally's long thread comes the closest to having a big payoff circa New Year's 1944.
One line summary: Woody's childhood against the backdrop of radio programs.
Statistics:
a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot.
b. Sound: 10/10 The sound is fine, and the musical accompaniment was rich and appropriate for the early1940s. Ah, Carmen Miranda!
c. Acting: 9/10 I loved the performances of Dianne Wiest, Mia Farrow, Michael Tucker, Julie Kavner, and Seth Green. Plus, nobody was bad.
d. Screenplay: 9/10 Nice interplay of story threads. I had a good 25 laughs or more.
Final rating: 9/10
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