#957: MAY, Elaine: Mikey And Nicky (1976)

MAY, Elaine (United States)
Mikey And Nicky [1976]
Spine #957
Blu-ray

Elaine May crafted a gangster film like no other in the nocturnal odyssey Mikey and Nicky, capitalizing on the chemistry between frequent collaborators John Cassavetes and Peter Falk by casting them together as small-time mobsters whose lifelong relationship has turned sour. Set over the course of one night, this restless drama finds Nicky (Cassavetes) holed up in a hotel after the boss he stole money from puts a hit out on him. Terrified, he calls on Mikey (Falk), the one person he thinks can save him. Scripted to match the live-wire energy of its stars — alongside supporting players Ned Beatty, Joyce Van Patton, and Carol Grace — and inspired by real-life characters from May's own childhood, this unbridled portrait of male friendship turned tragic is an unsung masterpiece of American cinema.

106 minutes

Color
Monaural
1:85:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2019

Director/Writer

Elaine May was 44 when she wrote and directed Mikey and Nicky.

The Film

. . . Don’t expect to like ‘em.

Probably, the truest tagline in film history! You will not “like” Mikey & Nicky.

What you will like is Elaine May’s brilliant script and direction and the performances of Peter Falk and John Cassavetes.

Amazingly, May was only the third woman to became a DGA director, following Dorothy Arzner (represented in the Criterion Collection by Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) [Spine #1028] and Merrily We Go To Hell (1932) [#1076]) and Ida Lupino.

Mikey & Nicky is simply a neglected masterpiece. Don’t miss it.

Film Rating (0-60):

57

The Extras

The Booklet

Five-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Nathan Rabin.

Terrific essay detailing May’s sad history of having to deal with tone-deaf (and sexist) studio system.

“May set out to use her genius and the overlapping brilliance of Cassavetes and Falk to articulate brutal, profound truths about the joy, horror, and complexities of human experience, as illuminated by the strange codes of a certain subset of insecure, violently overcompensating, crime-prone American men, and a tortured conception of friendship as a messy combination of hatred, love, and everything in between. She succeeded spectacularly, and Mikey and Nicky is an essential reminder that great, deeply personal art endures long after commercial considerations have been rightfully consigned to history.”

Commentary

None

Making-of

featuring interviews with distributer Julian Schlossberg and actor Joyce Van Patten.

Video interviews

with critics Richard Brody and Carrie Rickey.

Audio interview

from 1976 with actor Peter Falk.

Extensive conversation and Falk is open, honest and real.

Trailer and TV spot

Cannot imagine why Criterion left out this additional informative “making of” feature.

Also this great essay on the Criterion site by Kim Hendrickson.

Extras Rating (0-40):

33

57 + 33 =

90

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