Liberty Heights (1999)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: A moving film with moments of humor, Liberty Heights succeeds in capturing the feel of the '50s with great performances and sensitive direction.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Van Kurtzman
as Ben Kurtzman
as Little Melvin
as Ada Kurtzman
as Nate Kurtzman
as Sylvia
as Yussel
as Charlie
as Pete
as Trey
as Dubbie
as Scribbles
as Sylvia's Father
as Rose
as Annie
as Sheldon
as Sheldon
as Alan
as Murray
as Louie
as Ted
as Gail
as James Brown
as Teacher No. 2
as Mary
as Anne Whittier
as Assistant DA
as Bailiff
as Burlesque Comic
as Butler
as Buxom Nurse
as Woman in Court No. 1
as Defense Attorney
as Ben (age 8)
as Judge
as Nick
as Phil
as Box Office Attendant
as Woman in Court No. 2
as Matt
as Morris
as Mrs. Johnson
as Nurse
as Turk
as Lenny
as Halloween Stripper
as Singer
as Cantor
as Rabbi
as Teacher No. 1
as Wilbert Mosely
as Sylvia's Mother
as Ben's Teacher
as Flame
as Flame
as Flame
as Party Fight Guy
Critic Reviews for Liberty Heights
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (6) | DVD (3)
By focusing on such a specific milieu, he keeps the genre alive with his great ear for small talk, an elegant eye and a warm, forgiving heart. This is nostalgia bottled and aged with care.
A grand slam!
Offers a deeper immersion in that old '50s feeling than any other Hollywood film in recent memory.
A pleasant and worthy addition to a strong series of films.
Delivers the emotional goods.
If more people followed Barry Levinson's example and made art after taking issue with something I've written, Hollywood and my mailbox would both benefit.
Audience Reviews for Liberty Heights
Life for Jews and blacks in 1950's America. That sentence pretty much sums up the film. There's no plot, instead it's a character-lead film but sadly the characters are so cliched that the film ends up being supremely mediocre. Brody is good but has nothing to do, it's Foster who has the most interesting storyline - it's just a shame it's Romeo + Juliet all over again. This film really could have done with some darkness or a threat (there's a kidnapping but the tone is way too light) to give it some grit and substance.
Super Reviewer
Ada Kurtzman: No, there the other kind. Set in 1954 Baltimore, this is a coming of age story involving two Jewish boys, one in high school, one in college, both going after girls and dealing with the changing in times and issues of race, class, and religion. Ben Foster is the younger of the two, he plays Ben Kurtzman. His story revolves around his attraction to a fellow black girl in his class. The two hit it off, but there are various obstacles in the way of them hanging out together. Adrien Brody is the older brother, Van. He is basically the simplest character in the movie. All he wants to do is find a girl he met one night at a party, although this does provide the setup for a number of entertaining scenes involving he and his friends hanging in the "non-jewish" neighborhoods. You also have their parents played by Bebe Neuwirth and Joe Mantegna. This plot is the least entertaining, mainly cause it drags in another character. Mantegna runs a burlesque house and an illegal numbers operation. He gets into some trouble when a lottery game they have going needs to pay off much more than they can. This part leads to a character played by Orlando Jones that really doesn't help the movie much, besides give way to some story developments. Besides this character, the movie works very well. Foster is very good, as he is basically the main protagonist. Mantegna is just a cool guy in general, so he works. The chemistry between the friends is all very good. Director Barry Levinson, who has made a number of comedy-dramas, knows how to keep things pretty balanced and entertaining. He also gets a number of 50s elements present and has some hints of satire. The issues involving jews, blacks, and the rich white crowd are handled well enough, but this isn't a film about providing deep answers to these things or anything like that. It just serves as a setting. The film takes that setting, and uses it to make a fine coming of age story. Ben Kurtzman: In the event of a bombing, do you think this book will save my life?...First it was the Atom bomb, how its the hydrogen bomb...no hydrogen is getting through this book.
Super Reviewer
A good movie!
Super Reviewer
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