Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

mark.waltz Crossing Delancey and Essex is dangerous at any point of the day, but when a single but sweet book seller (Amy Irving) finds romance with a pickle man (the likable Peter Riegert), it's going to be complicated. She's got all sorts of headaches. When first seen, she's slyly removing the shop-lifted book from an obviously wealthy kleptomaniac during a book store signing event, and has issues with a Dutch author who won't leave her alone, a neighbor with relationships of his own, and most lovingly, her "bubbie" (Reizl Bozyk), aka her Jewish grandmother who most likely raised her who intends to see her married. Enter marriage broker Sylvia Miles (at her most obnoxious) and you can see why Irving has remained single. She's feeling pressure from all sides, but the sweet pickle man might just be the one to bring her out of her obviously lonely, if still very busy, life.New York in the 1980's was a fascinating place, as busy as any era past and present, dangerous yet exciting. The lower East side remains one of the busiest sections of the city outside of Midtown, and is culturally one of the most mixed. Great location scenes of various New York areas fill the camera lens as it is obvious that Irving doesn't live anywhere near there yet knows it even more than where she most likely lives now. She's patient and calm with everybody, even the aggressive Miles who at one point grabs her and won't let her go until she hears her out. But don't be put off by Miles as aggressive as she is. She's not just a modern day Yente; She really believes in what she is doing, and at one point softens her aggressiveness by admitting that every now and then, she actually manages to be completely right.While Irving and Riegert are a lovely couple as book seller and pickle seller and deliver the goods, it is Reizl Bozyk, a Polish born stage actress, who wins the praise as the feisty grandmother, loving and devoted, extremely well meaning and filled with a sparkle that outshines the Chrysler Building. Her good intentions in her case are the pathway to Paradise for her, and she is a treasure to watch in the only mainstream film she ever appeared in. Jeroen Krabbé is a bit hard to take as the over zealous Dutch writer, but it is obvious that he doesn't stand a chance of winning Irving over. The great Broadway leading lady Rosemary Harris shines in a cameo as a poetry writer, while musical character actress Paula Laurence is hysterical in a deli scene where she all of a sudden breaks out into "Some Enchanted Evening" with Irving as her target.Small little gems in the detail make this shine as a sweet little sleeper of a film. Joan Micklin Silver made a name for herself in modern Jewish cinema by directing the cult classic "Hester Street" which brought an Oscar Nomination for Carol Kane, and gets some equally fine performances here from her wonderful cast. Sweet background music helps move the story along, although some of it distinctly sounds like some of the score for the movie version of "On Golden Pond". At almost 30 years old now, this film stands the test of time in its vision of life in lesser known Manhattan neighborhoods, the only difference now being that you probably can't walk down these busy streets without bumping into somebody reading their phone.

SnoopyStyle Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) is a 33 year old Jewish girl working at a New York bookstore. She is enamored with author Anton Maes (Jeroen Krabbé) who she meets at the bookstore party. She loves her life on the edge of the intellectual world. Her parents are in Florida. Her beloved Bubbie or grandmother gets local matchmaker Hannah Mandelbaum to set her up. She's introduced to Sam Posner (Peter Riegert) who owns a pickle shop. She's not interested at first and even tries to set him up with her friend Marilyn surreptitiously.This is the anti-single gal rom-com. Her single life is somewhat sad. The movie takes little digs like all the lonely looking women around the salad bar. Yet she's always proclaiming her love of her life. It's a rom-com that can cut a little too close. Amy Irving is very lovely and loving. Peter Riegert has the sincerity but needs a bit more charm. There are some funny moments and some very poignant ones. The ending is a bit too abrupt as if the movie ran out of film. This movie has a point of view and has a compelling romance.

frankcwalsh I hate romantic comedies, sports movies, horror, and adventure; so I only see the best and this is one of the best movies I've ever seen.In romantic comedies it rates right up there with Annie Hall; As Good as it Gets; Sleepless in Seattle; and Working Girl.Most of the romantic comedies suffer from being a repeat of another better movie. The phrase stop if you've seen this before occurs during the trailer advertisement on TV that I mute as soon as I can. This movie is different.This movie has a simple story to tell, and it tells it well. There's no fluff or filler just to take up time.It's a gut wrenching view of the snobbery we feel and have felt put upon us. The movie looks at ourselves through the eyes of another. I recognized myself and my motivations.The characters are charming and scheming without being over the top. The movie has one other attribute that it shares with excellent movies, it seems over too fast.

alanf999 On one level, "Crossing Delancey" is a fun, heartwarming romantic comedy; on another, it has an agenda that is as pushy as any over-the-top matchmaker. Ironically, for a movie that undoubtedly shares much of its audience with those who loved "Fiddler On the Roof," it tries to undo the social revolution that drove "Fiddler's" plot; "Delancey" suggests that a Jewish woman might be better off relying on matchmakers and familial authority figures than actively choosing her own spouse, a job she only seems to mess up when it is entrusted to her. And while she's at it, maybe she should rethink her life in the non-Jewish world and come back home. You've come a long way, baby, but what did it get you? For the record, I believe women are best off finding their own mates, and preferably from a set that is larger than two. But what I find most troublesome in this movie is not so much the implied counterargument as the fact that it is made poorly. I can imagine a movie where a woman rejects her background, is miserable alone, encounters repeated disappointment in the Gentile world, and finally returns to her grandmother's milieu to find true fulfillment, romantic and otherwise. It might be done as propaganda; it might be done as a persuasive, touching story. But "Crossing Delancey" doesn't make a serious effort to do it at all. Izzy never really rejects her background in the first place, never comes across as particularly lonely or unhappy, and only undergoes a single unpleasant romantic failure. Then, when she does surrender to the man who has been preselected for her, the movie fails to make a convincing case that she will truly be happy. Sam is pleased with how things work out. Izzy's grandmother is ecstatic. It is almost as if the romance is between those two characters, and Izzy is simply the one who, through her sacrifice, allows the match between them to be consummated.It's a pity, because the movie does raise some interesting questions before it rushes to extinguish them. There is a rich potential in the premise of a woman unfairly dismissing a suitor due to how he has been thrown at her, perhaps due even to a small amount of snobbery, only to gradually discover his merits and discover that they are good for each other after all. There are certainly possibilities in the idea of a woman being romanced by a man with what she thinks is an aesthetic sensibility, only to recognize that he exploits people and the artistic impulse alike. It would be interesting to see a character seriously wrestle with which components of the literary world she values and which she decides are simply based on vanity, and the extent to which she reconciles her ongoing involvement in that landscape with her attachment to a man who doesn't fit particularly well into it. There are even interesting minor notes that are never satisfactorily explored: how do a woman who has essentially used her friend as a means to flee from a potential relationship, and a man who has taken the bait, reconcile their behavior and their future friendship with her when they push her out of the picture again? But as this is not a movie designed for a sequel, we are not meant to explore those questions further.According to its tag line, "Crossing Delancey" is "a funny movie about getting serious." If only its makers had been more serious about exploring the questions it raised, this could have been a better film.