The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
PG | 14 July 1974 (USA)
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Trailers

The younger son of a working-class Jewish family in Montreal, Duddy Kravitz yearns to make a name for himself in society. This film chronicles his short and dubious rise to power, as well as his changing relationships with family and friends. Along the way the film explores the themes of anti-semitism and the responsibilities which come with adulthood.

Reviews
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
SnoopyStyle Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss) is a hustling young Jewish man living in a working class Montreal neighborhood. His older brother medical student Lenny is the favorite of his father Max (Jack Warden) and his rich uncle Benjy. His grandfather's mantra is "a man without land is nobody" and sees every man in the family including himself as failures. He works a summer job at a Jewish resort hotel. He falls for the French Canadian maid named Yvette (Micheline Lanctôt). The other waiters from McGill University led by Irwin look down on the lower class Duddy. While on a picnic with Yvette, he decides to buy the land around a beautiful lake and build his own hotel resort. She would need to front the deal since the owners would probably be unwilling to sell to a Jew.Duddy is a money grubbing Jew character and he's somewhat annoying. His obsession is also understandable and fascinating. It's wrapped up with daddy issues. I don't root for his quest but it is still compelling. This is a nice slice of an era as well as an interesting coming of age story. The production is adequate and Dreyfuss delivers a good performance.
emuir-1 The most jaw dropping aspect of this film is realizing that Richard Dreyfuss was ever that young! He is perfect in the part of a pushy young man trying to get rich quick anyway he can, after all, it is what he has been raised to believe was the only goal in life. Although Duddy is pushy and brash, he is still likable and you want him to succeed, after all, he is coming from the streets without the benefit of higher education, his father is a cab driver who spends most of his days hanging out in a café with his buddies. To them money IS the goal.I have owned this film on Video Tape for many years, and must watch it annually and always find something that I missed before. I liked the street scenes of Montreal in the late 40's, and the beautiful Adirondaks in summer. If you enjoyed Avalon, you would enjoy this film.
Lee Eisenberg Hot off "American Graffiti", Richard Dreyfuss starred in another movie set in the era of Brylcream and poodle skirts: "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz". This one chronicles the rise of a working-class Jewish lad in 1948 Montreal. Duddy is determined to make it, even if he has to do some undesirable things to get there. A particularly eye-opening scene is when Duddy is working in the resort and a man offers him a dollar bill, tears it in half, and promises Duddy the rest if he provides good service.So, maybe this isn't the greatest movie ever made, but it's an interesting look at one man's dreams, and at post-WWII Canada. Very good performances by everyone. Also starring Micheline Lanctot, Jack Warden, Randy Quaid, Joseph Wiseman (that's right, Dr. No) and Denholm Elliott. If I may say so, Yvette is really hot.And to think that director Ted Kotcheff later directed the first "Rambo" movie.
Stitch65 I caught this film on cable the other night and decided to keep watching since it was set in locations where I grew up. I was not disappointed. The story (a poor Jewish kid who wants to make it big) is interesting and offers many comedic highlights. Richard Dreyfuss gives a passionate performance that simply makes the film. The third act however derails, not exactly knowing where its going with its main characters. But it's good.