It's rare for a movie to be sold on its screenwriter's credentials, as seen in the ads for this modest comedy drama, promoted as being "from the writer of Moonstruck" (to which it bears little resemblance except for its author's ear for dialogue). The story traces a day and a half in the lives of a dozen characters: teenagers, cops, and other assorted Bronx delinquents caught in the flux of changing times, circa 1963 of course: as always the watershed year for American coming-of-age movies. Director Tony Bill preserves all the rough edges of John Patrick Shanley's presumably autobiographical memories, maintaining a trace of gritty urban reality beneath the often rose-colored period detail. The film moves from bittersweet early 60s nostalgia to an exaggerated, violent climax (with disturbed ex-con John Turturro cornered on a tenement rooftop), which is then cleverly deflated by one final, almost offhand plot twist. It's a small film with lots of personality (the definition of a 'sleeper'), providing a welcome push to the career of more than one talented young actor.
Review of Five Corners
