Diner (1982)

Barry Levinson's Diner is perhaps best described as the twenty-something reflection of Stand By Me, a film that sentimentalizes the close friendships we have in early-adulthood and that moment of change when real life (responsibility) begins to encroach. Think St. Elmo's Fire without the mullets and the David Foster.

Much like Stand By Me, the building blocks of the film are the casual conversations and the daily bullshitting that can only really happen within a tight circle of buddies. The group congregates at the diner for coffee but it's the chit-chat that keep them coming back, whether laying wagers on how far a date will go or debating the merits of Sinatra vs Johnny Mathis (Mickey Rourke settles the conversation simply: "Presley."), it's the chatter and the constant one-upping that makes the group seem so much like any clique of friends you knew in high school.

The cast is timeless; all went on to greater success in the 80's and early-90's in both movies and sitcoms, but most are now forgotten or sidelined to supporting roles: Rourke, Paul Reiser, Steve Guttenberg (who is a completely different actor in this movie; easy now to see why he was the "Golden Boy" of the 80's comedies for a brief spell), Daniel Stern, the guy from Wings. In fact, only Kevin Bacon stands apart as the still A-listing movie star of the group. [Bacon, in particular, is worth highlighting, playing the most dangerous and childish element in the group - when we first meet him, he's smashing window for "fun". i should point out that he's an adult at this point.] Watching this group of actors, seeing each of them own their piece of this movie so clearly that movie-stars were made out of each and every one of them, is a fascinating piece of movie history. (The Outsiders, with a baby-faced ensemble that included Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Ralph Macchio, is the same sort of artifact.)

The film is autobiographical, which in part explains the sweet serving of nostalgia that colours everything; however, it also informs the movie's attention to detail. Here is a film that takes place at a very particular time (New Year's, 1959) and place (Baltimore) in such a way that the storyteller must certainly have been there. Watching Levinson's film, there is no question that this is not a Hollywood picture pitched and calculated to conform to a particular genre; this is one writer/director working out some very personal recollections and paying homage to a group of friends that were tight. It's curious to consider what facts of the film are created for the film and which might have actually happened.

I should also be clear: the movie is a lot of fun. Like a great nostalgia picture, the viewer doesn't need to share the particular memories (or even have been alive in 1959!) to share the warmth that these sorts of memories provide. Watching Diner now, it's easy to imagine that these might have been your friends or your local "hang-out". The details have been changed, but the fundamentals are the same. This is why the movie endures.

[Special mention: one moment that stands out in particular because it seemed so sincere and affectionate: Tim Daly returns home as a surprise for Steve Guttenberg's character. In doing so, he arrives at Guttenberg's house and wakes him from a nap by plugging his nose - it's the look on Guttenberg's face as he wakes up and recognizes his old friend that is touching: such delight to see his old buddy. It informs everything else that happens in the film.]