King of the Corner

King of the Corner is a gift to us from a group of wonderfully talented actors (Eli Wallach, Isabella Rossellini, Rita Moreno, Peter Reigert and more) who are brought together by Peter Reigert to tell this story of a man coming apart at the seams. Leo is under pressure by his ailing dad, by a younger man competing for his job, by a wife unhappy with the marriage, by a difficult teenage daughter and by a sense of life losing all meaning. With a very healthy mix of humor and warmth, Leo lives the minutes and hours of his life fully and suffers his way forward in a way that we want to go with him and learn and live our way forward. This is a highly recommended film for everybody who wants to follow the human condition through the story of one man and his struggles.

I am a film student at Columbia College in Chicago, recently I had the chance to view a screening of King of the Corner. My God was it Hilarious and greatly acted. King of The Corner has to be the best movie I have seen in a long time. This is the type of movie the reeks true American Filmic Artform, and kicks the basic Hollywood nonsense right in the prunes.

It is the story of a middle aged Jewish man named Leo that is facing a mid life crisis in work, his marriage and his relationship with his father. In every circumstance, the result was a very smart, funny and intelligent climax. I don't want to talk too much about the story for fear of giving too much away and I am also not a great "critical writer" so I don't want to turn anybody off to the film. But I will say that the cast and the performances were unbelievable. Eric Bogosian plays a Rabbi in probably the funniest role i have ever seen him. Dominc "Uncle Junior" Chianese from the Sopranos is perfect in his role of a funereal director, Jake Hoffman is perfect as a weasely occupational subordinate, Rita Moreno and Beverly D'angelo are both perfect in smaller roles that fit in perfectly. But one of the best comedic performances I have seen in a long time, was Pete Riegart the director who was excellent in the title role.

I really cannot believe that he pulled it off as a writer/ actor/ director! But he did this with flying colors and I am pretty sure this film will be the first in a series of really good films with solidly built characters and plot. You will laugh and laugh hard.

I screened this film at its Kansas City opening and found it an enjoyable and revealing tale of family life and a slice of modern Americana with more that one surprise and twist along the way. It is a film of depth and subtle textures that engages the audience by layers as it explores the personalities and relationships that propel the central characters through their lives. Peter Reigert and Isabella Rossellini turn in sensitive performances with a wonderful counterpoint provided by Eli Wallach in the role of the family patriarch.

Reigert's direction is cogent and trim, based on a literate, thoughtful script by Gerald Shapiro.

Peter Riegert's feature directorial (and screenplay writing) debut and I'd say it was auspicious. He's assembled a great cast: Isabella Rossellini, a wonderfully curmudgeonly Eli Wallach, Eric Bogosian, with the usual quality work from Riegert himself, and a nice comic performance from Dustin Hoffman's son Jake. It has the feel of a European film: humor, pathos, manic comedy, more than one touch of wisdom and insight. This is a little fable that never loses its touch with reality, though in the way of many comedies it goes off the rails once or twice. Great ensemble work from Riegert and the entire cast--the film has a philosophical viewpoint, and yet is not afraid of showing real emotion. Highly recommended.

I saw "King of the Corner" at a pre-release screening at Bridgewater College in Virginia two days ago. I really thought it was wonderful. The story line both moving and extremely funny. There are several scenes from the film that I keep replaying in my mind and have talked to others about since viewing the film. (A sign of a great film.)

I thought the cast, writing and direction were excellent. While most of the audience where I saw the film was composed of college aged students, I am quite a bit older (in my early 40's). The film had wonderful cross-generational humor that suggested to me that viewers of all ages (18+) would find it enjoyable. It also was quite moving at times, especially for anyone who has had to deal with issues of ill family members.

I give the film my highest rating!!!

Don't miss it!