Truly a period piece, Goodbye, Columbus is, certainly, an attempt to show the differences between two people of the Jewish religion. While I agree with many of the folks that commented on this film regarding the differences between Brenda's family and Neil's family, I don't see it as a matter of the wealthier character's family having no class and the poorer character having much more. I knew many families that were similar. My upbringing was more similar to Neil's as we were not wealthy. Klugman convey's the typical successful Jewish business man with a good heart. He works hard to provide a very comfortable environment for his wife and children. He is a very loving father and doesn't flaunt his wealth in the film. His family means everything to him. Benjamin's character, while exposed on occasion to the "good life", is content in knowing that he's OK despite his modest position in life. What's important in this film is that he knows there may be something in life that is better than working in a library, but he's not about to sell his soul to get rich just for the sake of being able to live the Potimkin's lifestyle. This film accurately portrays a young man early in his career and life and one of his early attempts at choosing between a safe secure future by marrying a beautiful, intelligent and not-too-spoiled Jewish girl or trying to see if he's really in love with HER and not the family money or trappings. This was a relatively low budget film that made you think. It tried to show how tough it is for a poorer man to deal with his demons in choosing the kind of woman and life he wanted. All in all, this film is an accurate slice of life in the Jewish community and is as relevant today as it was then.
