Directed by Carl Reiner
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
Brooklyn teenager Reni Santoni lives for classic movies and dreams of becoming an actor. His conservative Jewish parents want him to be a pharmacist. Things come to a head when he signs up for a play at a run down theater advertised as an acting school. The director of the play is Jose Ferrer, a great actor turned alcoholic, and his leading leading is Elaine May, who is mainly interested in their romantic scene together, which drives his real girlfriend crazy with jealousy. He has two days to learn the part, find a tuxedo and convince everyone it is the right thing to do. The opening performance features a hilarious scene where Santoni has a serious case of stage fright. This is one of Reiner's most underrated films, a real comic gem based on his own autobiography, with superbly drawn supporting characters finely acted by Ferrer and May especially, but everyone shines, even Rob Reiner in a small part for his movie debut.
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