Next Stop, Greenwich Village | 
| Director: Paul Mazursky
Actors: Lenny Baker, Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith, Christopher Walken
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.17
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Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 13801
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 024543215646
UPC: 024543215646
EAN: 0024543215646
ASIN: B000B7QCRW
Theatrical Release Date: February 4, 1976
Release Date: December 13, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Writer-director Paul Mazursky's transparently autobiographical Next Stop, Greenwich Village is a film of considerable charm and appeal. His alter ego in this case is Larry Lapinsky (Lenny Baker), an aspiring actor in his early twenties who leaves his Brooklyn home, kvetching mother (Shelley Winters), and hen-pecked pop (Mike Kellin) and moves to Greenwich Village, a few subway stops and several worlds away. This is the Village of the mid-'50s; Dylan and the folkies wouldn't take root there for years, and even the beat poet scene wasn't yet in full bloom. But it was the hippest place in town, filled with counter-culture artist types, and Larry, an aspiring actor, settles right in, hooking up with a gang of pals and a foxy girlfriend Sarah (Ellen Greene) almost immediately and then dealing with life's various triumphs and vicissitudes. Baker, who made only a couple more films before dying of cancer in 1982 (Greenwich Village was released in '76), is fine in the central role; an actor playing an actor, he has a field day with the rapid-fire repartee and shtick Mazursky writes for him (Greene would go on to play Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, but it's the young supporting actors, notably Chris Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Lois Smith, who would have the more stellar careers). Overall, the film is smart and well-observed, with ample humor and warmth, along with an improvisational feel. It also tends to play very real, especially the scenes involving the two young lovers; only Winters's scenery-chewing Jewish stereotype gets tiresome. The sole bonus feature is a commentary track with Mazursky and Greene. --Sam Graham
Product Description
During the 1950s, a young man leaves home to go live in Greenwich Village and be an actor.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 13-DEC-2005
Media Type: DVD
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Next Stop Greenwich Village May 12, 2009
Zahavah (somewhere USA)
I recommend this wonderful film. Being Jewish, having lived in New York as a young girl, it was rather nostalgic for me. Typcial Jewish family "Drama" and I love it!!! Shelly Winters, most magnificent in her role as the domineering mother. All the actors were right on target. I hightly recommend this film, grab some popcorn (Kosher) and enjoy the film. BTW Excellent acting.
Next Stop, Greenwich Village May 12, 2009
I recommend this film, being Jewish myself, and having lived in New York as a young girl, and being a "baby boomer" it was a nostalgic film for me. Just like life, there are the joys, the triumphs, the dramas, the family member embarrassments, the betrayals, etc but most of all it all seems to "work" itself well in the trapestry of life. If you lived in the East Coast (or didn't) I feel you will like this film. Great acting, Shelly Winters did a magnificent job as her role as the Jewish mother,the son, forever trying to escape the manipulative Jewish mom, the passive father, the cast of characters who were his friends, all made it a terrific film! Grab some popcorn (kosher ,LOL) and sit back and enjoy.
 A few anachronisms December 15, 2008
Bradley F. Smith (Miami Beach, FL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Dave Brubeck music tracks backing the action were recorded long after 1953 when this film was set, as any jazz fan will immediately notice. And the street light poles are circa 1970s. Still, there's something warmly effective about this NYC period piece, even if Shelly Winters gets on your nerves as the Jewish mother. It's fun seeing 1976 New York set-dressed to look 20 years younger. The Caffe Reggio hasn't changed, though, even today. A little dated, overall, but worth the watch, as any Mazursky film usually is.
 And the fine soundtrack July 8, 2008
suzannab (Left Coast, USA)
In addition to the fine acting (Shelley Winters and Mike Kellin) and script, don't overlook the Brubeck soundtrack (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074963/soundtrack -- not available on CD) that sets the mood, time, and place perfectly.
A gem of a film.
Nice piece of 50's Village nostalgia March 20, 2008
R. Swanson (New Mexico)
This is a sweet memoire of a precious time in the life of Paul Mazursky. The man has a lot of heart and it shows here in this film which could have been really bad in the hands of a lesser writer/director. The characters are familiar to us: the aspiring actor from Brooklyn, trying desperately to get away from his overbearing Jewish mamma, the henpecked dad, the younger set of arty types of mixed races and sexual preferences. What keeps the film fresh is the very real affection Mazursky feel for the folks; otherwise they could have fallen into terrible cliches.
The cast is uniformly good and perfectly chosen for their roles. Shelly Winters as the Mom gives one of her best performances, in my opinion. She is an actress whose shrill over-the-top style often turns me off and she still lets the stops go here but there is a warmth and genuine joie de vivre that I found endearing. The actor who plays the dad has few lines to say, as he did in life, but his face tells a lot. I found his presence quite moving and again he avoided the stereotype and brought a genuine human feeling to it. Ellen Greene is very good as the pretty Jewish girl who is the love interest. We never know quite how she feels about the actor; she plays it just right, somewhere between sweet and cagey.
Lenny Baker is Larry Lipinsky, the Mazursky alter ego. I suppose that since Mazursky chose him, he was right for the role. Personally I found him a little annoying, especially when he went into his grandiose acting spiels, but that's no doubt how 22 year old aspiring actors in the 50's were.
Christopher Walken, who is billed as "Chris Walken" is eye catching in a small role, as Robert, one of the buddies. He is portrayed as a cold hearted bastard, as opposed to Lenny who truly loves the girl, but frankly I thought the girl made the right choice by running off with him to Mexico. Lenny's version of love is just as egotistical in its own way as Robert's and his sense of moral superiority is a bit unfounded-- especially when he hit the girl. Jeff Goldblum gives a noteworthy cameo, too. No wonder Walken and Goldblum went on to greater roles.
It's a period piece and people who love New York, especially the New York of the 50's will find a lot to like in this film.
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