Mind the Gap (2004)

One of he best movies I have ever seen

Stay with this movie. It moves slowly, as you move into the lives of the participants. In an era of one hundred million dollar movies, special effects, sex, and endless violence, it is a touchstone of humanity. It will make you smile. November 13, 2006

Real Characters And Situations Need Not Apply--Another Film With An Annoying Compendium Of Character "Types"

Here we go again (send me your hate mail). "Mind The Gap" is another (of many) films that people discover and love. With a large colorful cast, many life lessons to be learned, and a rollicking feel good ending--oh, this must be a crowd pleaser! People will embrace this film, it'll make them feel good--but rarely have I witnessed a movie so false and so manipulative at every turn. I recently said in another review that "quirky" is the new curse of the indie film scene. There are nice quirky pictures--but most films of this genre tend to give you character types instead of real people. We're supposed to find oddball mannerisms irresistible and relatable. Now a straight comedy can sometimes pull this off, but it is far more difficult for a film trying to have a serious side. It's a house of cards--because you have "types" and not "people," real emotional payoff is hard to come by. In "Mind the Gap," this house is also built on overstylized and unbelievable dialogue.

The impossibly quirky characters in this ensemble include an old Jewish man in New York who berates everyone he meets, a terribly despondent father in the Southwest, and a street performer in Astoria with a bad heart and 10 jars of peanut butter in her refrigerator (isn't that wacky?) There are two other main characters, each more precious than the others. There's a man in Vermont with his son. They shave their heads on a whim to look like Michael Jordan, isn't that cute? And they patter on in a most unrealistic way--imagine a grade school child who draws crayon pictures in class. Now imagine the same kid involved in pithy banter and uttering lines like this--"Do you really think that subliminal mind control is the way to bring up a healthy, free-thinking child?" Priceless. And a young woman taking care of her terminal mother in a trailer. She wears winter hats year round to make people smile, collects photos of crime victims and their mothers, and has people send her audio tapes from places around the work (like a diner in China). That way she can go around uttering cute foreign phrases when she has no idea what they mean. Why utilize only one quirk when you can really layer it on?

After about an hour of this whimsical merriment, it's time for something more serious. With mood music cueing you to every emotion you should feel, our crazy cast gets decidedly more maudlin. All the precious quirks are dropped. Now we get attempted suicide, terminal illness and the repercussions of rape among other things. No longer content to be a bit of a lark, "Mind The Gap" now attempts to discuss the human condition and the frailty of life.

But don't worry about anything too serious. After a bit of soul searching and contemplation, we get to the most outrageously contrived ending possible. All of our disparate souls end up in New York crossing paths with each other and learning how to live again. What uplift and inspiration--not a moment of the emotion real or earned and not a bit of it believable.

I'm sorry to be a cynic (again) for the many of you who will adore this movie. Nothing pleases me more than to genuinely connect with a film--to laugh, cry and feel. But, for me, a film has to earn genuine emotion by being genuine--not by sitcom contrivance and feel good cliche. KGHarris, 11/06. November 13, 2006

Mind the gap but don't miss the movie.

Interesting look at how the lives of complete strangers intertwine. Even though most day-to-day interaction is very casual, we all have lives with great depth. This movie calls attention to the diamonds we discover when we get the chance to establish deeper relationships. The true stuff that makes life worth living. Likable characters struggling with their flaws in hopes of new opportunites. Watch it with someone you hope to get to know better. November 6, 2006

Typical New York movie

Here's the second-most common genre of film being produced -- the New York movie, second only to the L.A. movie. In this one, five disparate people end up in New York for somewhat related reasons. Only one of these actors, Alan King, has any star power and is a name you may recall from your past if you are of a certain age or if you watch "GoodFellas" every time it's on.

Eric Schaeffer's portrait of troubled people coming from different compass points to New York is a largely sympathetic portrayal of people from all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicity. In other words, it was made to show there was something for everyone in the movie.

One of these people is a 70-year-old meandering around the city in dangerous places on his way to a destination; another is a quirky woman that spent her life caring for her bitter and dying mother; still another is, again, a quirky woman, a street singer with a bad heart looking to make good; a fourth is a black man seeking absolution for wrecking his marriage; the fifth is a man and his son seeking resolution of the father's past life. They all end up in New York in the end on their way to someone or something.

This movie tries to care for all these people and tries to show the goodness that exists in everyone, even among the midst of depression, death and defeat. The optimism of the ending follows a lot of heartbreak and grief throughout, creating an old school, old world film that harkens back to a time when emotion was what moviemaking was all about.

You'll probably like a lot of what's going on in this movie and, if you are a New Yorker, you may be able to identify with some of the action or locales. Otherwise you will like some of the characters, who come off as real people -- albet "New York-ized" for the screen, if you will -- and drag along with them their real problems.

My undying wish is that someday, somewhere, a filmmaker will make one of these movies about a city other than the big two and get out of this parochial fix. There might be 50 million Americans on the two coasts but there are 250 million of us living elsewhere seeking representation. October 20, 2006

Thoughtful with interesting, sympathetic characters

What happens when you title a movie "Mind the Gap" and lead the credits with Alan King? Few people under seventy become interested. But this is a great movie about life, relationships, and "the gap".
Jill Souble is darn cute, and the overall acting good to great. King did his usual pro job too. August 28, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...