Liberty Heights
Writer/director Barry Levinson returns to his home town of Baltimore, where he previously set three nostalgic features (Diner, Tin Men, and Avalon) for this story of two brothers growing up in the tumultuous days of 1954, as rock 'n' roll, the atom bomb, and the civil rights movement changed the way teenagers looked at the world. One of the brothers has fallen in love with a beautiful girl who, to the chagrin of his family, is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Protestant, while the other has an even bigger shock for his folks: his new girlfriend is black. Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth play the parents, with Adrien Brody, Vincent Guastaferro, Orlando Jones, David Krumholz, and Kiersten Warren also topping the cast. Tom Waits wrote several original songs for the film, while Andrea Morricone (daughter of Ennio Morricone) wrote the score.
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Adrien Brody, Ben Foster, Orlando Jones, Bebe Neuwirth,Joe Mantegna
Emerges as an accurate memory of that time when the American melting pot, splendid as a theory, became a reality.
Easily one of the year's best movies.
Has integrity, but the way he bends his tale to make a statement is overly deliberate.
Just a good time at the movies, but it's still a smarter two hours than most "good times" are.
Both a lovingly crafted remembrance of things past and a deliberate broadening and darkening of the canvas Levinson previously filled in "Diner," "Tin Men," and "Avalon."
Feature Film
American Cinema Foundation (2000)
Theatrical - Best Supporting Actress
Black Reel Awards (2000)
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