Broadway Bound (1992)

Set in 1948, an aspiring writer (Corey Parker) and his brother (Jonathan Silverman) use their family as fodder for their writing. Based on the Broadway play by Neil Simon (who also wrote the screenplay) and directed by Paul Bogart (TORCH SONG TRILOGY). What's surprising about Simon's play is how almost nominal the laughs are. There are the typical rapidly fired Neil Simon quips and wisecracks but at the film's core is a rather poignant story of a family disintegrating. The father (Jerry Orbach) leaves the mother (Anne Bancroft), the grandfather (Hume Cronyn) finally stops resisting and moves to Florida and the boys move out and go on with their own lives. The "laughs" almost seem to be there to mask the pain. At times, the acting seems very broad and reminiscent of stage acting. But the film has two powerful moments, both courtesy of its actresses. Bancroft has a beautifully played scene where she recalls the night she danced with George Raft and you're reminded of why she was considered one of the best actresses of her generation. The other performance comes from Michele Lee as Bancroft's sister who confronts her father (Cronyn) about his lack of affection and coldness toward her. It's not one of Simon's best efforts but Bancroft and Lee make it seem special.