Judy Berlin ((1999)

Taking place in a single day in a small New Jersey town during which a total solar eclipse is set to occur, the film follows an ensemble of characters but focuses specifically on three women: a young woman (Edie Falco) who has illusions of being an actress and leaves for Hollywood, her school teacher mother (Barbara Barrie) and a housewife (Madeline Kahn) in an unhappy marriage. Directed by Eric Mendelsohn (who's made only one other film since this one), this was a popular film at Sundance and earned him a prize for his directing. In many ways, it's a captivating film but in this case, it is not greater than the sum of its parts. It's a piecemeal movie and not all of those pieces are equal. The real star of the movie is the luminous B&W cinematography of Jeffrey Seckendorf that takes you into another dimension. I found Falco's character irritatingly upbeat and not entirely believable. Madeline Kahn in a rare dramatic role gives the film's best performance. She was the only character I could relate to, which considering she appears to be recovering from or on the verge of a nervous breakdown doesn't speak well of me, I suppose. Recommended with reservations. With Anne Meara, Julie Kavner, Carlin Glynn, Bob Dishy, Aaron Harnick, Novella Nelson and Bette Henritze.