Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes (writer)

Release Date:

21 July 1972 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A museum curator falls in love with a crazy parking attendant.

Plot Keywords:

Break Up | Museum | Shaving | Blind Date | Los Angeles California

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gena Rowlands	...	Minnie Moore
Seymour Cassel	...	Seymour Moskowitz
Val Avery	...	Zelmo Swift
Timothy Carey	...	Morgan Morgan (as Tim Carey)
Katherine Cassavetes	...	Sheba Moskowitz
Elizabeth Deering	...	Girl
Elsie Ames	...	Florence
Lady Rowlands	...	Georgia Moore
Holly Near	...	Irish
Judith Roberts	...	Wife
Jack Danskin	...	Dick Henderson
Eleanor Zee	...	Mrs. Grass
Santos Morales
Kathleen O'Malley
Jimmy Joyce

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In 1964 Seymour Cassel appeared as a parking attendant on a segment of the series "Burke's Law: Who Killed Annie Foran? (#1.28)" (1964), which co-starred John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands.

Quotes:

Zelmo Swift: [to Minnie] You know, you're tall and lovely. How tall and lovely are you?

Movie Connections:

References Valdez Is Coming (1971)

The Most Pathetic Love Story I've Ever Seen

Minnie and Moskowitz is the most pathetic and ungraceful love story I've ever seen. Between Minnie, a disillusioned museum curator whose abusive married boyfriend dumps her and leaves her even more uptight and confused than she already was, and Seymour Moskowitz, a parking attendant so desperate for attention that he spends his nights going to bars and restaurants aggravating people, there is a chaotic and disenchanted match from the start. Just like so many pairings that we see every day.

In nearly every love story, there is a man and a woman, the man being confident, funny, either classically hot or attractive in his own way, whose shortcomings are charming, and the woman a wounded soul who could have any man she wants who chooses this guy because there's just something about him. These movies make everyone feel so good because the characters embody what every man and woman wants to be, not what they are. Minnie and Moskowitz, instead of indulging in any hint of fantasy in the realm of romance, depicts people who may just be more common than the attractive, confident people with so much experience playing the field. What's the story behind the love affairs of the ugly, alarmingly awkward man with no life and no job that we all run into, or the woman so crippled by insecurity that it's difficult to talk to her?

This film is not as fascinating as Cassavetes's Faces or Opening Night, but it has that riveting quality that Cassavetes always fought so hard to render, which is an unbridled depiction of people underneath the ego that hides behind itself in nearly all other films. Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel, delivering startlingly pitiable people, are hardly likable. Moskowitz nearly drives us mad, let alone Minnie. He imposes himself so forcefully in her life, the dates are an explosion of the inner voices of ours that respond to the screamingly inept uneasiness on dates we've all been on, rejections we've all swallowed, and arguments we've all had that we know were our own faults. I admire a film like Minnie and Moskowitz because, as the trademark is with the films Cassavetes helmed himself, it identifies with us in 100% honesty. Our egos play no part in company with his characters, thus a tremendous achievement per performance by actor.