Everyday People (2004)

Director:

Jim McKay

Writer (WGA):

Jim McKay (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 2006 (Hungary)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

You can't wash out all the color and keep the flavor.

Plot:

The closing of a local restaurant concerns a number of employees who've dedicated their lives to the eatery. |

Plot Keywords:

African American | Single Mother | Interracial Romance | Gay Interest | Interracial Relationship

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Steve Axelrod	...	Sol
Earl Baker Jr.	...	Benjamin
Bridget Barkan	...	Joleen
David Barroso	...	Customer
Kalimi Baxter	...	Ruby
Ron Ben Israel	...	Walter
Stephanie Berry	...	Angry Black Waiter
Miles Bridgett	...	Joleen's Son
David Brummel	...	Ira's Father
Ron Butler	...	Ron Harding
Kadijah Carlisle	...	Benita
Julia Carothers Hughes	...	Miss Meyers
Reg E. Cathey	...	Akbar
Kenloy Davis	...	Stoop Kid
Erin Dilly	...	Arianna
Thomas Dozol	...	French Waiter
Alex Emanuel	...	East Village Man
Angela Blue Faulk	...	Lynda
Ramon Fernandez	...	Chico
Elizabeth Flax	...	Female Customer
Hussein Gay	...	Jumbo Shrimp Bus Boy 1
Jordan Gelber	...	Ira
Tom Gilroy	...	Erin's Professor
Craig muMs Grant	...	Ali (as muMs)
Billoah Greene	...	Samel
Eric LaRay Harvey	...	Bartender
Jamie Hector	...	Devon
Stephen Henderson	...	Arthur
Verna O. Hobson	...	Lady with Blue Drink
Polly Humphreys	...	Shirley
Jennifer Jai	...	Waitress
Freddie L. King	...	Subway Doo Wop 1
Mei Hlia Li	...	Subway Erhu Player
Stacie Linardos	...	Angry White Waiter
Iris Little Thomas	...	Erin's Mother (as Iris Little-Thomas)
Lou Martini Jr.	...	Mr. Califano
Warner Miller	...	Beadle
Tommoraw Mortimer	...	Subway Doo Wop 3
Nathan De'Shon Myers	...	Subway Opera Singer
Dante Nero	...	Biker
Jack O'Connell	...	John
Philliph Oden	...	Ty
Darryl Offley	...	Subway Doo Wop 4
Victor Pagan	...	Victor
Garry Pastore	...	V
Frantz Saint Louis	...	Frantz (as Frantz St. Louis)
Candice Sanchez-McClaren	...	Mel
Víctor Sierra	...	Jumbo Shrimp Bus Boy 2
Anna Simpson	...	Birthday Waiter
Cate Smit	...	Mom
Omar Aramando Soriano	...	Omar
Sydnee Stewart	...	Erin Persaud
Marc Anthony Thompson	...	Marc
Charles Vickers	...	Subway Doo Wop 2
Donna Vivino	...	Samel's Caseworker
Kristopher Wilder	...	Raymond

Also Known As:

Brooklyn (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min | USA:81 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Alphaville Films

Movie Connections:

References Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Soundtrack:

Cannibal

A great film (****)

Jim McKay ("Our Song", "Girls Town") directs this provocative yet optimistic slice-of-life film set in Brooklyn, which recently premiered on HBO.

Covering the events of one long day in the lives of several people in and around a popular neighborhood restaurant that is set to shut its doors soon, "Everyday People" is pretty much all talk. But like "Smoke", another character-driven, slice-of-life film set in Brooklyn (and one of my all-time favorite movies), the talk is fascinating, and the characters' stories weave together in a way that is truly satisfying.

Someone once said (I think it may have been Gene Siskel, but I'm really not sure) that the true test of a good movie is whether it feels like the characters were alive before the movie started and go on living after it ends. Well, "Everyday People" passes that test with flying colors. Though there are far too many characters for each of them to be fully developed, this is an extremely well-written and acted film, and each character feels very real.

Also, McKay deserves credit for not tying up the film with a pretty bow. It ends on a note that feels good, but he leaves several characters' destinies up in the air. After all, most problems aren't solved in a day, and it's nice that McKay understands that.

An added bonus: it features lots of new music by one of America's most brilliant and underappreciated singer-songwriters, Marc Anthony Thompson, a.k.a. Chocolate Genius (pick up 1998's "Black Music" if you need proof).