Themes: Midlife Crises, Foibles of Marriage, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Jack Lemmon, Anne Bancroft, Gene Saks, Elizabeth Wilson, Florence Stanley
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
A lesser but still entertaining Neil Simon work, The Prisoner of Second Avenue was adapted to film in 1974. Jack Lemmon takes over the role played on Broadway by Peter Falk: Mel is a New York-based advertising man who goes through hell when he loses his job. The gods seem to conspire against him as he tries to cope with his unemployed status; he is particularly depressed over the fact that he must now subsist on the income of his wife (Anne Bancroft). There are laughs in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, but it's the laughter of desperation and despair; it might not be advisable to watch this film after a bad day at the office. Watch for Sylvester Stallone as the "human punch line" of an old urban legend about a pickpocket. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a good film that frustratingly falls short of being a great film. Praise and blame both must go to Neil Simon, whose screenplay adaptation of his hit play is responsible for much of what is good in the film but also for that which keeps it from really hitting the mark. The problem, of course, is that Simon is attempting to mix comedy and drama (almost tragedy) in this film. This is a difficult combination in any circumstances, but Simon seems to have an especially difficult time of it whenever he makes this attempt; there simply is something about Simon's style that tends to keep the two from melding the way he intends. Nevertheless, there are some undeniably hilarious sequences here, as well as some powerful dramatic moments; if the two never quite blend, they still make for some very strong segments. Prisoner is fortunately blessed with two dynamic performances from Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. Lemmon is always at his best when put upon and provoked, and he is given plenty to work with here. His intense anger and frustration are vivid and real, yet he also finds the humor in the bitter invective he often spews. Bancroft is a marvel, grounding Lemmon and giving him plenty to play off of, yet still creating a well-defined character with her own tics and warts. If Prisoner doesn't quite satisfy as a piece of writing, it does provide two excellent actors with a showcase for their abundant talents. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Preston Ames - Art Director, Joel Schumacher - Costume Designer, Howard Roessel - First Assistant Director, Melvin Frank - Director, Bob Wyman - Editor, Marvin Hamlisch - Composer (Music Score), Philip H. Lathrop - Cinematographer, Melvin Frank - Producer, Marvin March - Set Designer, Tex Rudloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Neil Simon - Screenwriter, Neil Simon - Play Author
Prisoner of Second Avenue, The (1971), a comedy by Neil Simon. [ Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 780 perf.] Mel Edison (Peter Falk) and his wife, Edna (Lee Grant), have lived in their fourteenth‐floor apartment for six years, and New York City and its high‐pressure way of life are beginning to tell on Mel. He can hear not only the music the German airline stewardesses keep playing next door, but he can even hear “one car driving around in Jackson Heights.” When Mel loses his job because of downsizing, he goes to pieces, wandering about the apartment unshaven and in his pajamas while Edna joins the workforce. Heading for a nervous breakdown, Mel also starts to become paranoid that the city is against him. But when Edna loses her job and starts to fall apart, Mel finds the strength for both of them to face the modern world with optimism. Simon's ninth successive hit, it made a warm, human comedy out of the brutal, small materials of everyday life and even out of the seeds of tragedy.
The play ran on Broadway from November 1971 until September 1973, with Peter Falk and Lee Grant starring as Mel and Edna Edison, and Vincent Gardenia as Mel's brother Harry. The play was nominated for the 1972 Tony Award for Best Play. It was produced for the stage by Saint Subber.
The story revolves around the escalating problems of a middle-aged couple living on Second Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York City. Mel Edison, the main character, has just lost his job after many years and now has to cope with being unemployed at middle age. The action occurs during an intense summer heat wave and a prolonged garbage strike, which just exacerbates Edison's plight to no end as he and his wife Edna deal with noisy neighbors, loud sounds emanating from Manhattan streets up to their apartment and even a robbery of their apartment during broad daylight. Mel eventually suffers a nervous breakdown from the whole affair, and it is up to the loving care of his brother Harry, his sisters and Edna to bring Mel back to a firm reality. Neil Simon walks a tightrope between comedy and drama in this bittersweet release.
Miscellany
F. Murray Abraham can be glimpsed at the very beginning of this film playing a cab driver.
Sylvester Stallone made one of his earliest film appearances in The Prisoner of Second Avenue as an alleged pickpocket.
Anne Bancroft was nominated for a BAFTA award for her role as Edna Edison.
Character actor M. Emmet Walsh has a small role in the film as a doorman.
Voice-over veteran Gary Owens reads the humorous news blurbs that are interspersed throughout the film.
