Diner (1982) on Netflix
In 1959 Baltimore, Eddie plans to marry Elyse on New Year's Eve, but she must first pass the football quiz he has written. His friends still gather at the Fells Point Diner.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.0/1023,828 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes93%
Trailer
Plot summary
Baltimore, the last week of 1959. Eddie, Shrevie, Boogie, Billy, Fenwick and Modell grew up together, and the Fells Point Diner remains the place where they meet at night. Eddie, devoted to the Baltimore Colts, is due to marry Elyse on New Year's Eve, but he has prepared a football quiz for her two days before the wedding, and failing it would mean the wedding is off. Eddie asks Shrevie, the only one of them already married, for guidance. Boogie, a hairdresser who also studies law, has placed a large bet on a basketball game. Billy, who has been away earning his MBA, is back a few days early to sort out where he stands with Barb. Fenwick left college and lives on his trust fund, while Modell cannot bring himself to ask for anything outright.
Cast
- Kathryn Dowlingas Barbara
- Jessica Jamesas Mrs. Simmons
- Colette Bloniganas Carol Heathrow
- Kelle Kippas Diane
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Diner (1982)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Test screening reactions were poor and MGM was unsure whether to release the film, so executive producer Mark Johnson obtained a print without the studio's knowledge and screened it for Pauline Kael; Kael then told MGM executives she would write a rave review even if the film was never released.
- During post-production MGM executive David Chasman wanted to cut the scene about an unfinished roast-beef sandwich because it did not advance the story, but Levinson explained that the scene told audiences all they needed to know about the young men's friendship, their competitiveness and their fears.
- John Wells, executive producer of the TV series E.R., estimated he saw Diner thirty times in 1982 alone, and he makes a point of watching the film every year.
- A stage musical of Diner, with the book by Levinson and music by Sheryl Crow, held a creative workshop reading in December 2011 and opened at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in December 2014, with direction and choreography by Kathleen Marshall.
