Barry Levinson's screenplay for Diner was nominated for an Academy Award. The story is set in 1959. The movie came out in 1982. And for what it's worth, is a remarkable likeness for the lifestyle of me and my friends in the late 90s - Early 2000s. Levinson does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of that phase of life between school and the rest of your life. As I watched it the other day I could easily substitute myself and each of my close buddies for the various characters in the film.
Given my reccent sartorial fascinations, I was caught up in the wardrobe. Great stuff. The music is out of site as well. If someone made this movie and set it in 1999 it would be a sorry sight. They'd have to trade out the suit and ties for carpenter jeans and sweatshirts and replace the Carl Perkins and Bobby Darin with Sugar Ray and Jay-Z.
On a related note, I gave my son the nickname Boogie. It was for reasons completely unrelated to this film. And although I wouldn't be very pleased if it led him to become like Mickey Rourke's character in this move, I wouldn't be completely disappointed either.
Diner was a big hit when it came out. Everyone I knew saw it more than once. Naturally, I rented it on VHS many years later. The 80's had a few bright spots after all.
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