Film
Lost in Yonkers
A tender, unsentimental look at two brothers deposited with their difficult grandmother in 1942 Yonkers. Neil Simon's adaptation of his own play balances genuine hurt with comedy that never punches down, finding grace in ordinary family damage. It's about how we survive each other, and sometimes why we're lucky we do.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love family plays where sharp, funny dialogue carries real ache, and you don't mind a story that lets small, wounded characters talk their way toward tenderness rather than action.
Skip it if you want a brisk plot or a film that moves briskly from one event to the next; much of its pleasure sits in conversation and in a lot of people in one room.
What it asks of you: It runs about two hours at a patient, talky pace, and it asks you to sit with the rooms and the people in them rather than wait for something to happen.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Goodbye Girl1977
Another Neil Simon story about people learning to live together despite themselves. Richard Dreyfuss again, finding humanity in a character who could easily be insufferable. Warm without being soft.
But The '70s romantic-comedy rhythms feel dated now. It's gentler than modern comedies, which some find slow.
Brighton Beach Memoirs1986
Neil Simon again, another semi-autobiographical story about a Jewish family in WWII-era Brooklyn. Bittersweet rather than zany. It understands that funny families are usually funny because they're sad.
But It's very much of its theatrical moment—period piece sentimentality mixed with vaudeville timing can feel mannered to modern eyes.
Postcards from the Edge1990
Mike Nichols directing Carrie Fisher and Meryl Streep as a mother and daughter who've learned to hurt each other expertly. Darker than Lost in Yonkers but with the same emotional specificity about family bonds that don't break.
But It's more cynical and less forgiving. The comedy is meaner. Not everyone wants that from a family story.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lost in Yonkers
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Farewell2019
Both are about families broken by circumstance, held together by obligation, and discovering that obligation can become love. Both understand that the grandmother—difficult, impossible, necessary—is the moral center.
A Chinese-American family gathers under false pretenses to say goodbye to a dying grandmother. It's Lost in Yonkers' DNA—family damage, cultural specificity, love expressed as argument—but in a completely different key. Lulu Wang finds comedy and ache in the space between languages and generations.
But It requires some comfort with cultural context that not all viewers have. The ending asks you to accept ambiguity about what was right. Some find that unsatisfying.
More like this (6)
The Family Stone2005
Ensemble family comedy-drama centered on a gathering where everything that's been unspoken comes out. Manages both real anger and real affection without choosing between them.
But It's slicker and broader than Simon's work. The sentimentality is more obvious. Some find it manipulative.
Moonstruck1987
Another story about Italian-American family obligation, passion, and the specific comedy of people who yell because they care. Cher and Nicolas Cage with older relatives who steal every scene.
But It's romantic-comedy shaped, which means it aims toward a resolution rather than just understanding. Some find that reductive.
Prizzi's Honor1985
A dark family comedy about tradition, duty, and what happens when a man falls in love with someone outside the organization. Black comedies about family are rare; Huston nails the tone.
But It's genuinely cynical about family bonds. The violence is real. Not a warm experience, more a brilliant one.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn1945
A Depression-era family story about a girl and her impossible parents, told with unsentimental clarity about poverty and its effects. Shows how Louie and Bella's damaged parents shaped damaged people.
But It's very old. The pace and emotional register are 1940s theatrical. Black-and-white. Some find it slow now.
Tender Mercies1983
Robert Duvall as a broken man rebuilding himself quietly with a widow and her daughter. Finds redemption in small moments rather than epiphanies. About grace without preaching.
But It's slow and sparse. Not much happens plot-wise. If you want narrative momentum, this will test your patience.
The Straight Story1999
David Lynch directing an 111-minute film about an old man riding a riding mower to visit his estranged brother. About family rupture, silence, and the possibility of repair through presence alone.
But It moves at the speed of a riding mower. There is no plot. This requires patience that most viewers don't have.
People
Cast
Richard DreyfussLouie Kurnitz
Mercedes RuehlBella Kurnitz
Irene WorthGrandma Kurnitz
Brad StollJay Kurnitz
Mike DamusArty Kurnitz
David StrathairnJohnny
Robert MirandaHollywood Harry
Jack LauferEddie Kurnitz- Susan MersonGert