Everyday People Reviews

Writer-director Jim McKay's low-key, made-for-cable drama belongs to that rare breed of contemporary American film that tackles economic tragedy and the polarization of economic classes and examines the ripple effect that closing a Mom and Pop establishment has on the surrounding neighborhood. Raskin’s Deli has been a Harlem institution for years, and though the owner’s son, Ira (Jordan Gelber), currently runs day-to-day operations, his father has made a unilateral decision to sell his property to a real estate conglomerate. Convinced that urban blight can be commercially blitzed by an influx of chain stores, African-American wheeler-dealer Ron Harding (Ron Butler) proselytizes to local businessmen and politicians. Because community boosters are blinded by the fact that Raskin is Jewish, they overlook the fact that the restaurant has always been staffed by hard-working African-Americans. When Ira’s manager, Arthur (Stephen McKinley Henderson), breaks the news to the wait-staff, resentment erupts quickly. Whereas a college-bound busboy can always find another summer job, Raskin’s is single mother Jo's (Bridget Barkan) bread and butter. Long-time waiter Victor (Victor Pagan) is so afraid he won't be able to feed his family that he begins skimming his orders for extra cash. A dishwasher, hired despite his history of drug abuse and prison record, turns on Ira with surprising rancor. What short-sighted Ron doesn’t understand is that his brand of progress will do nothing for members of the lower middle classes. Discussing the cosmetic improvements to Harlem, a deli patron explains to Ron that "you can’t wash out the color and keep the flavor!" Fielding criticism from all side, Ira tries to buck the gentrification trend but faces severe opposition. The cast actors interact with each other as though they’d been wearing restaurant uniforms all their lives, brining their characters to poignant, non-patronizing life. McKay gives them all the opportunity to shine, and goes beyond documentary-style verisimilitude to capture the shamefulness of unemployment while parsing the pecking order of owner-manager-staff in the workplace.