Minnie and Moskowitz Reviews

Having provided a starring vehicle for himself and colleagues Peter Falk and Ben Gazzara in 1970's HUSBANDS, director John Cassavetes showcased both his talented wife, Gena Rowlands, and frequent collaborator Seymour Cassel in MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ the following year. Minnie Moore (Rowlands) is a lonely former prom queen who's about to turn 40. She's been having an unsatisfactory affair with Jim (John Cassavetes), a married man, and spends the rest of her spare time time with Florence (Elsie Ames), her best friend and movie-going companion. Jim is cruel to Minnie, but she puts up with it until Jim's wife threatens suicide and he's forced to end the affair. They meet for a last time at the museum where Minnie works; he's brought his two kids with him, at the request of his wife, to corroborate the cessation of the affair. Minnie, lonely and desperate for male companionship, accepts a blind date with Zelmo Swift (Val Avery), a noisy boor who never once notices Minnie's delicate condition. They have lunch at a restaurant, and Zelmo proposes marriage but Minnie, realizing that he's mentally unbalanced, demurs and tries to get away. In the parking lot Zelmo begins to harass Minnie, but this is witnessed by Seymour Moskowitz (Cassel), a thirtyish, aging hippy and parking lot attendant, who comes to her rescue. He gets Zelmo out of the picture, then gets Minnie into his pickup truck and rides away with her. In less than a minute, Moskowitz decides that he is madly in love with Minnie. She leaps out of the pickup truck, but Moskowitz follows her until she agrees to go on a date. For 35 years, John Cassavetes held a unique position in American film, maintaining dual careers as a highly regarded actor in mainstream features and as a director of independent films which themselves explored the art of acting. With MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ, Cassavetes took a break from the decidedly somber mood of FACES and HUSBANDS, and produced the most accessible, and endearing example of his very exceptional art.