Mini Review:
Radio Days (1987)
Starring: Dianne Wiest and Mia Farrow
Directed By: Woody Allen
Considering my love for Allen's 'Purple Rose of Cairo' (see review below), it is surprising that I never saw this before. I absolutely loved the feel of the thing and ended up smiling throughout the entire film. Seth Green is the debated protagonist, a young boy approaching his teen years during the days just prior to WW2. But the movie really revolves around a series of 'radio stories' that Allen remembered having heard in his childhood. The resulting tableau is a series of 'events' that appear to happen to the same family...and one cigar girl. Some of the 'stories' are hilarious, some are warmly engaging, and one is a heart-tugger. Performances are all first rate but Wiest and Julie Kavner come off as slightly better than the rest, in my opinion. The funniest moments involve the bizarrely effectual parenting skills of Joe's parents, played effortlessly Kavner and Michael Tucker. The pairing of the cast with such a great director and a medley of fantastic 1940's hits made me wish I lived in the time before television, myself.

A few slight incongruities concerning costuming were not distracting enough to hinder my giving this a solid 8/10