Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

,,,and a classic family.This is simply one of the best films ever. Its one of my most favorites and hopefully it will be released on DVD very soon.Shirley MacClaine is the queen bee and Marcello Mastriontanni is the bees knees! Fantastic performances all around and a rich story that will leave you remembering the film for years to come. The cultural aspect here is cheerful and insightful and the whole idea of living in NY in the 60s was a blast to me when I first saw this. ( I was 11- so I had an imagination- sue me!) Highly recommended! 10 stars.

After seeing this film, still not available on DVD, one wants to say, "How did this movie ever get made?" It is funny, intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive. No exploding cars. No teens making out. No monsters from outer space. Used People is just excellent and thoughtful entertainment of a sort that makes one want to cheer. The script is unusually good, and the acting is outstanding. The leads, Marcello Mastronini and Shirley McLaine, could not have been selected and directed with greater care. Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, and Marcia Gay Harden are terrific. The photography is outstanding, and the sets recreate the 1940s and late 1960s very believably. The contrast between Jewish and Italian families in New York is most amusing. Why were no academy awards lavished on this film? Perhaps because it is out of step with contemporary cultural norms and deals essentially with seniors, i.e. people who have lived through much and have a measure of wisdom. Don't miss it.

This story about real people falls right into the category of "Moonstruck" and "Once Around". Todd Graff's story and subsequent screenplay deals with the ups and downs of a Jewish family in late 60's Queens, New York City, and the budding romance between a widow and an Italian stranger.Beeban Kidron's movie is full of fabulous characters played wonderfully by Shirley Maclaine, Marcello Mastroianni, Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates and the ever enjoyable Marcia Gay Harden. Look also for veteran actress Sylvia Sidney who puts in a fine turn. A very satisfying movie to make you laugh and cry.Wednesday, July 21, 1993 - Waverley Pinewood Cinema

If you like the "Moonstruck" kind of film - a many-layered, multi-charactered tumble of the comic and the tragic (with plenty of shouting and raging) romping to a happy ending - you'll love this. It's packed, it's fast-moving, it's funny, it's wonderfully acted - above all, it's human. The elderly, gentle Mastroianni still charms and delights, though it's a pity they challenged his English with so many difficult lines. As a counterbalance, Shirley Maclean is a Fury again (cf. "Steel Magnolias"), to be smoothed and softened only by the friction with daughter Bibby (Kathy Bates) and the dedication of her new suitor. True, the story has its creaks and groans - what better to road to a woman's heart than to save her grandson from certain death? - but exuberance carries the day, we are swept along and are happy to rejoice with the rest of the cast in the Grand Finale. Of course, if you didn't like "Moonstruck" . . .