Best movie of this year hands down!

One of my all time favorites.

Absolutely Fantastic

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is still another coming of age film, but it goes terribly awry.Was this the only film that husband-wife Rip Torn and Geraldine Page ever worked in together? Nice to see that Page chose a comedy vehicle in her long career as a neurotic basket-case. Here, she is an over protective mother, who doesn't realize what her husband Torn is up to. I think this played real to their own personal lives.What a difference a year makes. The year before Elizabeth Hartman was up for best actress as the blind girl victimized by her Oscar-winning mother Shelley Winters. This time around she is a go-go dancer who Pete Kastner, the very definition of a nerd, falls for; while at the same time,meeting his true-love- a girl from elementary school. Michael Dunn, so memorable in his supporting role nomination of "Ship of Fools," briefly appears here as the dwarf working in Hartman's nightclub. He is wasted here.The film briefly shows urban bigotry with the nauseating writing in the subway station regarding a minority.

hard to rate: pretty good for a film school thesis? how about an 11; cinema to study as a precursor to several great films? maybe a 5 or 6; as a movie, just a movie, maybe 3; two big problems: story is loose, too often sophomoric, too much filler dialog of no help, never defines the main character, sometimes nerd, sometimes rube, adventurous and off to a new life, a wimp who reports to daddy; worse problem, the actor who plays him, kastner: no screen presence, often unpleasant, beady expression in closeups where he's supposed to be interested, thinking; in drawn out tours of Manhattan, watching him watch NYC, no reason to care; when the locations overwhelm the star of the movie you sense more trouble to come; it does; but, amazingly to me, he was nominate for bafta 'Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles' in '68, then went on to do mainly minor parts in minor TV series; somehow, film student Coppola got appearances from Geraldine Paige and Julie Harris, both at home with the camera, and a john Sebastian soundtrack; newcomer in small role that leaps out is Karen black, a natural; so settle on a 5- for the history of cinema, and glimpses like break to sepia and stills in a flashback become some of the great scenes in godfather 2

This movie is flawed,frustrating and...fun. What energy! What a supporting cast! What a cool score from the Lovin' Spoonful(not just "songs by")! But,yes,it is bizarre,especially for a mainstream film. It's bizarre in the way that "Harold & Maude" is bizarre. And if you think that H&M works,give this a chance.I just emailed TCM to think about doing a 1968 retrospective,as they are doing for 1939. I'm not saying that the films of 1968 were more important that 1939,but'68 is the pivotal (post WWII)year for America. Movies,films,even TV was changing and in some ways we're still trying to figure out what happened. "Big Boy" was the coming of age movie that never got its due while hundreds of thousands of Babyboomers were indeed coming of age.

You probably never heard of this film--there's a good reason why.19 year old Barnard (Peter Kastner) is on his own in NYC and obsessed with girls. He's extremely attracted by a beautiful, but cruel, actress named Barbara Darling (Elizabeth Hartman) while sweet, nice Amy Bartlett (Karen Black--supposedly her film debut)likes him. Then there's his domineering parents (Rip Torn, Geraldine Page) and his holier than thou landlady named Miss Thing (Julie Harris!).As you can tell this is not an ordinary coming of age tale. Great acting by everybody, but this film is very much a product of its time. It's very strange, very quirky and throws in psychedelic images, drugs, sex, horrible fashions and hairdos with fast inter cutting and voice overs--basically, a good example of 60s independent, extremely low-budget films. Looks nothing like a Coppola film.I didn't really like it. With the exception of Amy, all the characters were annoying, the comedy was very cruel at times and the flashy camera-work really wore me down. A big bomb when it was released and how often do you hear Coppola gloating about this one? Worth seeing just for the cast (Black is so young!) but don't except much. A must for 60s fans and Coppola completists.