Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Mikey and Nicky Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 28, 2018

Elaine May's " Mikey and Nicky" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; vintage audio commentary with actor Peter Falk; new program featuring critics critics Richard Brody and Carrie Rickey; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Nathan Rabin and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The bookie

It is not the style of Elaine May’s film that bothered me. In addition to her film 1976 saw the release of John Cassavetes’ The Killing of a Chinese Bookie which promotes the same low-budget verité style, but this film wants to tell a good story and it does not take long before you begin to care about the character that Ben Gazzara plays in it. He is in trouble with some really bad guys and is running out of time to figure out a way to keep his beloved club, maybe even stay alive. Gazzara is just terrific and as a result it is awfully easy to buy what he is selling, which is pure desperation.

In May’s film Cassavetes tries to do the same but he isn’t a convincing seller. His character, Nicky, is a small-time bookie who has been pocketing dough that belongs to some wise guys and they have finally figured it out, which is why he is now trying to evade a hitman (Ned Beattie) that has been dispatched to kill him. But this character does not look or act like a desperate bookie. May introduces him in a tiny room in some lousy hotel in Philadelphia and the immediate impression that he creates with his erratic behavior is that he is desperate for a fix. Then he becomes so unhinged that it appears that he is on the verge of a total system breakdown that might transform him into a vegetable. So, it is not a surprise that when his old pal Mikey (Peter Falk) comes knocking on his door first he has trouble recognizing him and then refuses to let him in. This is the bookie that cheated the wise guys? I don't think so.

But somehow Mikey calms down Nicky and the two leave the hotel. Then, while dodging the hitman in the shadows of the city, they begin thinking of a plan that may save Nicky’s life.

Well, sort of. The plan quickly becomes a minor element of the narrative and instead May shifts the focus of attention to the supposedly complex nature of the bond between the two friends and they begin engaging in long 'debates' about all sorts of different experiences that they have had together. Unfortunately, after this shift the film instantly begins to fall apart because it becomes painfully obvious that Cassavetes and Falk are essentially trying to outdo each other with character improvisations that completely invalidate the seriousness of the bookie’s situation. There are a lot of quick jabs followed by bloated monologues, plenty of the shouting that many of Al Paicno's characters are known for, and theatrical posturing of the type that just does not mix up with authenticity.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the entire film, however, is that at one point Cassavetes completely loses control of his character and neither May nor Falk dared to state the obvious. During a visit to the home of a ‘popular girl’ the supposedly paranoid bookie adopts multiple personalities -- manipulator, abuser, cynic, and joker -- that add such awful artificiality to his relationship with his trusted friend that when minutes later he does the same thing at a different location and for a different reason with the one woman that he supposedly truly cares about it is actually difficult to watch. The entire segment is so amateurish and so fake that it hurts.

Beattie’s hitman isn't given a lot of time before the camera and this is unfortunate because he is always a breath of fresh air that temporarily restores sanity in the film.

May apparently used the services of a number of different cinematographers and it is actually not difficult to tell because there is a decent amount of footage that feels either too loose or choppy. Then again, some admirers of the film may argue that this is exactly the type of quality that a legit cinema verité project requires.

*Even though Mikey and Nicky was officially released in 1976, it was apparently completed a few years earlier.

**Criterion’s upcoming Blu-ray release of Mikey and Nicky is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of the film that was supervised and approved by director May.

Mikey and Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, and small dirt. At the request of director Elaine May, teh grain in the picture has been left completely intact, with no grain management applied. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic DME track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kline, Elaine May, Phillip Schopper.
Film scanning: PRO-TEK, Burbank, CA.
Colorist: Jason Crump/ Metropolis Post, New York.
Additional color: Lee Kline."

The new 4K remaster that was prepared for this film is quite the stunner. It boasts an incredible range of organic nuances that quite simply would have never been retained on DVD. This is actually very important to underscore because plenty of the film was shot at night and at locations where light isn't always in abundance, so the delicate shadow definition is crucial. The color grading is also very careful because there is a lot of unfiltered street and club light that also produces unusual nuances and hues. Density levels fluctuate a bit, but the loose cinematography is responsible for the unevenness. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. (Quite the opposite is true, and as the technical credits above actually confirm, the film looks as raw as possible). Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections. Outstanding remaster. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Mikey and Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has an organic soundtrack that allows various random sounds and noises to flood the exchanges between the two leads as well as the action, which is why from time to time some minor dynamic fluctuations emerge. However, clarity and stability are outstanding. Also, there are no traces of background hiss, distortions, or other similar anomalies.

Mikey and Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Mikey and Nicky. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• TV Spot - vintage TV Spot for Mikey and Nicky. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Collaborators - in this new program, actor Joyce Van Patten and distributor Julian Schlossberg discuss the visual style and tone of Mikey and Nicky and explain why they believe it is a very special film. There are additional comments about Elaine May's working methods. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Critics - in this new program, critics Richard Brody and Carrie Rickey deconstruct Mikey and Nicky and discuss Elaine May's career. The program was created exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Peter Falk - in this archival audio interview, Peter Falk discusses his passion for acting and the evolution of his career, some of the crucial roles/characters that he was hired to play, and his contribution to Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky. The interview was conducted by Julian Schlossberg for the radio program Movie Talk in 1976. In English, not subtitled. (46 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Nathan Rabin's essay "Difficult Men" and technical credits.

Mikey and Nicky Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The hyper-realism that is supposed to be the strongest quality of Mikey and Nicky is so overdone that actually makes all of the drama that is chronicled in it almost unbearably artificial. To be honest, I just don't think that John Cassavetes was the right person to play the cheating bookie because his mood swings are all over the place and completely invalidate the dilemmas that he is presented with after the hitman begins tracking him down. Charles Grodin was another actor that was apparently considered for this project and I think that he would have done a vastly superior job with this character. If Mikey and Nicky is one of your older favorites, I can assure you that with Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release you will be getting the definitive presentation of this film. The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster, supervised by Elaine May, that is quite the stunner. RENT IT.