Good start, but then it gets ruined

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Movies like the Prisoner of Second Avenue, from the mid-1970's, make us realize how much the world has changed. New York City was typical of the times with property crime, unemployment, recession, union strikes, power outages, etc. making people feel uncomfortable with the quality of everyday life. When Mel suddenly loses his job after 22 years with the same company, he suffers from the anxiety of a man trying to find an explanation. Going over the edge, he takes to shouting mild expletives from his balcony at the prim and proper neighbours overhead. In those day, words like ass and hell were considered unfit for public use. Mel gets a bucket of water thrown at him for using such language within the earshot of children. The repartee between Edna and Mel is funny and off the wall but not nearly as much as the baby boom humour of the 1970's was to people at the time. The acting of Jack Lemmon as Mel and Anne Bancroft as Edna is outstanding although the lines have lost their zing. His tirades against the world and the plot against the working class is much less targeted than today's politics and the world of the one per cent. In those days, people were lashing out; now they want action against the rich, against ISIS, Not only have times changed but we don't joke about more sinister crimes like mass shootings, or attacks and bombings against innocents by groups far more dangerous than muggers and burglars. Traditional crime is down, only now replaced by fear of more serious crime. One amusing scene shows Mel chasing a young Sylvestre Stallone across the lawns and terraces of Central Park. Eventually Mel tackles and brings down the guy he sees as a young punk. A victory for him against the forces of evil? It is interesting to see his response. It is also informative to see how the couple come to terms with the changed circumstances.

Modern day New York City couple struggles with day-to-day hardships while living in the treacherous Big Apple. Jack Lemmon has yet another series of Neil Simon-scripted nervous breakdowns--too soon after "The Out-of-Towners". In fact, within the first 15 minutes of "Prisoner", we're reminded of "The Out-of-Towners", "The Apartment" and "Save the Tiger". It's a replay of themes--Jack Lemmon's Greatest Hits. Often times, there's simply no point to Lemmon's ranting, and the sources of his anger (unemployment, crime, etc.) are expressed as personal diatribes--these are his exclusive problems rather than universal frustrations. Anne Bancroft is touching as Jack's put-upon spouse, though not even she can save the perplexing finish, which throws everything out the window for the sake of an innocuous chuckle. ** from ****

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE is perfection. Jack Lemmon's heartbreaking performance is remarkable. He captures brilliantly what every man of a certain age (and I am now in that category) must endure. He is the avatar to all 40-50 something males-through Lemmon and his performance we see ourselves . While its primarily a comedy-it is also a sublime adventure. We are seeing our lives through Mel's eyes-and for 1 and 3 quarter hours we are on a white knuckle ride through middle age-his pain, suffering, denial, his feeling of life kicking him in his sagging butt-are uniquely felt. Its a atharsis as we endure lifes lessons and ultimately-like life itself-come out of its inevitability smiling at the end-knowing that we have no other choice but to live life-not drown in it. This is Neil Simons masterpiece. Beautifully written it blows the artificiality of the later THE GOODBYE GIRL out of the water. The atrocious, shrill ONLY WHEN I LAUGH really put the nail in the coffin of Simons once amazing career. I count THE ODD COUPLE , THE HEARTBREAK KID , MURDER BY DEATH and of course PRISONER as some of my alltime favorites. And yet GOODBYE and LAUGH garnered nominations in categories PRISNER were denied-Actor, Actress, Screenplay and Picture at the Oscars. Our foundling fathers-the British recognized Anne Bancrofts hilarious performance as Best Actress at their BAFTA awards. She is very much Lemmons equa in this. They are Mel and Edna-they are the old married couple they portray. A separate shout out to Marvin Hamlish-his melancholy score is the score to my life. Its elegant , simple notes add up to one of the best scores-ever. Its a shame that it never made it to cd (nor album)-it is exquisite. In every area-acting, writing, scoring, AVENUE succeeds magnificently. As added touches that enhance the viewing-it is a perfect time capsule for Manhattan circa the 70s. You feel and taste it.Amazingly evocative of its times. Highly recommended-this movie takes no PRISONERs-it engulfs everyone.

That moment of Anne Bancroft's is my favorite part of the entire film, often imitated where I used to work.No one loves urban blight like Neil Simon, and no one depicts it as well. "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" goes much further than "The Out of Towners" because now, the leads (Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft) are actually living in a New York apartment, sleeping in 12 degree air conditioning in their bedroom during a heat wave and sweating everywhere else. Simon leaves nothing out: not having the right change for the bus, the elevator being out, no water, noisy neighbors, mean neighbors, a cheaply put together building, robberies in broad daylight, etc. Lemmon plays a 22-year veteran of a business who is fired, suffers a nervous breakdown, and goes into psychiatric care. His problems go beyond the loss of his job - he has to cope with his country dwelling brother Harry (Gene Saks) and his two sisters (Elizabeth Wilson and Florence Stanley) who want to help but only succeed in being aggravating. Also, his wife has gone back to work as a production assistant and is never home.This is really a comedy-drama that shows the enormous range of both actors. The beautiful Bancroft is great as an empty nester who tries to be supportive of her husband, who is losing it, as she goes toward the same territory; Lemmon is alternatively a riot, as annoying as Felix Unger, and as sad as his character in "Save the Tiger" while he attempts to work through his issues and find out who he is.With a high rise at Second Avenue and E. 88th St. as a backdrop, "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" is timely today because it takes place during a recession. Suddenly, a lifestyle that wasn't so outrageous to begin with is hard to keep up, and nerves fray.City dwellers won't find it difficult to relate to this film, and today, with jobs cuts and loss of income, nobody will. Lots of fun.