Nickelodeon (1976)

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Starring Ryan O’Neal, Burt Reynolds, Jane Hitchcock, Tatum O’Neal, Stella Stevens, Brian Keith, John Ritter, Priscilla Pointer, George Gaynes, Harry Carey Jr. [PG]

Bogdanovich’s loving and reverent glimpse at the earliest days of filmmaking, when visionaries and businessmen transformed a fad into an industry. He nails the aesthetic, but rather than take us inside to tour the paraphernalia and advance the personal characteristics and aspirations of its key characters, the audience is kept on the fringes, watching it all play out through a nickel-slot jukebox viewer. The homages to the pratfalls and slapstick of silent comedy are recreated with a flat, technical grace that inspires nostalgia, rarely laughter, and then the film takes a sour turn toward the doleful in the last quarter. Of the main cast, only Reynolds shows an easy-going spirit (the O’Neals separately attempt some of the same wry patter of Paper Moon, but it plays out as a second-rate impression); in smaller parts, Ritter and Gaynes have a few fine moments. Initially filmed and released in color (much to Bogdonavich’s chagrin), but was released many years later on DVD with an alternate black & white “Director’s Cut” version that looks much better (and is far more appropriate for the subject matter).

46/100