''Queens Logic'' is a 1991 American ensemble

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

from Seven Arts Pictures starring

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...

, Linda Fiorentino, Joe Mantegna,

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for List of Jamie Lee Curtis performances, her performances in the horror and slasher film, slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream qu ...

, John Malkovich, Ken Olin, Chloe Webb and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

. It was directed by Steve Rash.

Synopsis

This film depicts a cohort of

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to four other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Queens, Long Island C ...

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

, now- thirtysomething childhood neighborhood friends confronting their history together and their future, while behaving both like children and mature adults, and both deceiving and revealing. Ray, the central character, and his childhood friends Al,

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

and Vinny struggle with issues of commitment in their romantic relationships. Eliot is a gay, later friend who roomed with all of them in a two bedroom apartment as adults and is lonely but dislikes " camp" men. Al and his wife Carla are having serious marital issues, mainly due to his happy go lucky, immature personality. Ray is engaged to

Patricia Patricia is a feminine given name of Latin language, Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician'', meaning 'noble', it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick (given name), Patrick. Another we ...

, a wary hairdresser, but he is scared of the effect the marriage may have on his ambitious oil painting career. Vinny is a struggling actor who has dysfunctional one night stands and desires something more meaningful. Dennis is a musician who moved to "Hollywood" to hit the "big time". His braggadocio subsides as he starts dealing with issues he left behind in Queens. The film centers around the preparations for an anniversary, a bachelor party and a wedding which challenges the characters to emotionally mature. The characters face adulthood and discover the meaning of 'Queens Logic.' This comedy film takes a look at the concepts of friendship, loyalty, and love.

Cast (in credits order)

as Dennis * Linda Fiorentino as Carla * John Malkovich as Eliot * Joe Mantegna as Al * Ken Olin as Ray * Tony Spiridakis as Vinny * Bruce MacVittie as Joey Clams' Nephew *

as Monte * Chloe Webb as Patricia *

as Grace * Michael Zelniker as Marty * Kelly Bishop as Maria *

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as Tim McManus on HBO's prison drama ...

as Jeremy

Production

Astoria native Tony Spiridakis wrote the first draft of the screenplay for the film in 1986. He shopped it around to various producers before settling on Stuart Oken, a Chicago theater producer whose previous film production, '' About Last Night'', had been a modest box office hit in the same year. During the filming of the movie, Spiridakis had a dispute with some of his own friends from Brooklyn, who had claimed co-ownership of the script.

Reception

The movie garnered mixed reviews.

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that the film "fans the flames of its characters' dissatisfaction only to put them out again, which makes it more tidily circular than surprising"; she did, however, commend the "big and eminently watchable cast, brought together for ceaseless partying and clowning".

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave it two-and-a-half stars, compared it to a number of other coming-of-age films and those set in the Brooklyn-Queens area, and remarked that "the screenplay by Tony Spiridakis introduces a large gallery of characters in no apparent order and then moves casually among their stories". He and

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

both gave it thumbs down on their

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; Gene felt it was too purposelessly overloaded with stereotypes for its own good. Michael Wilmington took a negative view of the film in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', stating:

Jonathan Rosenbaum Jonathan Rosenbaum (born February 27, 1943) is an American film critic and author. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for '' The Chicago Reader'' from 1987 to 2008. He has published and edited numerous books about cinema and has contributed to ...

of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' said of the film, '' Time Out'' magazine wrote a sharply critical review of the film, calling it "yet another post-''Big Chill'' way-we-were movie: a bunch of buddies hang out remembering the good times, the bad times, the godawful records. . . . Steve Rash handles the slightly diffuse business with sensitivity, but the film coasts mainly on the acting. Mantegna stands out for sheer bravado; Chloe Webb just about contrives to steal the show with a lipful of feistiness. But, as usual, it's really a boys' film, about leering, beering and losing your swim-shorts, and for straight boozy larking, '' Hangin' with the Homeboys'' has it licked by a mile." Later, it was reevaluated and received some praise from online critics. Although Ted Baehr's ''MovieGuide'' website objected to the film's view of homosexuality, he did say "the picture is quite well-acted." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of the website ''Spirituality & Practice'' called the film "a deft snapshot of men who cannot unravel the mystery of women or free themselves from the male bonding of their adolescence." Doc Ezra of the website ''Need Coffee'' praised the film immensely, but criticized

Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until i ...

for not providing a widescreen transfer of the film on its DVD release. Christine Spagnuolo, an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

at the '' Queens Chronicle'', lauded the film in a June 24, 2015 essay, praising the multi-borough scope of the film's shooting locations, and adding that "well-known actors such as Kevin Bacon and Jamie Lee Curtis embodied the characteristics of nitty-gritty, ordinary people and a realistic Queens attitude that most people who grew up in the area are able to relate to."

Box office

The movie was not successful on limited release.

DVD release

The film was released on DVD three times. Once in 1999 under the Pioneer label, the second time in 2002 under the Platinum Disc label, and the third time that same year by Artisan Home Entertainment. The DVD contains just the film and its theatrical trailer.Amazon.com
Queens Logic
Movies & TV ''Queens Logic'' was filmed in the summer of 1989, but didn't get released until February 1991. Although released theatrically in the US, ''Queens Logic'' was released direct-to-video in the UK.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{Steve Rash 1991 films 1991 comedy-drama films 1991 independent films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American comedy-drama films American independent films English-language comedy-drama films Films directed by Steve Rash Films set in New York City Films set in Queens, New York Films shot in New York City New Line Cinema films English-language independent films