Gene Saks, an old hand at directing Neil Simon's work on film (The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park), here takes a stab at Simon's most autobiographical work, which stars Jonathan Silverman as an aspiring writer living with two families under one roof in 1937 Brooklyn. Following his old working formula, Saks keeps an eye on the cast's energy and timing but otherwise stays out of the way and lets Simon's story and dialogue tumble wonderfully from the mouths of good actors. Cast in the lead in this 1986 film, the young Silverman (later the star of NBC's Single Guy) makes a very good impression, as does Bob Dishy as his narrator-father. The DVD release has a full-screen presentation. --Tom Keogh
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