Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Stranger Than Paradise

Stranger Than Paradise (Criterion #400).
1984 Janus Films.
Starring: John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edison, Cecillia Stark, Danny Rosen
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Buy Stranger Than Paradise at Amazon.

This was independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch's breakthrough project.

Willie (Lurie) is a small-time gambler who receives an unwanted visitor to his New York City apartment when his distant cousin Eva (Balint) drops in unexpectedly from Hungary. Eva says she needs to stay with Willie for ten days before she travels west to Cleveland. An unhappy Willie finds himself teaching Eva about the joys of American cigarettes, TV dinners, and the NFL, and they also watch both "planet" movies, Forbidden Planet and Fantastic Planet. Eva suddenly gains Willie's respect when she goes to the corner store and shoplifts a pack of smokes and a frozen dinner.

Eddie (Edson, former drummer for Sonic Youth) drops by the apartment, and finds himself liking Eva, which lasts just long enough before she departs for Ohio to live with her aunt Lottie (Stark). Several months later, Willie and Eddie win $600 in a poker game and decide to visit Eva in Cleveland...in the dead of winter. The dead of winter in Cleveland. Since there isn't much to do but look at a frozen Lake Erie, our heroes travel south to Miami, where Willie and Eddie play the horses. However, mutual boredom sends Eddie, Willie and Eva on their own separate paths.

The Criterion edition of Stranger Than Paradise contains Jarmusch's first film, 1980's Permanent Vacation as a bonus feature on the second disc. I may watch and review that one separately down the road. As for the main attraction, I can safely give it a rating of highly recommended.

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