Diner
Short description
Set in Baltimore in late 1959, Diner follows a group of young men in their twenties who gather at a local restaurant to talk, joke and put off the demands of adult life. Their conversations and get-togethers cover women, gambling and the usual banter, while each of them faces pressure to settle down, marry or take on responsibilities he is not ready for. One of them, Boogie, has run up a gambling debt and keeps trying to win the money back, while others deal with strained marriages and uncertain romances. The group's shared time at the diner gradually gives way to the choices awaiting them.
The film was written and directed by Barry Levinson, the first of 28 features he has directed in chronological order, and produced by Jerry Weintraub for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and SLM Production Group. Its ensemble cast includes Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly and Ellen Barkin, among 45 credited performers. Made for about 5 million dollars, it took roughly 14 million dollars worldwide, a solid return on its cost.
On TMDB it holds 6.8 out of 10 from 313 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 8.2 out of 10 from 49 reviews, so professional reviewers responded considerably more warmly than the general audience did.
What's left behind the scenes
- Barry Levinson gathered the entire cast in Baltimore about a week before the start of filming, but he began rehearsing scenes with them approximately an hour before the shoot. He hoped this would bring an element of spontaneity and improvisation to the actors’ performances.
- In search of actors for the roles of the five main characters, Barry Levinson reviewed over 600 candidates who came to the audition. The casting was organized in New York, Los Angeles, and Maryland.
- Paul Reiser hadn't planned on participating in this film. He was simply accompanying a friend to the audition. While he was waiting for his friend, he caught someone’s eye and was asked to audition himself.
- After completing work on the film, MGM was disappointed, as they believed it would be a comedy in the style of "Porky's" (Bob Clark, 1981). They didn't want to release the film and suggested shelving it. However, the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
- All the scenes in the diner were filmed at the very end, after the cast and crew had gotten to know each other. All the dialogue in these scenes is a mixture of what was written in the script and improvisation.
- According to Barry Levinson, the scene with the football knowledge test that Eddie made his fiancée take is based on a real-life situation involving one of his cousins.
- Michael Tucker will play the same character in Barry Levinson’s “Tin Men” (1987).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
