Avalon

Avalon follows Sam Krichinsky, a Jewish immigrant from Poland who arrives in Baltimore in 1914 and settles in the Avalon neighborhood, where he works as a wallpaper hanger. He and his brothers build a life in America, raise families and gather for large celebrations that hold the extended clan together. Over the decades, Sam's sons Jules and Izzy change their names, move away and pursue business ambitions of their own, and the family's old attachments loosen as prosperity and modern life pull the generations apart. Sam's grandson Michael remains drawn to the stories of the family's arrival and early years.

Barry Levinson directed and wrote the screenplay, and produced with Mark Johnson. The film is the eighth of twenty-eight he has directed, coming between Rain Man and Bugsy. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Sam, with Aidan Quinn as Jules, Elizabeth Perkins as Ann, Joan Plowright as Eva, and Leo Fuchs and Lou Jacobi among a credited cast of fifty.

Released in October 1990, the drama runs 126 minutes and was made by TriStar Pictures with Baltimore Pictures. It took about 16 million dollars worldwide, a modest return for a wide-release period drama. On IMDb it holds 7.2 from roughly 7,500 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.7 from a much smaller sample. A critics' rating of 7.3 from 28 reviews places it slightly above the audience scores, though all three measures point to a generally favorable but not enthusiastic reception.