tieman64
"To be made a slave is to be stripped of any possible honour. But honour is, by definition, something that exists in the eyes of others. To be able to recover it, then, one must adopt the rules and standards of the society that deprived him of his honour in the first place." - David GraeberReleased in 1969, and directed by Larry Peerce, "Goodbye, Columbus" was based on a novel by Philip Roth. It stars Richard Benjamin as Neil Klugman, an army veteran who now works as a library clerk. Neil falls in love with Brenda Patimkin (Ali MacGraw), a wealthy college student. Their relationship is frowned upon by Brenda's fussy family.Better than the similarly themed "The Graduate", "Goodbye, Columbus" crackles with a brand of energy typical of the 1960s. Peerce's film is sceptical of post-war capitalism, its attached aspirations and values, and portrays Neil as a cynical type who deems the Patimkin family to be vapid and materialistic. Unlike anyone else in the film, Neil is also is intimately aware of social class. He compares himself to servants, comes out of the Army refusing to be used by anyone again, sympathises with black kids and is wary of being assimilated into the lives of the nouveau riche.But Peerce's film complicates familiar poor-boy-meets-rich-girl narratives. Brenda's father, hardworking and from humble backgrounds, is sympathetically portrayed. Neil, meanwhile, is pretentious, aloof and unconsciously a bit of a social-climber. Brenda herself is ultimately only interested in Neil as a means of infuriating her class-obsessed mother.It is thus unsurprising that Neil and Brenda's relationship ultimately breaks down. Unlike the climax to "The Graduate", where a jaded graduate runs off with the daughter of a lawyer, Neil and Brenda do their best to sabotage their own relationship. Neil taunts Brenda, makes fun of her plastic surgery, shallow friends and wealth, whilst she in turn cannot fathom life with a man determined to exist outside of her social circles. A vein of aggression thus exists beneath the couple's games of seduction; Neil the non-conformist who unconsciously desires conformity, forever passively aggressive toward Brenda, the conformist who fancies herself a rebel.In the 1960s, cinema reflected churning anti-establishment attitudes. Even in the mainstream, films like "In the Heat of the Night", "Cool Hand Luke" and so forth were garnering major awards, whilst books like David Brion Davis' "The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture" were picking up Pulitzers left, right and centre. "Goodbye, Columbus'" themes can also be found in the countless similar films released around about this time ("Easy Rider", "The Paper Chase", "The Graduate", "You're a Big Boy Now", "They Might be Giants", "The King of Marvin Gardens", "Smile", "The Swimmer", "Hair", "Get to Know Your Rabbit", "A Thousand Clowns, "Some Came Running", "The Sandpiper" etc), most of which dealt with generation gaps, issues of assimilation and featured young men – often model sons and exemplary students – who rejected mid-20th century white and blue collar conformity."Goodbye, Columbus" itself ends with rejection. Here Neil and Brenda split and return to their separate worlds, he to a life of books and bohemianism, she to a life of money and materialism. But both Neil and Brenda never stop wishing for validation from what are essentially ideologies they oppose; Neil still measures success in Brenda's terms, and vice versa."Goodbye, Columbus'" title alludes to young men and women who leave behind the protective havens of university halls, lose their innocence, "come of age" and experience the pitfalls of the "real world". As it was made in the 1960s, these pitfalls include everything from premarital sex to unwanted pregnancies to envious mothers to class-conflicts to issues of Jewish identity. Throw in casual nudity, wacky slow motion sequences, a serio-comic tone, and goofy close ups of breasts, bikinis and swaying buttocks, and you have a film that is overflowing with an almost sensationalistic need to break free of 1960s codes and conventions. That such a busy film works is thanks largely to Roth, whose source-material is sensitive and at times even wise."Goodbye, Columbus" was essentially Ali MacGraw's film debut. She had previously played a bit part in 1968's "A Lovely Way to Die", but "Columbus" finds her thrust into a starring role. A rapturous vision, she spins her way through Peerce's film, a princess whom the geeky Neil simultaneously despises and adores.8.5/10 – Underrated. See "They Might be Giants".
cadfile
The first time I came across "Goodbye, Columbus" was in an advert for a local movie theater in a saved newspaper covering the moon landing in 1969. Years later, while at Ohio State, I read the novella by Philip Roth instead of the story I was suppose to read in English Lit class. So when I saw it available through Netflix I decided to give it a complete and adult look at a film that I had been interested in seeing.Neil Klugman, played by Richard Benjamin, sees Brenda Patimkin, played by Ali MacGraw, while on a visit to a Westchester country club one hot summer day and he is intent on meeting her. Brenda is beautiful and rebellious college co-ed. Neil is smitten immediately even though her impetuousness drives him crazy.Meeting Brenda also requires him to meet her family. There is the protective Dad, played by Jack Klugman, overbearing mother, played by Nan Martin, the lunkhead brother, played by Michael Meyers, and bratty younger sister, played by Lori Shelle. Mr. Patimkin owns a successful plumbing supply company and dotes on his children giving them anything they want. Mrs. Patimkin is interested in making sure Brenda marries into a "good" family - which means the same social class as them so she hates Neil from the beginning.The Patimkin children, Brenda included, have had so much given to them that they have no idea what it means to work and struggle for a living. In one scene Mrs. Patimkin has an argument with Brenda where she points out Brenda has no idea what it means to work for a living. She says Brenda has never washed a dish in the house. Brenda cries "We have Carlotta!" referring to the family's domestic. The scene foreshadows how dependent Brenda is on her parents and that she has no identity outside of her family.Neil is far more practical even if he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He does know he doesn't want to have a family yet when he pressures Brenda to use birth control when they have sex. Thinking that her family will bail her out at anytime, Brenda is less concerned than Neil about using birth control.In the end Brenda's dependence on her parents and the superficial relationship she has with Neil dooms the lovers.I really enjoyed the movie even with the late 60's cultural corniness. The conflict between classes of the same group is apparent and you hope the love would overcome it.I did have a hard time believing that Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw could be lovers because he is far less attractive than she is and usually in Hollywood movies the pretty people get together. It does add a bit of realism to the story but is walking a fine line especially in the opening scenes when Benjamin has his swim trunks pulled way up his waist.Ali MacGraw was a perfect fit for the role of Brenda as she has always had an air of impetuousness about her as well as an upper class demeanor. She plays almost the same character in her next film - Love Story - but there she is more independent than in this film.The filmmakers did a good job of transferring the novella to the screen and gives one a good snapshot a particular ethnic experience.
Jeff Linder
This movie was meaninful to me because the characters represent real people. People who the main character, Neil, rejects (or at least cannot relate to) because of what they represent. For example, the hard-charging businessman played by Jack Klugman, who's portrayed in his plumbing-supply office screaming into the phone, making deals. The brother, played by Michael Myers (not the famous Mike Myers) is the ultimate very-dumb jock. And, of course, Ali McGraw, who's is actually torn between being the good Jewish American Princess and her attraction to Neil. Her father (Klugman) is dumbfounded when he learns that Neil doesn't really mind being a librarian. Finally, Richard Benjamin's Neil, is a kind of existential Jewish outsider who can't relate to the affluence displayed by the Patimkins. One of the more memorable scenes in the movie: Neil discovers a second refrigerator in the Patimkin's basement PACKED with food. Are these people real? They are. And even though the movie is 35 years old we can still relate to these characters. Thank you Phiip Roth.
