A touching account of a working-class teenager tempted to reject his honorable ambitions in favor of a life of easy luxury.
Jeffrey Willis (Dillon) is an 18-year-old Brooklyn kid who joins some friends on a jaunt to "El Flamingo," a ritzy beachside club for affluent Long Islanders. There he observes Phil Brody (Crenna), a wealthy car dealer and the club's champion gin player, effectively demolishing his competition at
the card table. Jeffrey is hired by the club for the summer, and slowly a romance develops between him and Brody's niece, Carla (Jones). Brody also takes a liking to Jeffrey and helps him get a promotion. After a talk with his new mentor, Jeffrey decides to become a car salesman too. His father
(Elizondo), who dreams of his son's going to college, is dead set against this idea.
There's not a single bad performance here, and director Marshall wisely builds his film on small moments, realized with sympathy and intelligence. leave a comment
