Crossing Delancey is a 1988 American romantic comedy film adapted by Susan Sandler from her play of the same name, and directed by Joan Micklin Silver. It stars Amy Irving and Peter Riegert. The film also features performances from Reizl Bozyk, David Hyde-Pierce, Sylvia Miles and Rosemary Harris. Amy Irving was nominated for a Golden Globe for the film, for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.
Contents
Plot
Isabelle Grossman works for a New York bookstore, where she mingles with the city's literati, whom she idolizes. But outside of work she is lonely and unfulfilled, settling for an occasional night of casual sex with Nick, a married man. When Dutch-American author Anton Maes comes to the bookstore to give a reading, he shows an interest in Isabelle, who is charmed.
Isabelle pays frequent visits to her Yiddish-speaking Bubbe (grandmother)(pronounced "Bubby") Ida, who lives in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (location of Delancey Street). Anxious for her granddaughter to settle down with a decent Orthodox man, Ida hires a marriage broker. Although enraged, Isabelle grudgingly allows the matchmaker to introduce her in Bubbe's kitchen to Sam Posner.
At first Isabelle is dismissive of Sam, as she is not interested in a man who owns a small business selling pickles and who, she believes, hired the matchmaker. Instead, she sets her sights on Anton and the New York City intelligentsia, but she also feels guilty for how rude she was to Sam. She tries to make it up to him by setting him up with her girlfriend Marilyn. In the process, though, she learns that Sam did not hire the matchmaker, but that he respects her as a fellow business person and talks to her on that basis. Over time, the matchmaker had shown Sam photos of single woman in whom he expressed no interest. But he tells Isabelle that when the matchmaker showed him a photo of her, he said he told the matchmaker, "this one I'll meet." He had seen Isabelle with Ida in the neighborhood for many years and admired her. Isabelle is deeply touched, though her friends soon see Sam has given up on her and started dating Marilyn. She invites Sam & Marilyn to a book reading at the bookstore.
At the book reading, Sam shows up alone, as does Anton. Isabelle leaves with Sam, and they go to her apartment. As they are planning to share a drink together, Nick barges in to complain about his wife changing the locks. Sam and Isabelle soon agree to meet the next day at her Bubbe's apartment to go on a date.
After work the next day, however, she is sidelined by Anton and, believing that he is romantically interested in her, goes to his apartment. She discovers instead that the narcissistic Anton wants an assistant he can sleep with, not a real wife or girlfriend. A disgusted Isabelle rejects him and races to her grandmother's apartment, finding Ida sleeping on the couch. Heartbroken, she believes she has ruined her chances with the honest and caring Sam. As she cries, Sam enters from the balcony. The two finally are united and Ida, waking and having feigned senile dementia to keep Sam from leaving, laughs gleefully that her plan has succeeded.
Cast
This was Yiddish theatre star Reizl Bozyk's only film role.
Release
The film opened at the Plaza theatre in New York City on August 26, 1988.
Reception
The film received positive reviews. It currently holds an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 87 reviews with the consensus: "A small-scale delight fueled by Amy Irving's irresistible charm, Crossing Delancey celebrates love with contagious optimism."
One retrospective review from 2018 called Crossing Delancey "the ultimate Jewish rom-com" and a rare great story of "outwardly Jewish love".
Box office
The film was a modest success, grossing $16 million in the United States and Canada against a $4 million budget.
Soundtrack
Crossing Delancey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the motion picture Crossing Delancey, released October 17, 1988. Instrumental tracks were by Paul Chihara, and songs were performed by (and in some cases written by members of) The Roches.
Suzzy Roche of the Roches played Marilyn, a friend of Isabelle (Irving), in the film. The Roches provided several songs for the soundtrack. One of the songs that was featured in the film, Nocturne, is also featured on the group's 1989 album Speak. An earlier arrangement of their cover of "Come Softly to Me" is featured on their album Another World.
Track listing
Come Softly To Me (credited to Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis, and Gary Troxel)
Lucky (written by Terre and David Roche)
Anton's Theme
Portrait Of Izzy
Anton Again
Come Softly To Me
Sadness
Pounding (written by Terre and Suzzy Roche)
Lucky
Portrait Of Anton
Barber Shop
Nocturne (written by Margaret Roche)
True Love
Pounding (Terre and Suzzy Roche)
Happy Ending
Come Softly To Me
Tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14 and 16 are performed by the Roches.
Tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15 composed by Paul Chihara
Track 11 composed by Sergei Prokofiev
All songs arranged and orchestrated by Paul Chihara