In the 1940's, two young boys, Jay and Artie, are sent by their father to live with their cold-hearted grandmother (Irene Worth) and kind but slow aunt Bella (Mercedes Ruehl), in Yonkers. Things look grim for the boys, until their uncle Louie (Richard Dreyfuss), a small-time gangster, shows up and livens up their otherwise dull lives.

Given the fact that (a) "Lost in Yonkers" is written by Neil Simon, a man famous for writing comedies, such as "The Odd Couple"; (b) the posters/cover artwork for "Lost in Yonkers" makes it look like a comedy; and (c) the DVD case actually describes this film as a comedy, you could be forgiven for mistaking "Lost in Yonkers" for a comedy. It's not. There are one or two laughs in "Lost in Yonkers", but one or two jokes does not make a comedy. "Lost in Yonkers" is, in fact, the most serious Neil Simon movie that I have seen.

Simon won the Pulitzer Prize for the play upon which this film was based and while watching it, I couldn't help but feeling that Simon was deliberately aiming for such a prize while writing it. It is as if Simon were deliberately trying to press all the right buttons in the judges - a coming of age story; morality issues; mentally-challenged characters; family; the search for love. It's all here. Obviously the judges fell for Simon's plan, hook, line and sinker, but as an ordinary audience member, I just came away feeling emotionally manipulated. At the end of the film, I didn't see characters such as Bella and the grandmother as real people, I saw them as contrived vehicles for critic-pleasing monologues.

I believe Neil Simon is a great playwright, in fact, I see him as one of the great playwrights of the 20th century. Through his Eugene Jerome plays (in particular, "Biloxi Blues"), Simon demonstrated that it is possible to write an entertaining comedy that touches on serious issues. Yet, Simon doesn't do that here. He gives us the issues without the comedy. As a result, "Lost in Yonkers" is the first Neil Simon film/play I have seen that I haven't enjoyed. I recommend you watch another one of his films/plays, instead.

I bought this to show my students who had just finished reading the play in class. They were mixed and many found the play to be far more entertaining (including myself).

This is a wonderful DVD that the older generation would appreciate more than the younger generation.

Life is all about making a splash, like a native Yonkers man who helped to start ESPN. In this delightful romp through the days when things were simple, Jay and Artie go to Grandma's and gets lost with so much comings and goings. Aunt Gert talks funny and Bella is the the belle of the ball in every aspect. She takes the two young boys to the ice cream shop in the brownstone where WBXX is up on the roof. She gets all dressed up with white gloves and shoes and hat and has big dreams of getting out of the rat race and having too take care of Momma like she has since the age of twelve. She wants to get married ("I gotta love somebody who'll love me back before I die.") and falls in love with a gangster.

Their uncle Louie is corrupt in a good way; his big yellow convertible is stolen while Artie is trying to run away from home. Louie goes around with his mysterious little black bag acting like Humphrey Bogart and even talks like him (Keep your dukes up.) The boys enjoy watching adult situations they don't understand while their dad is out somewhere trying to find a home for them. Bella has a forty-year-old friend who is the usher at the movies who is illiterate but has a great personality; he needs $5,000 to open up a restaurant where she will be the bookkeeper. You've got to see Bella in the short yellow dress. She is told "You can make it on your own, it just takes moxie." They drink the original Coca-Cola and we will soon know the caffeine content in each Coke product. It's that new Coke Blak which is too strong for public consumption.

Bella is as strong as an ox and says "You don't scare me anymore, Ma." I first saw the play of LOST IN YOUNKERS at a smalltown theater in Fayetteville, Tennessee, and loved to look at theyoung fellow who played Artie. He even sounded like a Yankee. Uncle Louie decides to come to Bella's rescue and in the meantime shows the boys that they need to stop depending on people; you can be lost anywhere, so go out and find your own fortune. At Grandma's, they receive a good education on life.

Keep this one on hand for after you've watched a 'heavy' movie and are feeling a bit down because of it. The interaction between the grandmother and her two grandsons who are dropped off so their father can see about a job is fantastic. The grandmother seems 'stern' beyond belief and the young boys are terrified of her, but they are able to discover her hidden layers. There is a touching scene between the dimwitted 'Bella' and her mother that you won't want to miss.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author