Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon shine as an elderly, long-married Coney Island couple who live in a neighbourhood that has seen better days. Together they must deal with the changing times - his cafeteria is not doing so well these days, an arrogant gang rules the day on the nearby boardwalk, etc. Their daughter (Janet Leigh) has her own problems dealing with a son (Michael Ayr) whose career as a recording artist is just taking off.
"Boardwalk" is a nice little slice of life / character study / human interest drama that is not always compelling. Some of the supporting characters are just NOT as likeable or as engaging as the couple at the centre of our story, and the film is never very interesting when it doesn't focus on them. Yes, some people could argue that the film gets a little too ugly at the end, but the subplot with the gang had to be resolved *somehow*. Ultimately, this does feel rather manipulative at times; for example, there's a point where director Stephen Verona could just let Gordons' performance carry the scene, but it's accompanied by melodramatic music on the soundtrack.
Strasberg and Gordon are the main reason(s) to watch: their believability as a loving twosome, their banter (they actually peruse a copy of Playboy together in bed), their struggles to deal with developments in their lives. "Boardwalk" does have some poignancy when it illustrates his life as a Jewish immigrant in America. Strasberg is also free from any sort of prejudice, and is taken aback by Leighs' reaction to a black couple who move in next door. There's a solid supporting cast (Joe Silver, Eddie Barth, Merwin Goldsmith, Eli Mintz, Lillian Roth, Kim Delgado as the repulsive main baddy, Linda Manz, Antonia Rey, Sammy Cahn, Altovise Davis, Lloyd Hollar). And that looks like Steve James as one of the moving men late in the picture.
Overall, a respectable if not entirely successful independently made drama, certain to push peoples' buttons frequently (that gang couldn't be more despicable if they tried).
Seven out of 10.
