Heavy

Psychological study of “normal folks” at a rural bar/restaurant

In southeast New York, near the border of Pennsylvania, a shy tavern cook (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is concerned about his weight after finding himself attracted to the new server, a drop-out college student (Liv Tyler). The other worker, an aging blonde (Deborah Harry), naturally feels threatened by her. Shelley Winters plays the matriarch and Joe Grifasi a drunk that hangs out at the pub.

"Heavy" (1995) has been called the “Marty” of the ’90s. I’ve never seen that one, but it stars Ernest Borgnine in a role similar to the protagonist here. While this is a character study of Victor, it also evaluates Del (Harry, aka Blondie); and the others to a lesser extent.

Del is closing in on 50 years-old, but was surely stunning back in the day. She’s left to making a living at a small-time tavern with romantic options limited to a garrulous alcoholic and a quiet mama’s boy.

Obviously, this is not a flick for people who require an explosion every ten minutes to keep their attention (not that there’s anything wrong with that, lol). It’s a mundane drama about regular people and the social dynamics thereof — their (boring) daily lives, hopes, fears, regrets, grievances and lamentations. In part, it’s about people who have been caged so long they no longer know how to be free. It’s similar in tone to other 90’s dramas like "Sling Blade," which came out the next year, and “Limbo” (1999). While it lacks the survival element of the latter, does it really?

The frontman of The Pixies was approached to play the part of Victor, but he declined, saying he wasn’t interested in playing such a character. Regardless, he would’ve fit the role.

The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in southeast New York at Barryville (Victor’s house); five miles northeast of there in Highland Lake (the tavern); across the border of Barryville in Shohola, Pennsylvania (the bridge); and 80 miles northeast of that area in Hyde Park, NY, on the Huson River (Culinary Institute).

GRADE: B