New Hollywood films refreshed oftern tired Hollywood genres by opening new perspectives and upending traditional conventions. A movie like McCabe and Mrs. Miller, for instance, remade the Western as a means to undermine the myth of self-reliant male gunslinger, instead focusing on a would be gambler and pimp who needs the help of a woman to run his brothel. What about the film Mikey and Nicky? How does it both examplify and undermine Hollywood genres? How does it create a new kind of gangster movie or buddy movie, respectively? How does it turn these genres inside out and upside down?
"Mikey and Nicky" is a captivating exploration of friendship, betrayal, and the underworld of crime that both follows and flips traditional Hollywood genres like gangster movies and buddy films. At first glance, the movie seems to fit right into the typical Hollywood mold. It stars Mikey and Nicky, two characters diving into the dangerous world of organized crime. You've got all the classic elements like loyalty, violence, and moral gray areas that we've seen in other gangster flicks. But here's where it gets interesting. Instead of just focusing on the action-packed scenes, "Mikey and Nicky" takes a deep dive into the emotional and psychological layers of the characters. It's not just about the crimes they commit; it's about what drives them and how they navigate their complex relationship. Speaking of relationships, the movie also shakes things up in the buddy film department. Mikey and Nicky's friendship is anything but stable. It's full of betrayals, manipulations, and self-destruction, challenging the typical portrayal of loyalty and camaraderie we see in buddy movies. By turning these genres on their heads, "Mikey and Nicky" forces us to confront the gritty realities of human nature and the harsh consequences of criminal lifestyles. It's not about glorifying violence; it's about digging into the motivations and struggles of its characters. In the end, "Mikey and Nicky" offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on gangster and buddy films, pushing the boundaries of storytelling and making us question our assumptions along the way
ReplyDeleteMikey and Nicky are two mobster friends and we see how their relationship deteriorates and grows throughout the movie. The film combines the mobster and buddy movie genres by making Nicky and Mikey part of their city’s mafia group. It starts like a typical buddy movie with Nicky calling Mickey to come help him because Nicky ran into a bit of trouble. As the film progresses it starts to become apparent that Mikey does not have Nicky’s best interest at heart, instead attempting to help a hit man that was hired to kill Nicky. Throughout the film Mikey goes back and forth on trying to help Nicky get away, and wanting Nicky to die. Differing greatly from a typical buddy movie where the two would have unserious arguments and get over them by the end of the movie. The turning point of the movie is when Nicky breaks Mikey’s dad’s watch. That is when Mikey essentially breaks down and tells Nicky exactly how he feels, and how he does not appreciate how Nicky treats him. Nicky, during this conversation, acts a bit narcissistic as he attempts to keep some form of dignity saying he does just as much for Mikey if not more, but fails to provide reasonable evidence for this claim. The movie ends with Nicky on Mikey’s doorstep, attempting to get into the house to simply talk to Mikey. Until the hit man pulls around the block and Nicky knows what’s about to happen to him. The movie then comes to an unsatisfying end with Nicky dying on Mikey’s front porch in a typical gangster style movie, where the bad guy does not win.
ReplyDeleteMikey and Nicky undermines Hollywood genres because it strays from the the themes of other Hollywood movies. For example, Gangster films typically revolve around loyalty and commitment to the gang and its members. In Mikey and Nicky, we see a lot of deceiving and misguidance. For instance, Mikey is called by Nicky to help him get out of a situation where he feels that his life is in danger. While suspicious of Mikey at first, Nicky eventually believes Mikey when he says he does not want to kill him nor does he know anything about a contract to kill him. That is a total lie. Mikey was actually working closely with the gang to kill Nicky. That kind of decievment after building a close bond is rarely ever scene in a gangster movie. Of course in some gangster movies, someone will have to kill their friend, but not after lying and gaining their trust the whole night before.
ReplyDeleteElaine May's Mikey and Nicky played with Hollywood genres like the mafia movie and the buddy movie with focusing on different facets of the characters and through the movie's ending. Unlike typical gangster films of the time, the film does not focus on any major crimes or bosses in the mob at all. Dave Resnick, the gangster Mickey and Nicky worked for, only appears in two scenes and is only a supporting character. Instead, the film focuses on two smaller characters in the mob on the run because Nicky was involved in a theft from them. Because of film codes and general convention, most mafia films in Hollywood showed the criminals failing in the end. While at the end of this movie, Nicky, a member of the mob, is shot and killed, the man who killed him was a hitman hired by Resnick. The criminals are ultimately victorious as they enact their revenge. Mickey and Nickey also subverts the genre of buddy movies in hollywood. At the beginning of the movie it seems to fit many hallmarks of the genre really well; a pair of men who were close in their childhood but drifted apart are reunited and have to work through ups and downs in their journey. But unlike how buddy movies typically go, this film ends in betrayal and hatred between the two main characters leading to one of their deaths. Nicky hurts Mickey beyond the point that they can reconcile. Also throughout the course of the movie we find out that outside of one small stretch Mickey was informing the mob of all of their movements the whole time and that the whole buddy idea was all just deception.
ReplyDeleteMikey and Nickey, a film created by Elaine May in 1976, exemplifies New Hollywood and Old Hollywood by committing to developing its story and characters while also making light of some classic Hollywood tropes and keeping a more explicit and unpredictable theme. The film opens with Nickey freaking out after getting in trouble with the mob. Mikey comes to Nicky’s aid and calms him down, but shortly after, we find out that Mikey has come with the intention of helping the mob off his old friend. The film explores the two characters’ friendship in depth as they undergo many stages of conflict and affection. They reminisce on old times, break the rules together, and then, finally, they get into a big fight. Mikey feels as if Nick has never taken him seriously, and in many ways, he hasn’t. But Nicky desperately wants Mikey to stay, and this conflict forces them into a physical altercation. This growth and solid storyline feel very familiar to classic Hollywood films. However, there are also very many new features in this film. Often times, the director made the mob look incompetent. On the way down to assassinate Nicky, the hitman gets lost, and due to Nicky’s adjustments of schedule, the hitman can not kill Nickey until he is lined up directly outside of Mikey’s house, and even then, he drives up as slowly as possible. Also, the film has many explicit themes. At one point, Nickey has sex with a girl in front of Mikey and then forces him to hit on her right after with the intention of doing the same. These indecent events, paired with many curse words, exemplify that this film has an increased level of explicitness compared to movies in the past. But, as the film comes to a close, and the unmotivated and arrogant hitman closes in on Nickey, Mikey starts to regret his decisions. In a mix of complex emotions and an event that, by the end of the film, feels unbearingly inevitable, Nicky is murdered, the film comes to a complete stop. This combination of new theme and old story beautifully combines the two movements of both times and undermines classic Hollywood by creating its own kind of film completely.
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