The movie is a lively, poignant tale of group of college-age buddies trying to recapture their lost innocence in 1959 Baltimore two days before one of them's scheduled wedding. As 1960 approaches, they collectively deal with how to be truly adults.
20 April 1948, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
30 March 1957, New York City, New York, USA
16 September 1952, Schenectady, New York, USA
6 October 1948, Chicago, Illinois, USA
8 July 1958, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
18 May 1946, Athens, Greece
23 April 1942, Bayonne, New Jersey, USA
5 October 1917, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, USA
24 August 1958, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
19 December 1920, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
10 October 1929, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
1 March 1956, New York City, New York, USA
3 June 1942, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
January 10, 2016
The male quintet of friends is amusingly lampooned in Levinson's clever and cutting script, a refreshingly honest depiction of an era often bathed in sepia-toned nostalgia.
June 26, 2008
For all his painstaking accuracy, Levinson has also concocted a dark and depressing period story devoid of a single person without a major problem or character flaw.
January 26, 2006
Not a lot to it, but the sense of period is acute, the script witty without falling into the crude pitfalls that beset other adolescent comedies, and the performances are spot-on.
June 02, 2014
Levinson's dialogue feels fresh and improvised, yet it hits its mark every time, and the performances he gets are complex and original.
October 23, 2004
Diner is often a very funny movie, although I laughed most freely not at the sexual pranks but at the movie's accurate ear, as it reproduced dialogue with great comic accuracy.
June 02, 2014
This gentle, warm-hearted comedy drama about a group of young men in 1950s Baltimore was director Barry Levinson's debut feature and it remains among his finest work.
June 02, 2014
All the performances are remarkable. Rourke won't stay unknown for long. But the ultimate triumph is Levinson's. He captures both the surface and the soul of an era with candor and precision.
June 02, 2014
Though nothing much happens this is a skilfully written comedy-drama that plays close attention to character and boasts fine performances by a quality cast.
June 02, 2014
With so much going for it, then, why doesn't 'Diner' emerge as a major statement? Mostly because of the recurring weakness of its screenplay.
May 20, 2012
not a great film, but it certainly is memorable
June 02, 2014
The film is wonderfully cast and played.
May 20, 2003
Movies like Diner -- fresh, well-acted and energetic American movies by new directors with the courage of their convictions -- are an endangered species.
