You're a Big Boy Now (1966)

★ 6.1 1h 37m IMDb

Comedy Romance

Naive library clerk Bernard Chanticleer moves out of his parents’ home and into a chaotic city full of eccentric landlords, meddling parents, and romantic missteps. Infatuated with a glamorous but manipulative go-go dancer, he learns through heartbreak—and the kindness of a steadfast admirer—what growing up really means.

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Cast

Elizabeth Hartman as Barbara Darling Died 1987 · Youngstown, Ohio, USA Mary Elizabeth Hartman (December 23, 1943 – June 10, 1987) was an American actress. She was best known for her performance in the 1965 film A Patch of Blue, playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, o...

Geraldine Page as Margery Chanticleer Died 1987 · Kirksville, Missouri, USA Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924 – June 13, 1987) was an American actress. She earned acclaim for her work on Broadway as well as in major Hollywood films and television productions, garnering an...

Peter Kastner as Bernard Chanticleer Died 2008 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada Peter Kastner (October 1, 1943 – September 8, 2008) was a Canadian actor, best known for playing the lead in Franco’s Ford Coppola’s You’re a Big Boy Now (1966)..

Rip Torn as I.H. Chanticleer Died 2019 · Temple, Texas, USA Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was best known for his roles as Zed in the Men in Black franchise (1997-2...

Michael Dunn as Richard Mudd Died 1973 · Shattuck, Oklahoma, USA Michael Dunn (born Gary Neil Miller, October 20, 1934 – August 30, 1973) was an American actor and singer. He inspired a number of actors significantly smaller and shorter (those with dwarfism) than m...

Director Francis Ford Coppola

Cast Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Peter Kastner, Rip Torn, Michael Dunn, Karen Black, Tony Bill, Julie Harris, Dolph Sweet, Michael O'Sullivan

Wuchak 7/10 May 24, 2022

_**A naïve lad goes through an awkward and quirky growth phase in Manhattan**_

A 19 year-old “boy” working as a low-level assistant at the New York Public Library (Peter Kastner) is encouraged by his strict curator father (Rip Torn) to move out on his own and so gets an apartment with a nosey landlady (Julie Harris). There’s a quality lass at work (Karen Black) who’s interested in Bernard (Kastner), but he sets his eyes on a temperamental go-go dancer (Elizabeth Hartman).

“You’re a Big Boy Now” (1966) is a quirky coming-of-age comedy/romance set in the Big Apple based on the 1963 novel of the same name, except that the setting was switched from London to Manhattan along with changing the kid’s vocation.

It was Francis Ford Coppola’s thesis project for UCLA, but this is far from a “student film” as it has the polish of professionalism. He had already directed a couple flicks for Roger Corman with this one including a couple snippets from his “Dementia 13” (1963). Coppola made $8000 on the gig with an $800,000 budget that spiraled into about $1 million.

While critics say the movie rips off Richard Lester's “The Knack ...and How to Get It” (1965), Francis said his script was written before that one came out, but he did admit to being influenced by Lester’s “Hard Day’s Night” (1964).

I couldn’t help think of “Village of the Giants” (1965), just without the goofy giant-formula, although there’s definitely some goofiness, like the amusing rooster on the fifth floor. “The Graduate” (1967) was obviously influenced by it, but I’d watch this over that iconic film any day. After viewing, I was reflecting on the art vs. entertainment conundrum because Coppola made a flick with obvious artistic flair that didn't forget to be entertaining.

It’s nice seeing Julie Harris when she was 40 during shooting. You might remember her from Columbo’s “Any Old Port in a Storm” (1971).

Elizabeth was from the Youngstown/Boardman area of Ohio. You might remember her from Eastwood’s “The Beguiled” (1973). She was shy in real-life and suffered from depression, which tragically ended with her ending her life by jumping from the fifth story of her apartment in Pittsburgh at the age of 43.

The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot at various Manhattan locations, including the New York Public Library, Times Square and Central Park, as well as Chelsea Studios in New York City.

GRADE: B