Having grown up in Queens in the 1970's, everything in this film hits home. I am sure anyone that grew up in any of the 5 boro's can appreciate it.
The music is what we listened to on AM radio, the TV shows, children's street games, sitting on the stoop steps, kids teasing their friends and neighbors are all something we did at that time.
The Carmichael kids in front of the TV singing along to the Partridge Family "I Woke up in Love this Morning", Walt Frazier being IT when it came to basketball. How many of us sat doing the same things? The kids fighting with each other are brother sister typical things.
But the film also shows the problems a family endures when financial strains hit. The father is a musician who wants to write and play classical music to audiences who can appreciate it. This becomes a burden when his wife is the one working as a teacher paying the bills. Domestic issues put a strain on their relationship as they get into who used to pay the bills and who's paying them now.
Mom getting the kids up in the middle of the night for not cleaning up, you can understand her frustration being the breadwinner, mom and everything else. When she complains later on that she is tired, you will have to watch the film to see why.
Sit back and enjoy a trip back in time when life was a lot simpler. Even Spike and his friend dabbling in glue sniffing isn't so bad compared to what is going on now.
The music is what we listened to on AM radio, the TV shows, children's street games, sitting on the stoop steps, kids teasing their friends and neighbors are all something we did at that time.
The Carmichael kids in front of the TV singing along to the Partridge Family "I Woke up in Love this Morning", Walt Frazier being IT when it came to basketball. How many of us sat doing the same things? The kids fighting with each other are brother sister typical things.
But the film also shows the problems a family endures when financial strains hit. The father is a musician who wants to write and play classical music to audiences who can appreciate it. This becomes a burden when his wife is the one working as a teacher paying the bills. Domestic issues put a strain on their relationship as they get into who used to pay the bills and who's paying them now.
Mom getting the kids up in the middle of the night for not cleaning up, you can understand her frustration being the breadwinner, mom and everything else. When she complains later on that she is tired, you will have to watch the film to see why.
Sit back and enjoy a trip back in time when life was a lot simpler. Even Spike and his friend dabbling in glue sniffing isn't so bad compared to what is going on now.