Barry Levinson's pictures always succeed in painting a nostalgic feelgood picture of a certain era. Really lovely to watch, but the downside of director Barry Levinson's pictures is the fact that they are always a bit safe. No big dramas, no experiments. Despite this characteristic "Diner" is still a very endearing and touching story.
As far as "Diner" is concerned I think that this is probably Levinson's best work, because of the excellent true to life depiction of young adult's life in the fifties. It feels as if I was right there.
The story is about a group of friends who are on the verge of losing their freedom of their youth because marriage and boring jobs are waiting for them. "Diner" is the excellent warm hearted portrait of one last brawl together with their childhood friends, before everyboby realizes they have to enter the world of the grown ups, with all the accompanying, depressing responsibilities that come along with it.
