Movie #: 2073 Title: Moscow on the Hudson 1984

Rating: 7.90

Director (last): Mazursky (first): Paul

Writer (last): Mazursky (first): Paul

A Russian circus musician named Vladimir Ivanoff is completely exasperated with his friend, Anatoly's, insistence that one day he is going to defect-- and decides to do the deed himself, in a Bloomingdale's in New York City, while touring with the Moscow Circus. Give Mazurksy a lot of credit for caring about detail and accuracy, and giving the viewer a relatively balanced view of the hardships of life in Moscow vs. the hardships of life in New York, and good explanation of the mechanics of "defection". Turns out you don't automatically get an apartment and green card from immigration. Vladimir ends up moving in with a security guard from Bloomingdale's, perhaps unaware of the implications of living in the ghetto. The love interest, Lucia, is perhaps a little too cute and too immediately interested, but she does have a personality and resists Vladimir's possessiveness. One of Robin Williams' better performances. There is also-- shocking-- nudity in the film.

Is this movie a "gem"? No

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Added: 2014-08-24 [yyyy-mm-dd]