You may need a break from all the trick-or-treating and candy snacking at some point. So Richard Roeper has a peek at the shows and movies that are worth your time this Halloween weekend.
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (in theaters)
Here is a film set in the present day, but firmly rooted in the late 20th century movies that were all about mood and character and subtle but powerful universal truths. John Turturro has been one of our best character actors for decades, and here he steps up for the lead performance and gives a nomination-worthy turn playing a man who might have a good heart but is dealing with the consequences of a life filled with bad choices and wrong moves.
Turturro’s Harry Lehman, an aging professional pickpocket who has spent decades lifting the wallets of his fellow New Yorkers—but those wallets are often empty in this increasingly cash-free economy. Not to mention that credit cards can be canceled, smartphones can be easily tracked, and even valuable jewelry is a tough sell at the pawn shops. The film doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for Harry, even when we learn the tragic details of his personal life, but it does paint an empathetic and layered portrait of the man. When Harry unknowingly gains possession of a USB drive belonging to a mob-connected young thug, he’s embroiled in a race for time with the knowledge he might not live through the day.
Steve Buscemi provides his usual invaluable supporting work as Harry’s best friend Ben, a pawn shop owner, while Giancarlo Esposito, who so memorably co-starred with Turturro in “Do the Right Thing,” is brilliant as an honest cop who nevertheless maintains a longstanding friendship with Harry. From Noah Segan’s assured direction to the pitch-perfecting editing, cinematography and music, “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” is a small but beautifully rendered set piece about loyalty, regret, the roads not taken, and the heartbreak of realizing it’s too late to make things right.
3.5 stars
“The One About Matthew Perry” (Netflix)
Rewatching “Friends,” it’s easy to see why it became a monster hit and a pop culture phenomenon. The writing was crisp, the comfort-level viewing was consistent, and the cast was just…perfect. Everyone was terrific, but in virtually every episode, it’s Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing who stands out, again and again. It’s one of the most memorable merges of actor and character of any sitcom of the 20th century.
Sadly, as this three-part Netflix documentary series reminds us, Perry’s success was never enough. He was living with the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction throughout his adulthood—a long and complicated and terrifyingly painful journey filled with ups and downs, binges and recovery periods, admirably honest admissions of his difficulties, and tragically, Perry’s death in 2023 at the age of 54. As one of Perry’s best friends said, learning he was gone was shocking, but not surprising.
“The One About Matthew Perry” isn’t some lurid, tabloid exploitation of Perry’s life and times. It’s a solidly constructed effort that favors interviews with Perry’s younger half-sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who adored him and a handful of Matthew’s closest friends and former girlfriends. Some are famous, e.g., Kevin Pollak. Most of them are not household names. They’re individuals who knew Perry for decades, who celebrate the good times they had with him, and break down when talking about how they tried, and Matthew tried, but he was never able to escape his demons.
If you followed Matthew’s story in real time, most of these revelations won’t come as a total surprise. Even so, the accounts from his inner circle drive home the narrative: that addiction is a brutal, indiscriminate disease, indifferent to every outward reason to be happy. As we see in archival footage, it was clear that Perry was often struggling, as marked but alarming weight gains and losses, and changes in his behavior. The 2021 “Friends” reunion is particularly painful; you can see how much his cast mates loved him and cared about him, and you can see how he seems like a shadow of the vibrant and energetic and brilliant young colleague and friend they once knew. The world lost a beloved television friend. Matthew’s closest allies and family lost so much more.
3.0 stars
“A Mosquito in the Ear” (streaming)
International adoption is often presented as a story with a happy ending, and understandably so. A couple that has longed for a child finally realizes their dream, and a child in need of a loving home is able to escape from what almost certainly would have been a challenging future at best.
What makes Nicole Rinciari’s “A Mosquito in the Ear” so special is that while it celebrates successful adoption, it also asks us to consider what those early days must feel like from the child’s point of view.
Jake Lacy (“The Office,” “The White Lotus”) and Nazanin Boniadi (“Homeland,” “Hotel Mumbai”) deliver beautifully calibrated performances as Andrew and Daniela, who have spent more than half a decade pursuing adoption. When they arrive in India to bring home their 4-year-old daughter, Sarvari (Ruhi Pal), it’s a joyous occasion—but they are woefully unprepared. They haven’t learned a word of Hindi; as Savari says to the head of the orphanage, Sister Aruna (Micky Singh), for her, their language sounds like “a mosquito in the ear.”
They also haven’t considered how Sarvari will react to them. She doesn’t think of them as a savior and has no concept of them becoming her parents; all she has ever known is life in an orphanage, with children who have become her friends, and teachers and caretakers who look after her. Who are these strangers? What do they want?
Inspired by a true story, “Mosquito in the Ear” eschews easy emotional shortcuts and melodrama in favor of an authentic, docudrama style that moves at a confident pace, allowing us to feel like empathetic eavesdroppers on the lives of Andrew, Daniela and Sarvari. When the child acts out, we can see the strain it puts on the relationship between Andrew and Daniela. When a crisis occurs, we believe that while they have just met this little girl, they already love her with their whole hearts. This is a perfectly crafted, minor masterpiece of storytelling. It will stay with you for hours, days, weeks.
Forever.
4.0 stars
Richard Roeper has reviewed films and TV series for more than 25 years, most notably with the Chicago Sun-Times and on the nationally syndicated “Ebert & Roeper.” Roeper is an entertainment and culture contributor to NBC 5 Chicago. He is the host of the globally popular “The Movie of Your Life” podcast, and he writes reviews for RogerEbert.com.
Richard Roeper has reviewed films and TV series for more than 25 years, most notably with the Chicago Sun-Times and on the nationally syndicated “Ebert & Roeper.” Roeper is an entertainment and culture contributor to NBC 5 Chicago. He is the host of the globally popular “The Movie of Your Life” podcast, and he writes reviews for RogerEbert.com.
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