Review of Crossing Delancey

This just might be the quintessential chick flick, on a par with, say, "Sleepless in Seattle". I've always liked Amy Irving and was shocked to learn she was marrying Steven Spielberg in the mid- Eighties. That didn't quite compute with me but what do I know. She's absolutely lovely and charming here, even with a conflicted love life and no serious ambition to get married. Though she has an eye on celebrated author Anton Maes (Jeroen Krabbé), who right off the bat gives off the vibe that he's going to be a jerk. But then there's neighborhood pickle vendor Sam (Peter Riegert) who's more worldly wise than his laid back manner would indicate. He's so matter of fact that it takes a good while for Izzy Grossman (Irving) to realize he's a diamond in the rough. As the potential mating dance progresses, Anton reveals his true colors, and Sam's determination rises to the occasion, in no short order aided by the wiles of Izzy's 'Bubbie' (Reizl Bozyk) and matchmaker extraordinaire, Hannah Mandelbaum (Sylvia Miles). Both perfectly define the classic, Jewish female stereotype and are a delight to behold. By the time the picture is over, Izzy will no longer have to be concerned about her Bubbie's solemn advice that "Loneliness is a very lousy case".