Last Exit to Brooklyn

Running time: 102 mins

"Love stories are about people who find love in happy times. Tragedies are about people who seek love in unhappy times." -- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times Brooklyn in the 1950s was a hellhole. And there was no way to get out, no way to escape the ensuing madness. The union official cannot admit to being left wing. The strike leader cannot reveal he is homosexual. The father cannot express his love for his child. The prostitute cannot accept her love for the sailor. The drag queen is not able to love himself. When Tralala (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the local prostitute, lures the boys from the Brooklyn naval yard to be mugged and rolled by the local neighborhood punks, it is obvious that the only person to look our for in Brooklyn is yourself. So what is Tralala to do? Even she is not immune to the abuse, being beaten up both physically and mentally, and eventually being brutally gang-raped. And how can she explain to the young boy who adores her that his love is misplaced and that she's not deserving of his affection? Last Exit to Brooklyn was banned as a book and resulted in several obscenity cases in both the United States and England. After finding out about production of the film and hearing the prior lead actress was no longer assuming Tralala's persona, Leigh hopped on a plane, ready to ensure the director's choice be her. It is Jennifer Jason Leigh's favorite book and one of the most challenging roles of her career. --Mike Rabehl