Street Smart

Jerry Schatzberg's Street Smart opens with Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Reeve) failing to pitch several ideas to his editor. Then he comes up with writing a profile on the average New York City pimp. One problem: he doesn't have a pimp to write about so he makes one up. Then more problems arise when an actual pimp resembles Jonathan's "profile"...

Similar to Schatzberg's earlier film The Panic in Needle Park, Street Smart has New York City play as much of a role as those with lines. While not as decayed and grimy as it appeared in the earlier film, the city still proves to be just as lovely as it appeared back in the early '70s. But make no mistake -- it's just as sleazy.

And like Schatzberg's other earlier film Scarecrow, Street Smart has a litany of personalities in it. Using his photographer's eye, Schatzberg captures these figures with an acute sharpness. Every person has their own story to tell in how much screentime they receive, and Schatzberg utilizes that. Film is just photography in motion, after all.

That said, Street Smart falls just shy of Schatzberg's earlier films. Screenwriter David Freeman had a good idea -- basing it on his own experiences at New York magazine -- but the execution of it is limp. Still, it works about 80% of the time.

Street Smart admittedly falls victim to the standard conventions of late 1980s cinema but it's still pretty solid overall. Reeve works well with what he has, as do Morgan Freeman (who was nominated for an Oscar) and Kathy Baker. All in all, it's worth a look.

My Rating: ****