Sixty-Six

For Barry Levinson, life begins and ends in diners in Baltimore. In his film DINER, Levinson focused on life and youth in 1959 in a diner in Baltimore. SIXTY-SIX, Levinson's charming first novel is also set in Baltimore, this time in 1966; not unexpectedly, many crucial events occur at the diner. The novel is a story, or more accurately a series of vignettes, about friends and how their lives are transformed by drugs, Vietnam, and general uncertainty. Johnny Heller's performance is low-key but effective. The story is told by Bobby Shine, who quits law school to go into TV production. Heller ably displays his angst and frustration, as well as the personalities and problems of the other characters. Although the ending is less than satisfying, Heller never loses his focus, and fans of DINER will not disappointed. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

September 29, 2003
Film director Levinson (Diner; Rain Man; etc.) returns to Baltimore in a rambling debut about high school buddies trying to cope with grown-up life. It's 1966, and narrator Bobby has decided to ditch law school for a low-paying job at the local TV station, much to his girlfriend's dismay. Enigmatic Neil has declined a deferment and is heading to Vietnam. Ben, one-time "King of the Teenagers," is marrying girlfriend Janet because he's losing his hair and Janet's father has offered him a job in the Cadillac showroom. Odd-couple pals Turk and Eggy are 1950s holdovers marveling at organic foods and loose hippie chicks. The boys help each other deal with it all by meeting at the diner to retell stories they've all heard before. Though Ben presents these anecdotes as sidesplitting or life changing, most come across as pretty dull stuff: a kid plays a pinball machine and doesn't win; the zany diner guys drive a car in reverse and hit some trash cans; Bobby makes up a TV traffic report and gets away with it. From these stories Bobby draws conclusions that are as pedestrian as the episodes themselves: "when we're young we understand so little about what we are"; "ike tears, laughter often comes when you least expect it"; and "destiny is what we make it." It's clear that Levinson is shooting for elegy and wisdom, but even though the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement are mined for drama and relevance, readers will find mostly tedium and platitudes. (Oct.)Forecast: Levinson is one of several Hollywood directors (Steven Bochco, Death by Hollywood; DJ Levien, Swagbelly) to try his luck with novels, and his celebrity should stimulate coverage and sales. But poor word of mouth may stifle the latter—with characters and situations closely resembling those of 1982's Diner, the verdict may be: just rent the movie. Major ad/promo; five-city author tour.