Everyday People (2003)

75% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(179 ratings)

Independent filmmaker Jim McKay (Girls Town) writes and directs the ensemble film Everyday People, produced in part by HBO Films. The story revolves around a neighborhood eatery in Brooklyn called Raskins, a Jewish-owned-and-operated restaurant with an almost exclusively black clientele. After years… More Independent filmmaker Jim McKay (Girls Town) writes and directs the ensemble film Everyday People, produced in part by HBO Films. The story revolves around a neighborhood eatery in Brooklyn called Raskins, a Jewish-owned-and-operated restaurant with an almost exclusively black clientele. After years of faithful service, owner Ira (Jordan Gelber) contemplates selling out to a corporation as part of the city's urban renewal. Everyday People premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Jim McKay
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 18, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Jan 11, 2005
Studio: HBO Video

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
My only complaint is that it feels more like a series pilot than a stand-alone film, but thumbs up.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
It has an undeniable authenticity in its characterizations and situations and an empathy that is all too rare even in independent cinema.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
The ensemble cast, asked to improvise its roles, interacts with conviction and chemistry.
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
Jim McKay's ensemble drama, the opening feature in the annual New Directors/New Films series, has a roaming, lived-in quality.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
I feel like a real heel for not being able to endorse this film enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, but there we have it.
Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Although ambitious...Everyday People is a disappointing step backwards for the filmmaker.
Arthur Lazere, culturevulture.net
Appealing and interesting characters, but [McKay] spreads his film too thinly over too many of them, resulting in sketches, rather than portraits.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Vividly depicts the changes taking place in the lives of the working poor in Brooklyn now that the traditional safety nets no longer protect them.