Liberty Heights
1999 · Movie · R · 127 min · ★ 6.7 · 80% critics
Set in 1950s suburban Baltimore, this semi-autobiographical story follows a Jewish family as coming-of-age pressures build. A teen’s relationship with a Black classmate sparks tensions, while his brother heads to college and becomes drawn to a mysterious woman, as their father tries to keep his burlesque life steady.
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2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1999
- Release date
- 1999-11-17
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 127 min
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (80 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy Liberty Heights if you like warm, nostalgic coming-of-age stories with race and prejudice tensions in 1950s Baltimore; Not for you if you want a tighter, more action-driven plot like River's Edge or you prefer a more purely comedic vibe like Igby Goes Down.
Pros: warm period atmosphere; heartfelt family focus; strong era music | Cons: uneven subplots; occasionally distracting humor; some storylines feel weak
Themes
- high school
- jewish life
- baltimore, usa
- coming of age
- antisemitism
- interracial relationship
- racism
- wasp
- semi autobiographical
- jewish family
- 1950s
Cast & crew
Adrien Brody
as Van Kurtzman
Ben Foster
as Ben Kurtzman
Orlando Jones
as Little Melvin
Bebe Neuwirth
as Ada Kurtzman
Joe Mantegna
as Nate Kurtzman
David Krumholtz
as Yussel
Rebekah Johnson
as Sylvia
Richard Kline
as Charlie, Nate's Assistant
Vincent Guastaferro
as Pete, Nate's Assistant
Justin Chambers
as Trey Tobelseted
Directed by Barry Levinson