Hi-life is a quiet movie. It has a combination of good acting, a pleasing script, and its completely unpretentious.
A good comparison would be to "Nobody's Fool" with Paul Newman, and in some ways this is a sort of urban version.
The characterizations are wonderful. Ray the bartender seems a rather hard unyielding type, but as the movie progresses we find out he's anything but unsympathetic.
Peter Reigert has a wonderful character part as a barfly-come-debt-enforcer who dishes out advice on women that he doesn't follow.
Charles Durning has a great little role as "Fatty", and I couldn't leave off discussing acting without mentioning the late Katrin Cartlidge, who gives a lovely performance as a lush with a crush.
All in all, even if you don't care for quiet little movies, put this one on the tube at Christmas time.
A good comparison would be to "Nobody's Fool" with Paul Newman, and in some ways this is a sort of urban version.
The characterizations are wonderful. Ray the bartender seems a rather hard unyielding type, but as the movie progresses we find out he's anything but unsympathetic.
Peter Reigert has a wonderful character part as a barfly-come-debt-enforcer who dishes out advice on women that he doesn't follow.
Charles Durning has a great little role as "Fatty", and I couldn't leave off discussing acting without mentioning the late Katrin Cartlidge, who gives a lovely performance as a lush with a crush.
All in all, even if you don't care for quiet little movies, put this one on the tube at Christmas time.