Fran Lebowitz has been a part of the New York cultural scene since her arrival many years ago. She was a product of suburban New Jersey that never fitted in the small town atmosphere where she grew. Her passion for reading got her in enough trouble to be expelled from school. Her only alternative was to leave her surroundings and go to New York, a refuge for people like her, that found a haven among people that accepted her from the start. She confesses to have been taken by older gay friends that nurtured her in unexpected ways.
Martin Scorsese, a fan of Ms. Lebowitz, sat with her in one of her favorite places, the Waverly Inn, where she expands on her way of looking at life and her eternal love for her adoptive city. When asked to explain about writer's block, she explains that she has suffered from the malady most of other famous authors have gone through.
There are a lot of things she misses from the "good all days" when she came into the scene. The idea of previous eras being better becomes one of the main topics in the conversation. Finding people like James Baldwin when she first came to the city, showed her, in a way, the path she wanted to take. Even with only two books of essays to her name, Ms. Lebowitz is an authority in what is really happening in New York. Not being able to smoke in public is one of the things she misses the most. As far as she is concerned, the culture now has become boring.
There is a section of the documentary that shows Ms. Lebowitz being interviewed by Toni Morrison, a friend, in front of an audience. One of the most hilarious situations she recounts is the almost international incident she provoked in Stockholm, when she accompanied Ms. Morrison to her acceptance of the Nobel prize. As a guest, she was relegated to the table set for the children of other prize winners, something that she thought it was uncalled for. Getting up to go to her agent's table was a faux pas on her part, not knowing the court's protocol.
The conversation with Ms. Lebowitz was a good way to know something more personal of this witty writer.
Martin Scorsese, a fan of Ms. Lebowitz, sat with her in one of her favorite places, the Waverly Inn, where she expands on her way of looking at life and her eternal love for her adoptive city. When asked to explain about writer's block, she explains that she has suffered from the malady most of other famous authors have gone through.
There are a lot of things she misses from the "good all days" when she came into the scene. The idea of previous eras being better becomes one of the main topics in the conversation. Finding people like James Baldwin when she first came to the city, showed her, in a way, the path she wanted to take. Even with only two books of essays to her name, Ms. Lebowitz is an authority in what is really happening in New York. Not being able to smoke in public is one of the things she misses the most. As far as she is concerned, the culture now has become boring.
There is a section of the documentary that shows Ms. Lebowitz being interviewed by Toni Morrison, a friend, in front of an audience. One of the most hilarious situations she recounts is the almost international incident she provoked in Stockholm, when she accompanied Ms. Morrison to her acceptance of the Nobel prize. As a guest, she was relegated to the table set for the children of other prize winners, something that she thought it was uncalled for. Getting up to go to her agent's table was a faux pas on her part, not knowing the court's protocol.
The conversation with Ms. Lebowitz was a good way to know something more personal of this witty writer.