A Joe Pesci gem of a Ruby

DEAR MR. WONDERFUL (1982)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 I stated once before that one of my favorite hobbies is finding an obscure film on TV or at a video store. As I sifted through endless DVD's and VHS's at the local Princeton Record Exchange store (check it out sometime if you are ever in Princeton, NJ), I came across a DVD of a film I've heard of. It's called "Dear Mr. Wonderful," an occasionally diverting, slow-paced and distressing film. It was released back in 1982 to little or no fanfare, but it does sport an effective Joe Pesci performance, his first lead role after the breakthrough of "Raging Bull."

A mustachioed Pesci plays a Jewish singer named Ruby Dennis. He lives with his sister (Karen Ludwig), a factory worker, and her son, Raymond (Evan Handler), in a crowded apartment in Jersey City, NJ. Ruby owns a bowling alley that serves as a lounge for singers. It seems Ruby does all the singing while the crashing of bowling balls drowns out all the music. His dream is to go to Vegas, but his sister feels he is only fooling himself (though she does offer him money stashed in tin bowls in the freezer!) It turns out that the mob wants to take the alley out of the neighborhood, thinking (correctly) that Ruby is an embarrassment and too much of an expense when they could have a real nightclub. Ruby will not budge yet money is tight. It is so tight in fact that his nephew, Raymond, starts swiping gold necklaces from women in the street!

In some ways, "Dear Mr. Wonderful" has the flavor and realistic feel of a Martin Scorsese picture, and that can be attributed to the realistic performances and some eyeful NY shots. In the acting range, Pesci has quite a few good scenes as Ruby, playing him as a man who doesn't realize he is stuck in a hole. Perhaps he is not such a great singer either (Joe Pesci also wrote his own songs for the film) - part of his act is to smoke a cigarette and hold a drink, though it may take more than that to appeal to renown singer Tony Martin, who shows up in a curious cameo. The film is also an attempt at showing the working habits of the Jewish working class, though it is less successful than tapping into Ruby's own failed dreams. In the lounge scenes, he seems to be as pathetic and lonely as Jake La Motta's nightclub acts in "Raging Bull."

As directed by German director Peter Lilienthal, "Dear Mr. Wonderful" has its lulls (including a tepid romance between Ruby and a 21-year-old singer) but what it does right is convey Ruby's own ambitions and tired musical act. Barring sentiment and any Capraesque moments, we see Ruby as a fleshed-out human being on a road of self-destruction. The fact that he realizes his own shortcomings without admitting to them is the film's major strength. "Dear Mr. Wonderful" (also known as "Ruby's Dream") may not be your cup of tea but it is worth seeking out.