Writing for the Village Voice in 1990, Manohla Dargis called Phil Hartman’s Sundance winner “No Picnic” the “one movie about the East Village that gets it right.” That might have to do with the fact that the film is directed by the co-owner of Two Boots Pizza, for decades a staple of downtown New York.
This story of a true bygone era of downtown independent filmmaking — think Amos Poe (“Alphabet City“) and Susan Seidelman (“Smithereens”) — played six weeks at the beloved Anthology Film Archives in New York City in 1990. Now, the neo-noir comedy “No Picnic” has been 4K-restored and will play at Film Forum April 17 through 23, and IndieWire shares the fresh trailer exclusively below.
Per Film Forum, “The shaggy dog story follows Macabee Cohn, former lead singer of Three-Legged Dog (‘they were big, once‘), now a jukebox warrior, traveling from joint to joint, filling records, collecting change, and falling for a mysterious woman in a striped dress. His quest — ‘I was looking for someone to save, to save myself’ — takes him on a journey through the downtown demimonde, where he encounters street poets, punkabillys, and too many reminders of his less-than-savory past. But he finally realizes that change is inevitable — for himself and his beloved neighborhood — when an unexpected package is left waiting on his doorstep.”
The cast of this lost cult classic includes David Brisbin, Richard Hell, Steve Buscemi, and Luis Guzmán.
Hartman also co-owned the erstwhile The Great Jones Cafe, which brought Cajun cooking to downtown New York and became a hub for the local indie film and music communities. But with those earnings, Hartman wrote and directed “No Picnic” in summer 1985, with Wim Wenders’ Grey City joining as executive producers. The movie went to Sundance in 1987, but with funds needed for post-production, Hartman co-founded Two Boots Pizza, which is still a beloved New York institution.
Wenders’ editor Peter Pryzgodda helped Hartman finish the movie, with even Christine Vachon coming on board as the assistant sound editor.
“The clock was ticking in the East Village, even back in the summer of 1985. Change was everywhere, and ‘No Picnic’ sought to capture a legendary landscape before it became unrecognizable,” Hartman said in a note shared by Film Forum. “We moved fast with a nimble crew, using an old VW bus as our production van and tried to grab images — from Adam’s Purple Garden to the ’86 Club’ to the St. Mark’s Cinema — that seemed to be vanishing before our eyes. Now, 40 years later, much of the neighborhood has changed, and most of the people are gone, but ‘No Picnic’ lives on, a testament to a time and place that looks larger than ever in our collective cultural memory.”
New Yorkers won’t want to miss this unique snapshot of a bygone era of the city this Spring. The Film Desk handled the restoration.
“No Picnic” runs at Film Forum April 17 through 23.
