''No Picnic'' is a film written and directed by Philip Hartman. It was filmed in black and white at New York in 1985 and was released the next year, in the Sundance Film Festival, where it won Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic. Described as "a cinematic love letter to a pre-gentrified New York", the film captures the East Village of the 1980s. Providing the soundtrack are such performers as "The Raunch Hands", Lenny Kaye, Charles Mingus, Fela Kuti,

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and ...

and "Student Teachers". It stars

Judith Malina Judith Malina (June 4, 1926 – April 10, 2015) was a German-born American actress, director and writer. With her husband, Julian Beck, Malina co-founded The Living Theatre, a radical political theatre troupe that rose to prominence in New York C ...

Luis Guzmán Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson films ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Magnolia'' (1999) an ...

and Steve Buscemi.

Plot

Failed musician Macabee "Mac" Cohen (David Brisbin) makes his living servicing

jukeboxes A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...

in the neighborhood, while in the search for the woman of his dreams. The obvious

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

around is distressing and highlights his ill-fated life. His frustration increases when faced with individuals who remind him of his former aspirations.Synopsis on IMDb
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Cast

* David Brisbin as Macabee "Mac" Cohen * Clare Bauman as The Fan * Ryan Cutrona as Live Pimp * Anne D'Agnillo as Anne *

as Arroyo *

as Irate Tenant * Steve Buscemi as Dead Pimp * David Murray Jaffe as Big Pig Manager

References

External links

1986 films Films set in Manhattan American drama films American black-and-white films American independent films 1986 drama films 1986 independent films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{indie-drama-film-stub