Queens Logic (1991) User Reviews (21)

Male Bonding

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 4 December 2016]

In Queens, a group of friends prepares a bachelor party for their childhood friends Ray (Ken Olin) and Patricia (Chloe Webb); however Ray has cold feet and is insecure whether there will be wedding. During the party, there are discoveries for most of them. Al (Joe Mantegna), who is married with Carla (Linda Fiorentino) with two daughters, is a womanizer and meets the wealthy Grace (Jamie Lee Curtis) that teaches him a lesson. The musician Dennis (Kevin Bacon), who seems to be proud of living in Hollywood, confesses that he misses the Queens. The gay Eliot (John Malkovich) gets rid of Jeremy (Terry Kinney) and stays with his friend Marty (Michael Zelniker). Ray meets the gorgeous Asha (Jenny Wright) and finds what he wants.

In 2016, "Queens Logic" is a nostalgic film about male bonding, friendship and love. The story is simple but entertaining and it is so good to see again Jenny Wright, Linda Fiorentino, Jamie Lee Curtis and other actors and actresses young and all together. My vote is seven.

Title (Brail): "Entre Amigos" ("Among Friends")

yes, my queen

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 12 May 2022]

Steve Rash's "Queens Logic" isn't a movie that most people will know, but it's worth seeing. The focus is a group of friends who get together in Astoria, New York, for one's upcoming wedding. Over the course of the movie, the characters reveal some surprising things about themselves, and at least one scene is bound to get your heart racing.

It's not a great movie by any stretch, further weakened by the fact that the director later helmed straight-to-DVD sequels to "American Pie", "Bring It On" and "Road Trip". Nonetheless, it's a fun movie that truly gives one a sense of New York. It's the sort of movie that you'll enjoy.

Kings of Queens

[sol- · 5/10 · 31 July 2016]

About to be married and suffering from cold feet, a thirtysomething Queens resident spends a wild weekend with his childhood friends who have come back to town for his bachelor party in this comedy-drama blend directed by Steve Rash. The film's most promising asset is its ensemble cast, which boasts names such as Joe Mantegna (of 'House of Games' fame), John Malkovich, Kevin Bacon and Jamie Lee Curtis, and memorable moments abound as the chums take to cruising around town in the nude and as Curtis unleashes an unexpected violent side. The film does not entirely succeed in the character department though; taken as a whole, the chums are interesting with their "wounded animals" morose bachelor party, but Mantegna as the most vivacious of the bunch is the only individual who we get to know in depth. The others have their moments, but the film never really concentrates on Bacon's pretence of being a successful actor or Malkovich grappling with the fact that his current boyfriend does not accept his old friends. Curiously enough, Ken Olin is the one friend that we learn the least about and he is the one whose second thoughts on getting married drive the film! Mantegna at least gets a decent character to work with and he has an excellent bit in which he tries to capture youthful former glory on a Queens bridge. Is the film really meant to be primarily about him though? 'Queens Logic' is certainly a pleasant enough way to pass the time, but whether one warms to the film or not may depend on how one relates to the loosely fleshed out characters.

Now THIS Is New York

[thurberdrawing · 28 December 2003]

Released in 1991, this movie captures a quality New York possessed in the late eighties. The characters seem genuinely capable of making the wisecracks the script has them make. They're middle-class urbanites who are capable of desperate violence. Yet, they are not particularly violent. They are haunted by the hardscrabble lives of their parents. The story involves a group of people in their early-to-mid-thirties. They've known each other since childhood. The plot is this: Will the scheduled marriage between two members of this group actually take place? While he is not the lead actor here, John Malkovich plays a character who embodies the dilemma each one of the characters faces. Each one wishes he were somewhere else and yet each one would give his right arm for anybody else in this circle of friends. Unlike his friends, he is gay, but what he has in common with them is the sense that the upper-class will have nothing to do with him. He is dating an upwardly-mobile man and his confrontation with him is still refreshing thirteen years after this movie was filmed. Many movies and TV series have dealt with this milieu, but very few have pulled it off. It is not entirely believable--there's an over-the-top story-line with Jamie Lee Curtis as a smooth-talker who enchants the edgy Joe Mantegna--but it's assertive. QUEENS LOGIC is well worth viewing.

Yawn

[DJBlackSwan · 3/10 · 13 November 2005]

Another boring early 90s movie about desperate, unattractive males and the desperately conventional women who coo and giggle at them. What is comedic about this? Why is it considered entertaining to watch uninteresting, perpetual losers?

Self-conscious "homosexual" subplot is supposed to make it new and different. Fails.

Merits: Tom Waits, and a decent soundtrack. And perhaps a third: the Artisan DVD indicates Queens Logic was filmed in 1:33. That means no dizzying pan and scan.

It's movies like this that turned me towards the classics. Not even the presence of John Malkovich or Jamie Lee Curtis can redeem this criminal misuse of celluloid. 3/10. Get rid of it.

dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb....

[regenerating · 2/10 · 7 March 2001]

this movie is absolutely terrible. the script is horribly written, the plot is so weak it caves in on itself, and even the acting doesn't save it. you'd think with a handful of good actors that it would at least be enjoyable. well, it's not. i found myself watching it in fast forward towards the end, because the it just would not end. all of the characters, except maybe malkovich, were unlikable and annoying. you know something is wrong when you get done watching a movie, and you find yourself saying, "oh that malkovich guy did a really good job." this movie tries desperately to be "the big chill", so if you're in the mood for that sort of thing, then rent the big chill, even if you've already seen it a thousand times. 2/10

Great cast, poor script

[jeremy3 · 4/10 · 28 August 2006]

It is a shame that I could not give this movie a much higher rating. The acting was great. Kevin Bacon played Dennis, a struggling actor in L.A. who returned home for his friend Ray's (Ken Olin)wedding. Bacon does a terrific job playing someone who is superficially cheerful, hiding his insecurities and loneliness. The other actors and actresses were also very good. Joe Mantegna plays Al, an extroverted person, who isn't afraid to be himself. John Malkhovich also does his usual good job, playing Eliot, a man trapped in the machoistic World of Queens, yet struggling with his homosexuality. Perhaps the best scene is when Eliot tells a "pesky" homosexual to "bug off", because he just doesn't like him. This movie could have been a lot more, but it tried to do too much, didn't explain to the viewer what was going on, and became predictable by the ending. First of all, we never understand why exactly Al's wife, played by Linda Fiorentino, leaves him so suddenly and violently. All we know is that she is mad at him. We similarly understand that Ray is having second thoughts about getting married. We understand that Eliot is kind of an angry character. We never really find out why. Eliot befriends a homosexual pianist. We never really find out much about the pianist, except that he is rather mild mannered. There are also things that just don't help the plot much. Jamie Lee Curtis plays a character who is never really developed well, and in the end we have no idea why she behaved the way she did (and how this changed Al's life). Another scene that doesn't work is the swimming pool scene. Al's wife steals Al and all four or five of his buddies clothing, yet somehow he has spare clothing for all of them in his car. This movie could have been a good movie. Instead, it was confusing and not very well written.

Holy screenplay!

[Bill-276 · 10/10 · 22 March 1999]

Queens Logic is an excellently written film about a bunch of late thirty somethings who are still trying to figure out how to get their act together. I worry that this film is only going to be accepted locally (i.e. New York, Long Island target audience) when it really has a multitude of universal levels to it. The acting was brilliant--absolutely brilliant, from Kevin Bacon to Linda Fiorentino, Joe Mantegna and John Malkevich. The actors really understood these complex characters (Malkevich is SO good once again it's scary). And the writing and direction could not have been better for these roles. Congratulations for writing a script with so many thoughtful, intelligent and original characters which reflect so well on the time and all of our struggles to figure out what it is that makes us happy--and to do it so humorously as well. This is one of those rare very smart and very funny films. Like I said though, people who are not necessarily from the New York area may not buy or believe these characters, but I guarantee you there are so many people like them. Guarantee it. They're great people with same problems as everyone else. They just choose to deal with them on their own terms and in the best format they know how: with Queens logic.

Being An Adult: New York City Style

[madbandit20002000 · 9/10 · 12 December 2008]

I never really had any true friends when I was growing up (I was weird, okay), but I know that the best friends are the ones who stay around. "Queens Logic", an under-looked , sleeper indie film (unless you look really hard in the discount DVD bins) starring a name cast, proves that in the largest borough of New York City.

Wedding jitters plague Ray (Ken Olin of "thirtysomething" and a producer of "Alias"), since he's a talented painter born and residing in Queens, and is about to marry longtime sweetheart Patty (Chloe Webb) a hairdresser with a philosophical outlook. His other pals from childhood, fish marketer cousin Al (the talented Joe Mantegna of "Criminal Minds"), Al's right-hand man Eliot (John Malkovich of "Changeling"), visiting musician Dennis (Kevin Bacon) and working actor Vin (Tony Spiridakis, who co-wrote the film with Joey Savino) help him out by throwing a decent bachelor's party (men and women invited), but they each have their problems.

Despite his jester charm, Al's Peter Pan persona irritates his frustrated wife Carla (the sexy Linda Fiorentino); Eliot's a homosexual who has no desire to play "the love game"; Dennis's still struggling on making it big in Los Angeles and Vin gets one-night stands but no romance. Adulthood: IT SUCKS! But not this film.

Director Steve Rash ("The Buddy Holly Story", "Can't Buy Me Love" and the two DTV sequels to "Bring It On") is competent, but the actors help out more, pumping the tale with humanity, especially Mantegna's breezy, arrested development demeanor, Malkovich's non-stereotypical attitude and Webb's down to earth perspective. Also entertaining is Jamie Lee Curtis as a high society dame, who gives Al a lesson about maturity in a colorful way, and rocker Tom Waits as a gravel-voiced but likable lowlife associate of the gang. Look for a pre- "Will & Grace" Megan Mullany as a drunken conquest of Vin's. The film's soundtrack is littered with rock and disco tunes from the 1970s, the decade the guys grew up.

Likable, poignant, sly, funny and a love letter to its' backdrop (Queens's Hellgate Bridge is prominent here), "Queens Logic" reminds us, despite how we grow up or wherever we are in our lives, the neighborhood we grew up is part of us and vice versa, and the best friends we have reminds us of that.

terribly overlooked movie about a bunch of friends

[rogierr · 12 November 2001]

Sentimental, nostalgic and supposedly authentic portray of some people and their relations with great music (Joe Jackson et al.) around a wedding under Hellgate Bridge in Queens. Anger, frustration and ideals reach the surface as we get to know these figures. One of them gives the advice: 'Wanna be happy for the rest of your life? Fall in love with your wife.' Probably the best advice a young man whose dreams don't come together can get.

Tom Waits was two years later in Altman's 'Short Cuts' that also deals with several relationships and has no plot. Short Cuts however is more solid and intelligent. This movie is not exceptional in any way, but I've seen it three times already because I think it's a nice movie with good acting about a day in the lives of some young people and that makes me feel good.

The chosen music tells about half of the story. That's a very good choice of director Rash, especially since there is no real plot. SO, if you're a person who needs a plot, then don't watch this movie. In that case try 'Chinatown' instead, or 'the Maltese Falcon'. Or kick in another open door :)

I don't understand why so few people like this film. But then again I also liked Jade (Friedkin, 1995) and Last Seduction (Dahl, 1994): plotfilms with suspense. Maybe it's just because I like common denominator Linda Fiorentino very much. There is no challenging intellectual material in Queens Logic.

8/10

Lovely Linda Fiorentino and Cast!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 7 July 2007]

After watching Dogma for the umpteenth time on Comedy Central, I became a Linda Fiorentino fan along with others out there who wondered what happened to this promising actress since 2002. I have seen other films. This one shows that she can play a desperate housewife who can be both strong and vulnerable to her husband played by Joe Mantegna. Jamie Lee Curtis is underused in this role. Fiorentino and Chloe Webb's characters form a believable friendship on screen that I wonder why Linda hasn't worked in five years is a mystery to me. Anyway, it's an all star cast featuring besides Webb, Mantegna, and Fiorentino but also Kevin Bacon, Ken Olin, John Malkovich, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The storyline needs some work. I loved the scene where Carla steals the guys' clothes while they are skinny dipping in a pool. The movie is about a reunion of friends who get together for a wedding that may or may not happen anyway. I plead that Linda gets work soon again because she is really one of the best actresses out there playing strong women rather than weak and superficial.

I Oughtta Know

[bear90 · 10/10 · 7 March 2006]

I grew up in queens in the mid seventies and it's not much different. Look, the film works. It works on so many levels, I can't begin to catalog them all. But for me, it works because, at the end of the day and looking back over thirty years, I knew a few of those guys. Everone has a dream, and the dream has a way of changing as you grow up. But is is rarely the same one you started with.

You want to be happy? find a girl you can climb to the top of a building with and howl. Howl your heart and soul out and don't ask why. Or find a woman who "is Queens" and don't let her go. And, after all is said and done, it's not always about climbing a bridge. Acting in a movie or painting a masterpiece. What it's about dear readers, is what this movie is about. Friendship that lasts.

Like "ThirtySomething" only far, far better!

[tonibonner · 10/10 · 19 August 2005]

I love this film and I can't understand why it hasn't been more popular. Try and get hold of a copy if you can.

The cast is amazing - Joe Mantegna, John Malkovic, Linda Fiorentino, Jamie Lee Curtis ( in her best ever role), and Kevin Bacon all giving restrained but emotional performances.

The soundtrack is wonderful too. An eclectic mix of songs that work perfectly. It took me a long time to track down the song from the closing credits but it was worth it.

It's one of those films that you can watch if you're feeling a bit down and it will lift your mood. Especially recommended if you've had a pointless argument with a loved one!

Unknown movie that's on my top 25 list..

[pk-2 · 10 April 1999]

The only non famous movie on my top 25 list is Queens logic. I dont know why I relate to this movie. Its got a little of everything I like in a movie- comedy, male bonding or whatever you call it, good music, romance, fighting, pain, and a host of other things. Not to mention the incredible cast.

adults

[body_elec · 8/10 · 4 February 2007]

Actually this came as a reaction to carmenjonze-1. I really wonder how someone can be disappointed by this film. Granted, it's in the Big Chill vain, but it features a fabulous cast in top-notch form, real attitudes, compact characters, and quite a few memorable scenes, even if it doesn't do justice to JL Curtis. Yes, it's more verbal than visual, but that's not necessarily a bad point, considering it leads to comments like "wounded animal convention" or Eliot's rationale for not going' out. All in all, I find it quite entertaining; a gem of a story about everyday people in everyday situations. And yes, again,it's not Bergman. But if you're sick of films that blackmail your interest in a once-in-a-million character in a once-in-a-trillion-situation, then you could definitely give this one a try.

Talented cast in early appearances with a fantastic soundtrack

[Somesweetkid · 8/10 · 7 February 2022]

Having viewed and enjoyed this movie years ago (and not having seen it offered since), I was excited to see it featured in my new Peacock subscription.

Unbelievably talented cast is highlighted by Joe Montegna's charming, toothpick-sporting portrayal of one of the Queens childhood buddies getting together for Ken Olin's character's upcoming marriage. Very entertaining and somewhat offbeat but I loved every minute of it. The infectious and diverse soundtrack ranges from The Delfonics to Mott the Hoople and offers other rarely heard tracks. And no one can sport a mullet like Kevin Bacon in his early years! 😁

Even if you're a lifelong lonely country boy, you should love this movie.

[kdrobin · 10/10 · 10 July 2008]

I have seen a ton of reviews of this movie over the years and I am always shocked and disappointed as to how "low" the movie is rated. This is simply one of the best movies ever made. It's that simple. Look at the cast: John Malkevich, Joseph Montegna, Chloe Webb, Linda Fiorentino, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ken Olin, and on and on (including Tom Waits - hysterical as Monte). It is sweet and funny and engaging and the sound track is super. I have the DVD and I have lent it out to friends dozens of times and the before and after is always the same: before "never heard of it" - after "loved it" --- and it doesn't matter the age or gender or politics of the viewer. Sure it helps if they are from some urban area as opposed to a rural area. And it helps if childhood friendships still mean something to them. But even if you're a lifelong lonely country boy, you should love this movie.

Marvelous,undying and indestructible like Hellgate Bridge!

[fioroncon · 10/10 · 8 September 2004]

I think it's a wonderful movie and it's been unjustly underestimated:it's oneiric,sentimental,poetic and the dramatic plot is dealt with a sense of humour.There are various issues like male bonding,homosexuality,friendship and I think every role is proper for the actor who plays it:my favourite actor JOHN MALKOVICH(GREAT)is a homosexual with some existential problems and he falls in love with Marty(Michael Zelniker)and they get engaged at the end of the film;Dennis(Kevin Bacon)has in vain tried to get successful in Hollywood as a musician,Al(Joe Mantegna)grows up thanks of Jamie Lee Curtis,Vinny(Tony Spiridakis)dreams to become an actor and Ray(Ken Olin)a painter.Even if the dreams of some of these guys don't come through,their strong and profound tie is the reason to continue to hope in the future.I also think the title is the only very funny thing of the movie(in Italian language it's "Dreaming Manhattan")but the film succeeds to alternate melancholy and thoughtless scenes:Mantegna climbs up the bridge which links Astoria to Manhattan,Ken Olin listens to his message "I love you guys" while he's thinking about his life,Kevin Bacon and Michael Zelniker play "ordinary people song" while Zelniker and Malkovich look at each other,Malkovich jilts Terry Kinney,who had fallen in love with him,because he doesn't like the way he talks about his friends(when Kinney asked him if those guys were his type,he replied "that I don't know but they are the best I could do"),Tony Spiridakis howls with a healer without a reason,Tom Waits reads his odd poem at Jack's,Jamie Lee Curtis takes Mantegna's gun and learns him to throw all away,Chloe Webb tells Madame Rose,a palmist, she's surrounded by idiots,the five boys shout out Arnold's name while they're having a bath under Hellgate during the night because he was the only guy,apart from Mantegna,who climbed up that bridge and they don't see Linda Fiorentino stealing their clothes out of spite,because her husband Mantegna spent all his time with his friends(he also kisses John Malkovich at the disco)...well,these guys are amazing!They are either crazy or gay,either sad or happy,sometimes they make you cry,sometimes they make you amuse.Personally I was a depressed sixteen year old girl when I saw this movie for the first time on a night during last summer and it made me dream:this movie is everything for me,it lets me to take refuge in another world and it makes me isolate from my reality,whom I hate as much as I can, but fortunately I'm not here,I'm under Hellgate Bridge to dream with other Queens.I thank Tony Spiridakis,who wrote the story,and all the actors very much for this wonderful movie!!!

One of my top 5 favorites

[ranwulf · 10/10 · 16 August 2005]

God - I love this movie! I must've seen it 20 times by now, and I still can't pass it up when it appears on some random cable station at 1 in the morning! This film was an epiphany to me - great cast, great characters, great story, great locations - all without becoming a stereotyped "Nu Yawk" movie. And Tom Waits as Monte? Perfect! Whenever I see this, it makes me miss the City. I was really lucky to have lived there in the early 90's - only a little later than the film's setting. Anyone who doesn't think these Bridge & Tunnel characters are real should spend some time in the boroughs. I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants a slice of New York City life away from the glitz of Manhattan.

Great Movie!

[fpkovers · 10/10 · 26 February 2016]

This is one of my favorite movies! I can't even remember how many times I have watched it. I've had it so long that it's in VHS and I've kept my old VHS player just for these movies. Great Cast, Great Location, Great Soundtrack. It just goes to show that friendships can last forever. Some of the scenes in this movie will stick with you for life. Though some of the cast are still acting, there are some that I wish were still at it, like Linda Florentino (she was great in Jade), John Malkovich (great in Being John Malkovich), Ken Olin, Tom Waits (he was great in Short Cuts), and Chloe Webb. If you haven't seen it, you need to.

The lives of the old gang from Queens intersect as they come to celebrate a wedding.

[Duncan-12 · 10/10 · 26 January 1999]

This is one of my favorite movies. Everyone in it is wonderful and perfect in their roles. I, for one, can never get enough of Chloe Webb or John Malkovitch or Joe Mantegna, and this movie supplies all in a stunning array. The writing is wonderful, and it's beautifully shot. Not a movie to be missed, although the clothes and music are slightly dated now.