Bye Bye Braverman (1968) User Reviews (30)

Braverman takes the big trip and his friends want to see him off

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 2 July 2013]

Bye Bye Braverman is yet another Sidney Lumet valentine to New York City as four friends react to the sudden passing of their friend Leslie Braverman at the tender age of 41. It's the kind of passing and the age and suddenness for the victim have left all four of them in a state of flux.

George Segal, Joseph Wiseman, Sorrell Booke, and Jack Warden are the four friends all hit hard with the news and all now feeling their mortality and are concerned. They all feel an obligation of some kind to see poor Braverman off on the big trip.

It helps to be of Jewish heritage and from New York to appreciate Bye Bye Braverman. Imagine four men squeezed into Sorrell Booke's little Volkswagen, one of them Joseph Wiseman makes no secret of his disdain for Booke in purchasing a German car.

They set out from Manhattan to the funeral parlor which is on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn which is kind of like a residential Champs Elysees in the borough of homes and churches. On the way they have all kinds of adventures including a fender bender with a black driver who is well versed in Jewish idiom played nicely by Godfrey Cambridge. The day is topped off by a voluble rabbi Alan King who can't find enough words to give a proper eulogy to the deceased.

Bye Bye Braverman is funny and bittersweet and kind of sad in its own way. Sidney Lumet got some great performances out of his ensemble cast, most especially from Sorrell Booke who is not a fan of driving three back seat drivers. Nice film to see, especially if you live in New York.

Sadly neglected...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 7/10 · 12 August 2010]

A terrific and sadly neglected movie directed by Sidney Lumet. It's an expert blend of comedy and drama with a lot of philosophy thrown in as four intellectuals attempt to attend the funeral of a friend. It's not an out and out farce, but it is very funny. Lumet peels back each character at a deliberate pace and there's nothing false about any of them. George Segal has the lead and he's excellent. Jack Warden, Sorrell Booke and Joseph Wiseman make up the other three and though that may sound like strange casting, they're all in top form. Booke gets a lot of laughs as a roly-poly pop culture vulture. There are many great moments. One particular (albiet melancholy) scene has Segal wondering through a cemetery letting the residents know what they've missed (the space race, infant mortality rates, etc). The top notch cast also features Jessica Walters as the embittered widow, Zohra Lampert, Godfrey Cambridge and, as a chatterbox rabbi, Alan King. Boris Kaufman did the cinematography and it's fun seeing 1967 New York.

Four good actors in a red VW driving all over New York City ..................

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 23 June 2011]

I am not convinced that "Bye Bye Braverman" is much more than a stage play inside a red Volkswagon. This is all about the dialog, and quite frankly a lot of it is kind of boring. The characters, four Jewish intellectuals, are well developed, but seem very one dimensional. The movie is essentially one long misadventure on their way to a funeral. Godfrey Cambridge as a "Black Jewish cabdriver", and Alan King as a long winded Rabbi, are the most memorable scenes. George Segal is his usual droopy self, and Jack Warden his usual gruff self. Overall the film is a time capsule, that you may or may not want to open, depending on your tolerance for a lot of often times meaningless dialog. - MERK

If You Liked "The Big Chill", you'll love this one.

[rudy-30 · 19 June 1999]

This movie is about four friends searching for their friend's burial place. Not only do you experience the frustration of New York in the 1960's, but you can relate to how these aging friends are dealing with an ever-changing society. Sorrel Brooke, perhaps best known as Boss Hogg, steals the show. A true gem!

Bye Bye Lumet

[JohnHowardReid · 3/10 · 15 November 2016]

Sidney Lumet's attempt to transfer the pop-art world of the French Nouvelle Vague to Jewish New York is - at least to my way of thinking - a total failure. For all its nerdy talk and incessant chatter about John Ford's films and Randolph Scott festivals, about Smilin' Jack being married and the demise of Orphan Annie, the script (outside of maybe two or three lines) just isn't funny. Well, perhaps I should say that I didn't find it the least bit amusing. In fact, I would describe it as a tedious bore, reinforced by Lumet's inept, plodding direction. And alas, I would describe the whole movie as almost totally inept in almost all departments. Only one sequence - a journey through New York in a red Volkswagon, accompanied by a bright music score - has any flair or vitality. And alas, this is also the only time that the cinematography by Boris Kaufmann comes anywhere near his usual high standard.

A very Jewish - but fun - movie

[encyes · 6/10 · 22 September 2017]

Although "Braverman" is a very dated movie, and a very hard-to understand and follow movie - due mainly to it's Yiddish/Jewish references - it none the less has it's moments to chuckle and giggle at. The back-and-forth banter between Brooke, Segal, Warden and Wiseman is very much on par with the Taylor/Burton interaction of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and entertaining in itself. There's a little something in this film for all whether it's the vaudevillian Sorrell Brooke/Godfrey Cambridge exchange, the Manhattan/Brooklyn bird's eye view or the in depth underlying message of death and remembrance, you'll be able to at least tolerate this movie.

Bye, Bye Braverman-Oy Vey! *

[edwagreen · 3/10 · 4 October 2012]

Awful film where 4 guys go around Brooklyn in search of the funeral parlor where their friend has been taken for services following his sudden death.

Getting lost along the way, they enter into a series of ridiculous adventures. While Godfrey Cambridge steals the show in his brief role as a taxi cab driver involved in an accident with the four guys, he uses some Yiddish words which will not be repeated here.

The funeral scene with the Rabbi, as played by Alan King, was ridiculous. To me, King's character mocked the very existence of Jewish funerals and was a definite affront to all. By the way, didn't it seem peculiar to the guys that they didn't recognize anyone at the funeral, before making their startling discovery at the end of the service?

The Joseph Wiseman character was much more serious in nature in this comic farce.

like an ep of Seinfeld

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 11 March 2018]

SO much talking, in this guys-on-a-journey film. This was a couple years after George Segal had been nominated for Virginia Woolf. Jack Warden had done a lot of TV AND films, but his two nominations will come ten years later. Their friend has died, and they are on the way to the funeral. Sorrell Booke is in here (Boss Hogg, on Dukes of Hazard !) Rounding out the cast is Joseph Wiseman.. the only thing I know about him is that he was the very first James Bond villain in "Dr. No". a LONG conversation with a taxi driver when they get into a minor cruncher, and the taxi driver (also) turns out to be jewish. Godfrey Cambridge WAS set to film a tv series with Don Adams years later, but they did not get along. More on that in Cambridge's bio here on imdb. Died quite young, while filming the part of Idi Amin. Lots of flashbacks by Morroe Rieff (Segal).. pretty corny, but someone somewhere thought they were interesting. It's okay. Similar to the "thinker" films of the 1970s. A couple minor surprises. could put it in with Much ado about Nothing. or maybe an episode of Seinfeld.

Directed by Sydney Lumet ( FIVE nominations, not for this one.) had worked with J. Warden on Twelve Angry Men. Written by Wallace Markfield...had written several novels, but this seems to be the only one made into film.

Meh, too little and too much.

[movieswithgreg · 5/10 · 10 August 2021]

It's too talky. I wish it were talky in that smart, thought- provoking way.

But it's not.

I wish it were talky in that clever word-play funny way.

But it's not.

It's just talky and inconsequential and messy in its storytelling.

The odyssey trope doesn't work here.

This feels like it borrows heavily from French whimsy comedies. Without enough whimsy.

mixed bag of comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 28 August 2021]

Four friends get lost on the way to the funeral of their friend Leslie Braverman and get hit by a taxi. Leslie's widow Inez (Jessica Walter) had considered divorce before his death. The four friends are Morroe Rieff (George Segal), Barnet Weinstein (Jack Warden), Holly Levine (Sorrell Booke), and Felix Ottensteen (Joseph Wiseman) who are all New York Jews involving in writing of some sorts.

I'm not sure if I should treat this as a serious look at the New York City Jews and the literary world or should I look at this as overly broad crass caricatures. In the end, there are bits of both. I don't care that much about these characters. I'm missing half of their references. It is interesting to see old New York from different sides. It has its moments of comedy but also moments of weird awkwardness. It's a mixed bag.

Boring, "inside baseball" NYC flick.

[hemisphere65-1 · 3/10 · 24 October 2021]

The stage acting had been out of place in film for decades, but this stinker is full of it.

The only amusing part of this comedy was the incredible, hateful monster played by Wiseman.

The scene with the cabby was basically unwatchable garbage, especially the "fight".

I can't believe other reviewers are pretending this isn't idiotic.

Bye Bye Braverman

[bookphile1 · 9/10 · 24 June 2005]

The description of this movie fails to convey how totally hilarious it actually is, although it gives a partial idea of its bittersweet qualities. Throughout the movie, we see things through the eyes of one of the main characters who keeps imagining his own death. His own pessimistic fantasies contrasted with the absurd predicaments the four friends keep getting into are a riot, and at the same time, convey human frailties most poignantly. There are wonderful cameo performances by Jessica Walter, Alan King and Godfrey Cambridge and others that are worth the price of admission all by themselves. The movie has a distinctly ethnic Jewish sensibility and a real New York feeling as we follow the characters from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn as they look for the funeral parlor for the dead Braverman. Oh, how I wish I could buy this movie on DVD! It's just wonderful. If you ever get a chance to see it, run to the theater!

Anti-Semites will love this one!

[sijoe22 · 5/10 · 15 March 2018]

Every negative Jewish stereotype is on display here; Communist sympathizing (Norman Thomas for President rally at beginning), cheapness, slovenliness, non-stop whining from start to finish.

Kind of funny movie, actually; strictly for new Yorkers, ESPECIALLY Brooklynites. Can't see anyone outside the five boroughs making sense of this one.

Movie script could have been written by Josef Goebbels, for goodness sake!

A description of one of the best off-beat comedies ever made.

[mannyb · 8 February 1999]

One of the best off-beat movies I've ever seen. The eulogy by Alan King was one of the best that I've ever heard. It reminded me of so many sermons that I've heard on the high holidays: a lot of words in search of a theme.

Definitely a film of its time.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 7 October 2023]

While this has some amusing moments of a light slice of life and some decent character development, it's the type of film that is long on exposition and short on a strong plot. It's very 60's in its attitude which gives it both nostalgia and pastiche, which works for and against it. If the viewer is an older Jewish person with connections to the New York City that was the age of Aquarius, they'll appreciate it more, still wondering when the story is really going to get going.

Basically, it's four Jewish men of varying ages trying to find out where the funeral of a friend is going to be and trying to get there. It seems like a play that might have been Off Broadway opened up to get varying shots of New York City, particularly some more obscure locations of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The four men are the younger George Segal, slightly older Jack Warden, and the mature Sorrell Booke ("Dukes of Hazard") and Joseph Wiseman, all of completely different temperaments and varying humors. Wiseman is the most serious of them all, with Warden overly gregarious. Booke quietly acerbic and Segal made to seem older but definitely free spirited.

Strong extended cameos by Jessica Walter, Phyllis Newman and Zohra Lampert gives a female perspective on the life of the deceased and Geoffrey Cambridge and Alan King have amusing smaller roles. Of course getting there is more about incidents and differences between the men, and you wonder if they even know if they're at the right service. The direction by the great Sidney Lumet isn't its strongest here, simply because of the limited appeal and a rambling script. Worth viewing as a nostalgic look but goes on too long while saying little.

a personal experience

[marcadam · 10/10 · 20 August 2004]

to me this movie turns the biblical story of the Exodus on its head. Instead of leading His people into the Promised Land, Monroe(Segal)leads His people out of the Promised Land(Manhattan), and into the desert(Brooklyn), and they wander and wander. While there, each character comes to question his faith. The four main characters, assimilated Jews, have abandoned their traditions when we first meet them. Upon their return to their roots(Brooklyn),characters and situations confront them, that force them to look inward at themselves, and what they have become. Listen to the speeches carefully. King's, Cambridges'(brilliant cameo), and don't overlook Segal's at the cemetery addressing the headstones(just beautiful. Strange that this move as released in 1968,at the height of so much turmoil. BBB is an overlooked classic. This movie is so important to me, that when it finally is released on DVD, I will be the first on line to buy it. And, I don't even own A DVD player! But for this movie I might just buy one.

lovely, quirky, human, and a lasting pleasure

[clint9laing · 8/10 · 24 February 2003]

Segal, Wiseman, Booke and Warden: each actor's performance makes for a superb piece of a patchwork quilt. These old friends may rub roughly against each other, in a NY/ethnic kind of way, but we recognize the deep understanding they share from long familiarity. The story offers us a superb ensemble cast, with a wonderful cameo from King. It will never knock "Citizen Kane" off anyone's shelf, but makes a great candidate for the second tier of movie treasures.

A New York Odyssey

[criticman2000 · 9/10 · 27 July 2005]

I've lived in NYC for most of my life and I've been a professional critic for a large portion of that. "Bye Bye Braverman", directed, in 1968, by Sidney Lumet, was not a big hit, either publicly or critically. That's because, at the time, it got lost in the shuffle of bland hippie sex dramas, which had little going for them beyond wacky titles and nice one sheets. Time has changed that and if you try to understand where "Bye Bye Braverman" is coming from, taking the time to pay attention, you'll find it both moving and funny. It's the story of a group of intellectuals, their greatest triumphs behind them, living now, on past royalties and conquests. They used to be fast friends, but age has made them peculiarly set in their ways and isolated. Then, one of them dies. We never do meet Leslie Braverman, but his death brings the 4 of them and their idiosyncrasies together, to be dealt with and acknowledged. After they're introduced to us, we get a little of the flavor of their angst, as they pile into Holly Levine's (Sorrell Booke in a wonderfully textured performance) beloved Volkswagen and begin the trek into Brooklyn for the funeral of their friend. Along the way, they ramble, consider their pasts and their future, eat some Chinese food (from a restaurant I used to eat at on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn), get into a car accident, visit the cemetery and attend the wrong funeral. You get to know these people pretty well. They are self-absorbed, fragile and sometimes confused. Their pride and fear prevents them from letting their friend's death reflect on their own mortality, until Morroe Rieff (played with complexity by George Segal, looking like a sheepdog) finally breaks down at the end. Joseph Wiseman, a fantastic character actor, has an unusually meaty role here and certainly makes the most of it as does the always entertaining Jack Warden. This isn't an action flick, compared with the bulk of director Sidney Lumet's output, this is almost a haiku. But it features the director's patented documentary style of film-making and sentiment which rings true. You'll find yourself sympathizing with these four, irascible has-beens. This is almost a chick flick for guys and mostly, a uniquely memorable film. It's 2007, why isn't this on DVD yet?

A great mini road trip

[shoobe01-1 · 8/10 · 18 October 2018]

I am not sure why the hate for this from so many quarters. It seems impossibly authentic, and while not for a funeral, like far too many trips I have taken with friends to get something done, and minor hijinks occur.

The death seems like a Macguffin at first, an excuse to get them rolling, but I think it really changed them, and as (deliberately) insufferable as some of the guys were, there were deep points, and some of them had (minor) revelations about life, death, and what their life means.

But, in the end, you feel nothing horrible or great will happen. It is the stereotypical slice of life story, and will change them all... a little. But tomorrow they will go do their writing, their tormenting their children and wives, and I suspect most of them will go see Randolph Scott and eat split pea soup on Thursday.

It probably doesn't matter

[drjgardner · 9/10 · 18 October 2015]

"Bye Bye Braverman" is one of the best things to come out of the 60s and to this date is still one of the best films around. Ostensibly it tells the story of 4 middle aged Jewish friends (George Segal, Jack Warden, Joseph Wiseman, and Sorrell Booke) who get together to attend the funeral of their friend, Leslie Braverman. In their journey to their friend's ultimate resting place, they consider life and death, egg rolls, marriage, upholstery, friendship, and auto repairs.

Along the way, they encounter a black Jewish cab driver (Godfrey Cambridge in one of his finest performances) and a rabbi who's got a twist (Alan King who manages to go for the funny instead of the self promotion). These two sequences are worth the price of admission alone. But the piece de resistance comes at the end as George Segal talks to thousands of deceased souls and fills them in on what's been happening since "we beat the Depression." More than half a century later his words still ring true, and I suspect will do so for another half century at least.

You don't need to be Jewish, or come from New York to enjoy this film, but it helps.

I started for the NYC images, I stayed for the ride.

[verbusen · 8/10 · 29 March 2019]

Bye Bye Braverman is probably not for everyone, thus its low overall IMdb score, under 6. For starters, its a guy film so women will probably not be into it. It's also about Jewish-American characters so that will be hard for non-Jews to get into (even though I am a gentile). On top of that, the Jewish characters are not observant Jews, eating pork, not being faithful to their family, being disrespectful in Temple and driving in the car that Hitler himself promoted, the Beetle. So who could like this film? Well, I liked it. The reason being, I grew up in Greenwich Village and was 4 when this was released. I instantly remembered the Greenwich movie theater shown in the opening credits, I was turned away from there when I was about 9 when I tried to watch the film 2001 by myself even though the film is rated G. I was like what the hell? It's a G rated flick, I had an argument with the ticket office, lol. Later on, at the age of 12 I would sneak in through the side door of that theater and stoop real low in the first row and watch the ending fight scene of Rocky with my friend Marcus, I did that 9 times (I counted). I also remember 11th st and 4th st because I once lived on that block and of course was very familiar with Sheridan Square except The Village Voice was no longer there, instead it was a hamburger place that imitated Burger King Whoppers, I would buy them after picking up bottles from the street with my friend Marcus and getting the deposit money. So, when the road trip finally starts I thought I would lose interest as the first half of the film is pretty slow and the Greenwich Village scenes were my main interest. But a chemistry started between the four that I enjoyed. I have never seen Jack Warden in a comedic moment, I remember him as the tough guy in films like The Thin Red Line but he has a pretty funny scene here. George Segal is good as usual and Joseph Wiseman is a good somber curmudgeon that balances out the group, but I really enjoyed those three when put together with Sorrell Booke's character. The road part of the film reminded me of the TV show Seinfeld in some ways. They are always getting something to eat, Booke's role is VERY similar to that of the Seinfeld character George Costanza and the pace picked up well. Godfrey Cambridge in a supporting role is, of course, his usual awesome. The bittersweet ending of them saying goodbye and reentering reality was also touching and just like something that would happen to me with my adult friends (really just acquaintances), so I could relate to this film on that level. Watch it to reminisce about your younger days living in New York, stay for the road trip. Even a gentile like me found Bye Bye Braverman entertaining. 8 of 10, I watched it on the TCM network.

Funny eulogy for a time and place

[mjstoil-1 · 10/10 · 14 August 2009]

This is on my list of Ten Most Underrated Films of All Time. It is also both heart-rending and funny. Its heart-rending because it is a souvenir of a time and place gone by that captures the moment perfectly, in much the same way as Secaucus Seven did for a somewhat younger generation. Additionally, like Return of the Secaucus Seven, it is filled with marvelous performances--reminding people why George Segal was considered a very promising talent--and its script and pacing make it very, very funny. For people who have raised on Seinfeld, Bye Bye Braverman is a much more accurate depiction of how bright, normal people in New York can be funny, tragic, and a delight to watch. And all of this from a plot that consists of, "So, how do we get to the funeral from here?"

I love this movie

[drdsaltzman · 10/10 · 15 August 2002]

terrific film--fine acting and directing with a wonderful script.All the players are great.it is a fine adaptation of the novel and the actors ,because the director,got it. Alan King gives a funny, funny performance,and it is just one among many in the film.It is not available on vhs or dvd,which is a shame.

Braverman Redux?

[SSavitt · 23 November 2007]

I haven't yet seen "Starting Out in the Evening", but it clearly lives in much the same territory as "Bye Bye Braverman". Is it too much to hope that the release of this new film will lead to some efforts to rescue this lovely older Lumet film from its undeserved obscurity? At the very least, a DVD should be available!

It looks odd that those who write reviews of Braverman here give it a 9 or 10 (which is what I would do), yet the over-all viewer rating is below 6. I guess that you have to have some feeling for the New York (or upper west side) milieu in order to appreciate this film; but if you do have it, then you're apt to love this film.

Speaking of under-appreciated New York films, the second on my list, after "Bye Bye Braverman", would be Bill Murray's "Quick Change".

What a Delight!

[miran_kor · 9/10 · 24 September 2003]

Like the other comments say - a wonderful movie. Everything is first class - screenplay, actors and, of course, the direction.

This was one of the first Lumet's movies I have seen and I was amazed. From then (it was in the '70s) I have seen his 19 films and he never let me down. The list of his really great films is extremely long (maybe nobody in America's movie history made so many excellent films): 12 Angry Men, The Fugitive Kind, The Hill, The Pawnbroker, The Seagull, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Equus, Network, The Verdict... and this Braverman. Not to mention that I haven't seen some of his reportedly good ones, too.

I highly recommend this and other mentioned films of this great director. (Still wondering why he hasn't got any Oscars for his work - maybe his films are far too intelligent for American taste, LOL).

Thank you, Mr. Lumet. It was my pleasure! 9/10