Elaine May fans, take note. One of the auteur’s most misunderstood films, “Mikey and Nicky,” is making its way back to theaters this summer. Muscle Distribution has announced plans to release the 2019 4K restoration, which was conducted by Criterion and supervised by May herself, beginning with a Film at Lincoln Center engagement in June before national expansion follows.
Released in 1976, “Mikey and Nicky” was May’s third directorial effort, following “A New Leaf” and “The Heartbreak Kid.” It stars John Cassavetes and Peter Falk as two Philadelphia friends who end up in trouble with the wrong kind of people. And, like so much of May’s filmography, the drama surrounding its production and release is as interesting as the film itself.
“Mikey and Nicky” famously went over budget and missed deadlines, with May shooting massive amounts of footage and taking her time to figure out the film in the secrecy of the editing room. Her fights with Paramount executives, to whom she refused to show any cuts of the film until she was threatened with legal action, are the stuff of legend, with May famously hiding the film reels from studio executives who were determined to find them. Various accounts, including those of May and then-Paramount head Barry Diller, have told differing stories of where she actually hid the film. But while some are likely apocryphal, the editing of “Mikey and Nicky” remains a quintessential Hollywood story about the battle between auteurs and studios.
While the film came and went without making much of an impact on critics or the box office — it’s considerably bleaker than May’s improv comedy background and previous films had conditioned audiences to expect from her, and the studio buried it with a short release — it has been reappraised by May completionists in the subsequent decades.
“Dark — and darkly funny, and featuring career best performances from its leads, ‘Mikey and Nicky’ is truly a masterpiece of American cinema,” Muscle Distribution founder and film historian Elizabeth Purchell said in a statement. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to work with Ms. May, her longtime producer, Mr. Schlossberg, and my frequent collaborators at Hollywood Entertainment to bring the film back out so that more and new audiences can see it the way it was meant to be seen.”
“My history with ‘Mikey and Nicky’ began with its first sneak preview in 1976 (the beginning of my friendship and creative partnership with Ms. May) when I was a V.P. at Paramount, and continued through my independent distribution of it in all the years that followed,” producer Julian Schlossberg added. “Over the years, the film’s audience has grown through our work to release her director’s cut in 1978, its restoration by Criterion in 2019, and its subsequent re-review by The New York Times and other publications. I am excited to partner with Elizabeth Purchell, Alex Gootter, and Muscle Distribution to bring the film back to theaters in time for this major anniversary.”
May only directed one more film — 1987’s “Ishtar,” which endured its own cycle of troubles and subsequent reappraisals — but the 93-year-old comedy legend might still have another film in her. She remains attached to write and direct a new film titled “Crackpot” starring Dakota Johnson and Sebastian Stan, with the latter saying in 2024 that the film could get made if a younger director agrees to shadow May for insurance purposes.
More theatrical dates for “Mikey and Nicky” will be announced soon.
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