Some people believe in fate, whereas others see it as merely thinly-veiled faith in some higher power that seemingly has a plan for all of us, an idea that has been increasingly viewed with incredulity as time has progressed. However, there’s something quite appealing about putting all your trust in something that we cannot see or even prove its existence, but yet still hope that there will be clarity given in the process. Crossing Delancey is a film that addresses this subject in a very unique way, with Joan Micklin Silver adapting the play of the same title by Susan Sandler, which tells the story of Isabelle, who is rapidly approaching middle age and has yet to settle down – or at least this is what she is constantly told by the various friends and family members that push for her to find a prospective husband, ignoring the fact that she is more than content, with a career she adores, a group of friends with whom she sees a lot of value, and a budding relationship with an enigmatic author who piques her interest with every new encounter. This all changes when her grandmother coerces her into meeting with a matchmaker, who sets her up with an enigmatic businessman (who she discovers is a pickle salesman), further complicating her already deep existential crisis that she conceals from public view. A wonderfully charming and upbeat subversion on the traditional romantic comedy tropes that defined this particular era, Crossing Delancey is brilliantly inventive, daring comedy handcrafted by one of the most unique and compelling filmmakers of her generation, taking a lovely text and reworking it into a format that captures the spirit of romance in a way that has rarely been simultaneously this raw and endearing, anchored by several admirable elements that keep us wholeheartedly invested and engaged, especially in moments where we expect it to go in one direction, only to have the proverbial rug pulled from under our feet and redefined as something entirely different, and just as extraordinarily entertaining.

Crossing Delancey often feels like it is playing in the same key as films like Moonstruck and Broadcast News, insofar as it finds the perfect balance between heartwarming examinations of love, and more deep, profound observations on the human condition and how we function with society when the world begins to make less sense. Sandler adapts her own play to the screen, which gives the viewer a sense of security in knowing that every element of this film is intentional, rather than being formed from a misinterpretation of the original text (a far more common occurrence with these smaller, more intimate productions), and Silver effectively handles these many complex conversations, filtering them into an effortlessly charming and deeply captivating comedy that is as irreverent as it is wonderfully offbeat, being an exceptional departure from the more predictable romantic comedies that were made around this time. The brilliance of Crossing Delancey is found in how it handles its emotions – romantic comedies are often extremely predictable and rarely tend to be viewed as inventive in any way, except those which blend it with other genres. It’s quite rare to find one that adheres to the purest version of the genre and still comes across as being somewhat original – and in the cases that we do find it, it becomes quite clear that it’s a matter of how it works with its emotions. The overwrought melodrama paired with low-hanging humour is entertaining and moving to an extent, but not at all original – and the impact of this film is found in how Silver doesn’t outright ignore them, but rather acknowledges these aspects as fundamental cornerstones of the genre, tools that can be adapted to convey a particular message, and adjusted where necessary. The lack of wall-to-wall sentimentality is a key component in the success of Crossing Delancey, a film far more engaging than many would expect based on a glance, and proves to be one of the primary reasons it has grown in estimation over time.

However, viewing Crossing Delancey as merely a romantic comedy is actually quite a limiting approach, since there is a lot more to the ideas being explored throughout this film – and in fact, it could even be perceived as being as incredulous towards the genre as it is reverent, occupying a peculiar region of ambiguity between adoring and criticizing its tenets. The romance is very charming, but it isn’t going to be the most appealing aspect for some viewers, since there are additional elements that come across as far more interesting from a distance. I found the approach to culture to be most fascinating – much like the aforementioned Moonstruck, this film is ferociously proud of its cultural background and can even be viewed as equally a love-letter to the Jewish-American community that forms an ironclad part of the foundation of New York City. Most of the memorable moments in this film come when Sandler and Silver are examining the interactions between the protagonist and other people within her community, the deep affection for the customs, traditions and outright quirks of these people being a wonderfully charming addition that keeps this film afloat and actively engaging in areas that we may not expect to be this effective. Crossing Delancey does not intend to be a universal expression of romance in a way that will resonate with every viewer throughout, but rather a film that asks the audience to meet it halfway, approaching its underlying ideas with a sense of open-minded enthusiasm, and the awareness that we are not going to get the neat resolution we crave (and have been conditioned to expect from these films), but rather a brilliantly compelling examination of the zeitgeist at a particular moment, which is now in the past, but is captured with such extraordinary love, it remains a perfectly contained depiction of this community and their routines, which comes close to being the most enthralling aspect of this already very charming and captivating film.

Considering the extent to which it can be considered a character-driven piece, we can find a lot of value in saying that Crossing Delancey is a film primarily defined by the strength of its actors. We find that several of these actors are delivering exceptional performances that are far more compelling and engaging than those that are typically found in run-of-the-mill romantic comedies. It’s only made more impressive through Silver’s commitment to authenticity in terms of choosing her actors – there are several recognizable performers, but none of them were stars at the magnitude that we would anticipate would be sought after for such a film. Amy Irving in particular is a fascinating choice for the lead – she’s undeniably very gifted and has a charisma that most actors of her generation would envy, but she’s also quite unconventional as a performer, with her more reserved and quiet demeanor being a stark change of pace for a character that would have been defined by a sense of outright eccentricity in the hands of most other actors. Her subtle approach to defining this character and her unique quirks is fantastic, and she brings a lot of humanity to a character that could have been nothing more than a thin archetype with only the slightest shift in intention. Like any great comedy, the lead is not the only reason to watch, since there is a sprawling supporting cast that is doing exceptional work as well. Peter Riegert is as charismatic as one can get as the pickle salesman whom the protagonist unexpectedly falls for, while Jeroen Krabbé is delightfully despicable as the arrogant author with whom she has an odd attraction. Neither of these compares to the female actors that make up the supporting cast, with Crossing Delancey being a wonderful examination of the relationships between the women that are the very heart of any community. Reizl Bozyk, a legend within the Yiddish theatre community, delivers her only film performance, while the always outrageously funny Sylvia Miles is the matchmaker assigned to the protagonist as a special project. Both of them are wonderful, and steal every scene in which they appear, adding so much nuance to an already exceptional film.

For reasons that remain utterly bewildering, Silver is not recognized as one of the defining directorial voices of her generation, despite anyone who has seen her work acknowledging that she is nothing short of a major talent – anyone who has a body of work as diverse to include films like Hester Street, Chilly Scenes of Winter and Bernice Bobs Her Hair (all wildly different works), deserves to be in the conversation as the definition of a revolutionary voice. Crossing Delancey is perhaps her most mainstream film, in the sense that it adheres most closely to the expectations of the genre in which it is working – but even then, there are many elements that are borderline groundbreaking, to the point where we are steadily seeing more people become aware of this film and its daring, unconventional elements, and it seems as if we are on the precipice of having the conversation around this as a classic entry into the genre and one that does not subscribe to any of the more negative aspects that are usually associated with these films. Anchored by wonderful performances, and traversing a wide range of ideas that go beyond the confines of the genre, Crossing Delancey is a terrific film and one that contains enough layers for multiple repeated viewings, each one fostering an increasingly compelling set of ideas that gradually and methodically form the foundation of a film so deeply engaging, we cannot feel anything other than sincere affection and admiration for its existence and willingness to both challenge and cherish one of the most common and predictable genres imaginable.