History Film / Diner

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: InUniverse - when Billy and Eddie go to see ''Film/TheSeventhSeal'', Eddie has no idea what's going on, even when Billy tries to explain it to him, and eventually falls asleep.

** When Shrevie is at work at the appliance store, we can see the 1949 movie version of ''Literature/LittleWomen'' playing on one of the televisions.

[[quoteright:284:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dinerposter_470.jpg]]
[[AC:For the pinball machine from Williams, [[Pinball/{{Diner}} click here.]]]]

''Diner'' is a 1982 semi-autobiographical [[ComingOfAgeStory Coming of Age]] film by Creator/BarryLevinson set in UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}} in the last week of 1959. It's about six friends: Boogie, a gambling addict who works at a beauty shop, is a law school graduate, and is the closest among the group to a ladies' man; Eddie, who's getting married, but [[SeriousBusiness is making his bride-to-be pass a test about the Baltimore Colts before the ceremony]]; Fenwick, a rich screw-up; Modell, the DeadpanSnarker hanger-on; Shrevie, who works at an appliance store and is the only one of the group who's married (to Beth), though not happily; and Billy, who comes back from college for the prospective wedding, and has his own woman problems with Barbara, who works at the local TV station.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Creator/SteveGuttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Creator/PaulReiser (Modell), Creator/DanielStern (Shrevie), Creator/EllenBarkin (Beth), and Creator/TimDaly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Creator/NickHornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

Levinson later shot a pilot for a proposed TV series, but the series was never picked up. However, Levinson announced he would turn the movie into a Broadway musical, with songs by Music/SherylCrow.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Levinson's later films ''Film/TinMen'' (1987), ''Avalon'' (1990), and ''Film/LibertyHeights'' (1999) are all set in Baltimore during the same general period, and are regarded by some as forming a loose quadrilogy.

** When Shrevie is at work at the appliance store, we can see the 1949 movie version of ''Film/LittleWomen'' playing on one of the televisions.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Levinson's later films ''Film/TinMen'' (1987), ''Avalon'' (1990), and ''Liberty Heights'' (1999) are all set in Baltimore during the same general period, and are regarded by some as forming a loose quadrilogy.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Creator/SteveGuttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Creator/PaulReiser (Modell), Creator/DanielStern (Shrevie), Creator/EllenBarkin (Beth), and Creator/TimDaly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Nick Hornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Creator/SteveGuttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Paul Reiser (Modell), Creator/DanielStern (Shrevie), Creator/EllenBarkin (Beth), and Timothy Daly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Nick Hornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Much of what the guys do to woman in the movie, from Fenwick claiming he told a date, "Fuck or fight" (even though it turned out he was joking), to the "popcorn" scene (see RefugeInAudacity below), would never fly today, but that's part of the point of the movie, showing how the male characters had problems dealing with women at that time.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Creator/SteveGuttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Paul Reiser (Modell), Creator/DanielStern (Shrevie), Ellen Barkin (Beth), and Timothy Daly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Nick Hornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Though Eddie [[spoiler: gets married in a synagogue]], Boogie uses words like "[[YiddishAsASecondLanguage schmuck]]", and the arguments Eddie and Modell get into could arguably be categorized as JewsLoveToArgue, there's no indication of this otherwise.
** [[spoiler: Getting married in a synagogue, by a rabbi, and the groomsmen are all wearing yarmulkes?]] That's not ambiguous. That's evidence that Eddie and [[spoiler: Elyse]], at the very least, are clearly and unambiguously Jewish.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Creator/SteveGuttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Paul Reiser (Modell), Daniel Stern (Shrevie), Ellen Barkin (Beth), and Timothy Daly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Nick Hornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

Though not a big hit on release, thanks in part to ExecutiveMeddling, this became a cult hit on video, and helped launch the careers of Creator/MickeyRourke (Boogie), Steve Guttenberg (Eddie), Creator/KevinBacon (Fenwick), Paul Reiser (Modell), Daniel Stern (Shrevie), Ellen Barkin (Beth), and Timothy Daly (Billy). It's also one of the first films to feature SeinfeldianConversation, and according to many of its fans (including Creator/JuddApatow, Nick Hornby, and Creator/JerrySeinfeld himself), may be the UrExample.

** When Shrevie is at work at the appliance store, we can see the 1949 movie version of ''LittleWomen'' playing on one of the televisions.

''Diner'' is a 1982 semi-autobiographical ComingOfAge film by Creator/BarryLevinson set in UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}} in the last week of 1959. It's about six friends: Boogie, a gambling addict who works at a beauty shop, is a law school graduate, and is the closest among the group to a ladies' man; Eddie, who's getting married, but [[SeriousBusiness is making his bride-to-be pass a test about the Baltimore Colts before the ceremony]]; Fenwick, a rich screw-up; Modell, the DeadpanSnarker hanger-on; Shrevie, who works at an appliance store and is the only one of the group who's married (to Beth), though not happily; and Billy, who comes back from college for the prospective wedding, and has his own woman problems with Barbara, who works at the local TV station.

''Diner'' is a 1982 semi-autobiographical ComingOfAge film by Creator/BarryLevinson set in Baltimore in the last week of 1959. It's about six friends: Boogie, a gambling addict who works at a beauty shop, is a law school graduate, and is the closest among the group to a ladies' man, Eddie, who's getting married, but [[SeriousBusiness is making his bride-to-be pass a test about the Baltimore Colts before the ceremony]], Fenwick, a rich screw-up, Modell, the DeadpanSnarker hanger-on, Shrevie, who works at an appliance store and is the only one of the group who's married (to Beth), though not happily, and Billy, who comes back from college for the prospective wedding, and has his own woman problems with Barbara, who works at the local TV station.