Movie Review: The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz (1974)

Genre: Coming Of Age Dramedy  

Director: Ted Kotcheff  
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Micheline Lanctôt, Jack Warden, Randy Quaid, Denholm Elliott  
Running Time: 120 minutes  

Synopsis: Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss) is a young Jewish man growing up in 1940s Montreal. Unlike his studious brother, Duddy wants to get rich quick, inspired by his father's (Jack Warden) stories about a childhood friend who became wealthy in weeks. While working as a summer camp waiter, Duddy falls in love with Yvette (Micheline Lanctôt) and decides to invest in lakefront property. His side hustles include producing movies by blacklisted Hollywood director Friar (Denholm Elliott), selling pin-ball machines and operating a trucking business with the epileptic Virgil (Randy Quaid), and even inadvertent drug trafficking. Just as Duddy appears unstoppable, a tragedy threatens to derail his ambitions.

What Works Well: The incident-packed adaptation of Mordecai Richler's book rides the momentum of an energized and tireless protagonist. Duddy Kravitz is on a mission to hustle and then hustle some more, with no discernable objective other than getting rich. He is able to charm but unable to care, and is driven by resentment at being the neglected child. Yvette, Friar, and Virgil fall into his orbit, but eventually experience his true colours. Richler's script includes matter-of-fact commentary about the societal otherness of being Jewish in 1940s Quebec.

What Does Not Work As Well: The narrative flow suffers from choppiness, and some key events appear to be entirely skipped. To his core Duddy is a selfish and unlikeable character quick to exploit others and unable to trace a learning arc, creating dissonance with Richard Dreyfuss' unerringly sunny and empathetic portrayal.

Key Quote:

Duddy: If I hustle, if I really really hustle, my son is going to have it all.



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