My God, that moment towards the end when Nick gets hysterical trying to play Leo out to the room and screaming at Murray, "He called us names", "We gotta get rid of him!", and Murray just hugs him and apologizes. I can't even think about that scene without tearing up. Seriously, has there ever been a more powerful moment in cinema? Can anybody watch that without crying like a baby? Am I just an over-emotional wreck?
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That whole scene is fantastic. We go from laughing out loud at Nick putting Chuckles in his place to crying when Nick loses it. Great filmmaking.
shareIndeed. In fact, all of the main characters have moving, dramatic moments:
Murray, when he's in the Chinese restaurant talking with Sandy about keeping Nick and ends with, "I want him to know the sneaky, subtle, important reason he was born a human being, and not a chair."
Sandra, in the apartment stairwell, when Murray tries to apologize for not finding a job and she tells him as she's leaving, "Oh, there are so many wonderful things you can do with a one-room apartment. Good-bye, Murray."
Albert, the last time he speaks with Murray and tells him he is not one of the 'warm people' and one of Murray's 'villains'.
Nick, the aforementioned scene.
Arnold, in the Chinese restaurant, when he talks with Murray about getting a job, finally telling him that he's the best possible Arnold Burns, and leaves by saying, "Give my regards to Irving R. Feldman."
It's worth noting that Martin Balsam won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Arnold Burns and I would be willing to bet that his final conversation with Murray played a large part in his getting the award.
It's an extraordinarily well-written movie that moves from hilarious moments to some of the most touching and poignant.