Nightowls of Coventry, has a light hearted charm that allows it to flow smoothly through it's tight 75 minutes. A cast of veteran character actors with a long list of television and film credits between them helps the film's banter keep moving at full speed. While the film certainly has it's flaws , it is an easy, delightful way to spend time at the movies. The best element of the film is it's overall look, ably helped by acclaimed rising star cinematographer Caroline Constantine from Australia, who has most notably shot award winning shorts for another rising star filmmaker Carla Drago. Overall this is a delightful fluid first feature that will appeal to a wide base audience but will certainly be a hit with the Jewish film audiences!!

Having lived on Cleveland's Coventry Rd., and frequented many of it's shops,taverns and restaurants since 1970 I found this motion picture to be of some special interest to me. The characters in this flick represent a small portion of the overall 'hood' as it was back then. I am not sure if the director, or most importantly the writer of this story touched on the interesting aspects of Coventry, the stuff that made it most similar to New York's more famous Greenwich Village, or California's Haight-Ashbury. This film to me, came off like a depiction of what old people did back in the seventies amongst hippies and bikers in a rundown Cleveland café. The limited appeal of seeing such a film would inevitably spoil the whole charisma associated with Coventry as seen by non-Clevelanders.

While the acting in this flick was competent, the storyline was not. Nothing very interesting happens out of a predictable ensemble cast of characters. Director Laura Paglin (who also wrote the story),in her first effort introduces the cast of characters well enough. It's just that she fails to make anything memorable happen with them (by comparison, films like 'Clerks', "Diner'). I applaud her efforts for trying to recreate this period in Coventry's history, but I think she would have done better to pick a more 'compelling' time period, say, the eighties and the nineties for example, when drugs,sex, and music was the draw there. While the Deli in this film was the focus, the real Coventry deli it is based on did not have the best appeal to warrant a motion picture made around it. The story should have been more about the area's diverse inhabitants and their various stories (which would undoubtedly get an 'R' rating),instead of a bunch of old guys sitting around with a handful of not very interesting misfits. People who thought Cleveland was boring will have it confirmed when they sleep through this.

My memories of Coventry are fond ones. I have met some very interesting people there. Unlike the old 'geezers' in this film the elderly people in this area are somewhat opinionated (big surprise?),but they aren't outspoken about it. They usually keep their opinions to themselves until somebody asks them. But of course that wouldn't make a very interesting story.

This movie was recommended by a coworker. He said that I would definitely enjoy this movie. He said that me being Jewish , that I would appreciate the humor that went along with this movie. He was so right. I truly appreciate the Yiddish and the humor. I went with two coworkers and had to laugh when they just sat there. I am newer to the Indy movie scene. So this was really a first time for me to go to the movies to see a movie that was locally made. I liked seeing some of the stores and such that I have frequented. It was very interesting to see what the shops may have looked like back in that time. I give a two thumbs up to the person that thought of this movie and put it all together. Great job.