review for Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues on AllMovie

This offbeat but engaging piece of work does a fine job of capturing the "New Hollywood" style of filmmaking that was so prominent during the early 1970's. The Paul Williams script, adapted from an early novel that Michael Crichton cowrote with his brother, is a surprisingly breezy affair given the subject matter. In "New Hollywood" style, it favors character over plot, places an accent on sly humor and takes a cynical view of institutions (whether it is students pontificating shamelessly in their dorms or cops pocketing dope while preaching law-and-order to the public, the script takes an equal opportunity approach to its satirical targets). As a director, Williams brings a smart, stylish approach to his script, giving his actors plenty of room to realize the story's episodic beats but also making effective use of pop music and jump-cut editing to lend it a little pizzazz. He also acquits himself nicely when the film demands a more setpiece-oriented approach during the film's third act, crafting a finale that builds tension while retaining the film's unorthodox, humorous mood. Robert Lyons offers a subtle but witty portrayal of the film's hero, essentially the counter-cultural version of an everyman, but the real scene-stealers are John Lithgow in a charismatic turn as Lyons' dope-dealing pal and Barbara Hershey, who turns in an earthy, alluring performance as the free spirit that Lyons falls in love with. There is also fine work from Charles Durning as the hypocritical cop who slowly loses his cool as he matches wits with the hero. All in all, Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues is a likeable little sleeper that is worth viewing for anyone who enjoys "New Hollywood"-style fare.