Suddenly, life was more than french fries, gravy and girls.

What they wanted most wasn't on the menu.

Set in the northwest section of Baltimore, Maryland, during the last week of 1959, Diner tells the story of a circle of male friends – now in their early twenties – who reunite for the wedding of one of their group. The title refers to the Hilltop Diner that was located at Reisterstown Road and Rogers Avenue, Baltimore, their late-night hangout. However, the Hilltop had been converted into a liquor store, so the location in the film is in the Canton section of Baltimore. An element of the story includes the Baltimore Colts winning the 1959 NFL Championship Game. The semi-autobiographical film explores the changing relationships among these friends as they become adults through what is mostly a series of vignettes rather than a traditional narrative. Levinson encouraged improvisation among his cast to capture realistic camaraderie.

Writer-director Barry Levinson's autobiographical first feature fondly remembers his Baltimore youth. It's late 1959, and six guys in their early twenties are stumbling into adulthood, alternating responsibility with carefree time at their local diner. The story centers on the return from college of Billy (TIM DALY) to serve as best man at the wedding of his pal Eddie (Steve Guttenberg). Billy is consumed by a confusing relationship with a close female friend, while Eddie still lives at home, preparing a football trivia test for his fiancée and vowing to cancel the wedding if she fails. Other characters woven into the narrative include Boogie (Mickey Rourke), a womanizer with a gambling problem, and Shrevie (Daniel Stern), a music addict with a troubled marriage. Diner became known for its bittersweet comic screenplay and its remarkable cast, which also included PAUL REISER, Kevin Bacon, and Ellen Barkin. In order to capture the loose, laid-back dialogue of the diner scenes, Levinson directed them last, so that the actors would be more comfortable with each other. Diner was the first part of Levinson's "Baltimore Trilogy," followed by TIN MEN (1987) and Avalon (1990). ~

Release Date: April 2, 1982

Distrib: MGM/UA

Boxoffice: $14,099,953 2013: