Elaine May’s ambition and genius are finally being recognized

In 1975, after more than two years of cutting Mikey and Nicky, Elaine May found herself at odds with Paramount and its chief executive Barry Diller. She attempted to sell the film to Alyce Films, a phoney company reportedly set up by May, Peter Falk and others; a judge stopped the sale and ordered her to hand over the picture.

She complied, except for two essential reels that only reappeared once the studio agreed she could supervise the final cut. Set in Philadelphia flophouses and diners, Mikey and Nicky is an extended, panic‑tinged hangout between two gangsters: Nicky (John Cassavetes), on the run after robbing his boss, and Mikey (Peter Falk), who is torn between protecting his friend and turning him in.

Their relationship—full of care, petty betrayals and the habits of long acquaintance—yields one of the most bleak and beautiful portrayals of male friendship on screen. When the film opened in the winter of 1976, many viewers, expecting the comedy of May’s earlier work and her Nichols and May fame, walked out.

United States, Philadelphia

elaine may, mikey, nicky, paramount, barry diller, peter falk, john cassavetes, alyce films, philadelphia, final cut