mpierce20 In this anemic comedy of errors, the complications are predictable, and the characters neither endearing nor genuinely eccentric. All in all, an uninspired barroom trifle with fewer laughs than "The Iceman Cometh'.

George Parker "Hi-LIfe" tells of a NYC corner pub and the antics of numerous young adults associated with it...a sort of "Cheers" kind of "feel". The plot: He needs to pay off a bookie. His girl friend tells her bro she's preggo and needs the money for an abortion. The bro begin calling in old debts from old friends...etc, etc, etc. With a Christmas time in NYC ambiance, a good cast of second tier actors, and a clever plot, "Hi-Life" has much going for it. Unfortunately, it plays like a tv sitcom with only a modicum of entertainment and a script below the level of the acting talent. Enjoyable stuff for the terminally bored but no sex, nudity, love story, or hilarity.

flk I loved the fact that the producers of Hi-Life used real Upper West Side locations in this film, including the Hi-Life itself. It tugged at the heartstrings of this former UWS resident, now exiled to Atlanta. The movie itself was tolerable -- mainly because Peter Riegert was in it. Can't have enough Peter Riegert in a movie, as far as I'm concerned. The rest of the cast was amiable, if not very energetic. The story -- which could have been quite clever, with various folks chasing the same $900 for a variety of unethical reasons -- floundered in the face of lackadaisical pacing and cramped, dark cinematography.

DeLux I came across this movie late one night when insomnia had me flipping the channels at 4am. I thought it was really rather funny. It had a bizarre set-up and then a very tight ensemble cast, and storylines that took the characters in and out of a series of New York City bars. Campbell Scott is very good in the film. And Moira Kelly is a cutie, as always.