"Mikey and Nicky is a 1976 gangster film starring John Cassavetes and Peter Falk and directed by Elaine May, who was only the third woman admitted to the Directors Guild of America and the only woman in the guild during the 1970s. This film almost ended her directorial career, which was finally killed by her next directed film, Ishtar, in 1987. Mikey and Nicky was considered an abject failure at the time of its release, notable mainly for the drama behind the scenes as the film took over a decade to complete from its inception, went almost $3 million over its original $1.6 million budget, resulted in 1.4 million feet of film (three times what was shot for Gone with the Wind), and involved May hiding the footage in a friends garage for a time to keep the studio from getting ahold of it. When it was finally released, it was derided by critics and was named one of the worst films of the year. In recent years, however, the film has been reevaluated and has become a cult favorite, resulting in a Criterion edition and a screening at MoMA, for example. Berliner is examining the history of the film to explain not only why it failed at the time but why its found a new life and new respect.

He puts it in the context of Mays well-known comedy career (most notably partnered with Mike Nichols) and her role as the only female director in Hollywood at the time. He explores the part that this film played in the careers of many noted actors who appeared in it, including Cassavetes, Falk, Ned Beatty, Joyce van Patten, and others. He also examines the changes that occurred in Hollywood and the industry at this time that affected the films production and reception, using it as a case study to talk about shifts in studio practices, changing demographics and the drive for the youth market, and the financial crisis the film industry was undergoing. Its a novel look at what was widely considered a failed film, rather than the standard practice of looking at successful films, while also providing an analysis of Mays career and shifting Hollywood practices"-- Provided by publisher.