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Based on a novella by Philip Roth, Goodbye, Columbus is a biting look at upwardly mobile Jewish life in the suburbs. At the time of its release, some Jewish groups were offended by the film's blunt portrait of materialism. Many insisted Roth had exposed an unseemly, and unspoken, side of American Jewish life.
Richard Benjamin stars as Bronx librarian Neil Klugman, a discontented soul of the1960s who falls in love with Westchester princess Brenda Patimkin, played by Ali McGraw. After meeting Brenda at her country club, Neil ingratiates himself with her family. But the crass materialism he encounters at the Patimkins' repulses him. At the same time, his snobby dismissal of his own modest background leaves him ambivalent about where he fits in.
1969, 105 mins. PG. For more information on US film ratings, go to http://www.filmratings.com
While you watch, consider . . .
•The differences between Jewish life in the Bronx and Westchester.
•Mr. Patimkin’s benevolence toward Brenda’s brother and Neil. What does that say about Mr. Patimkin’s values?
•How Bronx-born Neil missed out on the American dream experienced by the Patimkins. Is dating Brenda a way to capture the dream? Does it give him satisfaction? 
This title is distributed by Paramount (http://www.paramount.com)
TM & Copyright © 2001 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Other films of interest:
Crossing Delancey The encounters of a modern Jewish woman with a narcissistic writer and a quiet, traditional Jewish man.
The Way We Were Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand star in this classic movie about an interfaith romance.
The Imported Bridegroom A wealthy immigrant tries to compensate for his own lack of spirituality by marrying his daughter to a yeshiva bocher from the Old Country.