“Smoked fish, romance and the Upper West Side.” That’s the tag line for Putzel, a film that chronicles the life of a young man who never wants to leave the Upper West Side or his family’s smoked fish shop.
Putzel was filmed in the neighborhood — 72nd Street Bagel near Columbus was remade to become “Himmelstein’s,” the family’s fish store. Other scenes were shot at spots like Columbus Circle.
The film has made its way around the film festival circuit and will be available on iTunes and Amazon on April 8, according to the Putzel Facebook page. It’s got some actors you’ll recognize, though you might not remember the name of any of them except for Susie Essman, who appears to have a small role. A synopsis from the film’s website and the trailer are below.
“For some, life is an adventure filled with opportunities to excel and places to explore. For Walter Himmelstein, a young man, endearingly known as Putzel, life literally doesn’t go beyond his family’s fish store and his community on the upper west side of Manhattan. In this heartwarming comedy, Walter’s aspirations of taking over his uncle’s smoked fish emporium are disrupted by the arrival of Sally, who becomes romantically involved with his about-to-retire and very-married uncle. While Walter tries to thwart their romance in order to ensure his taking over the business, he finds his circumscribed life thrown off kilter, and, after years of being undermined by his family and friends, he finally starts to realize his full potential. With Sally’s help, Walter confronts his fears and proves he is more than a Putzel.”
