Avalon (1990)

The third installment in Barry Levinson's Baltimore Trilogy, AVALON tells the story of a Jewish family immigrating to the United States in pursuit of the American dream. Starting in the early 1900s, the Krichinsky brothers begin to arrive in America one at a time, scrimping and saving to pay for the next relative's trip to the land of opportunity. As the brothers find success in Baltimore, their family grows and they face new challenges. First-generation American cousins Jules (Aidan Quinn) and Izzy (Kevin Pollak) shorten and Americanize their last names, build a small empire with their ever-expanding discount store, and move to the suburbs. Patriarchal figure Sam (Armin Mueller-Stahl)--who proudly reminisces about his initial arrival in Baltimore on the Fourth of July--and his brothers find it hard to understand the younger generation. Levinson does a fine job of capturing the emotions and ties that bind families together, juxtaposing the loss of family interaction with the advent and rising popularity of television. The top-notch ensemble includes Joan Plowright, Elizabeth Perkins, Lou Jacobi, and a very young Elijah Wood.