Shoeshine
1987
⏱️ 10 min
📅 Released
🌐 EN
ComedyDrama
During a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, a young Wall Street investment banker and an old shoeshine man begin chatting and discussing their life philosophies.
User Reviews
June 19, 2025
A shoeshiner (Jerry Stiller) aboard the Staten Island ferry discovers a city-type (Ben Stiller) snoozing and in need of his shoes polishing. Whilst he is buffing the leather, the two strike up a conversation that starts off more generically but then focuses more on what three things might make a man a success. Hard work, a good suit and… When it comes to settling the tab, well there is a little twist for us. It’s a fun look at the amateur philosophising that many of us can associate from a barber, a cabbie or a barman that mixes generalisations with profundities in an engaging fashion whilst, in this case, reminding us all about acorns and humble beginnings. I wonder how many of us watching had dads who put the lampshade on their heads?
Crew
Director
Tom Abrams
Writer
Tom Abrams
Producer
Robert Katz, Annette Insdorf
Production
Columbia University School of the Arts