Liberty Heights

Barry Levinson's fourth movie about Baltimore in the 1950s and '60s (Diner, Tin Men, Avalon), this dramedy about adolescence, segregation and discrimination in America's golden age of denial is sometimes far-fetched, but it's an astute, observant yarn with a cheshire grin and the period perfection of a restored '55 Cadillac. The story revolves around two brothers from a devoted Jewish family who experiment with the era's cultural and racial polarization. Ben (Ben Foster) befriends a black girl (Rebekah Johnson) at his newly desegregated high school and college-age Van (Adrien Brody) develops a jones for a WASP princess (Carolyn Murphy) while intrepidly party-hopping in her affluent part of town. The movie occasionally lags and Levinson's teenagers are unrealistically suave and nonchalant about everything from racism to premature ejaculation, but the performances are a joy, including Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth as the brothers' dismayed parents. A strong, optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)