Lost in Yonkers

LOST IN YONKERS is the story of an eccentric New York family in crisis in the summer of 1942. On the run from a loan shark, a frightened and weak-willed father (Jack Laufer) leaves his two teenage boys, Jay (Brad Stoll) and Arty (Mike Damus), with their domineering grandmother (Irene Worth), who runs a candy store in Yonkers. The effect of the old woman's tyranny over two generations of offspring becomes evident as she coldheartedly attempts to control not only their lives but also that of her mentally challenged middle-aged daughter, Bella (Mercedes Ruehl), who desperately yearns for love and independence. The boys are forced to live by their stern grandmother's rules until their gangster uncle, Louie (Richard Dreyfuss), comes to town one night and goes into hiding in the family home. Uncle Louie ends up helping both the boys and Bella understand their aging grandmother and realize the importance of acceptance and love, despite the hardship of life in Yonkers.