Exceptionally bright teenage boy, a cello student at a professional school in New York City, falls in love for the first time with a newly-enrolled dancer just relocated from Detroit. Writer-director Arthur Barron shows a documentary filmmaker's eye in working out the day-to-day lives of these smart, appealing kids, while his script is blessedly free of issues. Jeremy (nicely played by a young Robby Benson) is intelligent without being a nerd, talented without alienating his friends, and quietly, jokingly rebellious with his humorless father without being a smart-ass. Barron won the Best First Work award at Cannes, and was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and Benson was nominated for a Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe, though the picture was otherwise ignored in 1973. It gained some recognition once it played on cable in the late 1970s--and after Robby Benson and co-star Glynnis O'Connor were re-teamed in 1976's "Ode to Billy Joe". **1/2 from ****

Studious, lonely and awkward straight A student and cellist Jeremy (an excellent and engaging performance by Robby Benson) meets and immediately falls head over heels in love with shy and sweet new girl in school Susan Rollins (a fine and captivating portrayal by the radiant Glynnis O'Connor). Writer/director Arthur Barron tells the simple, yet touching and compelling story with great heart and sensitivity, placing the key emphasis on the tremendously appealing lead characters. Benson and O'Connor do stellar work in their roles: Benson projects a winningly quirky and gawky charm as Jeremy while O'Connor brings a beguiling delicate grace to the part of Susan. Moreover, the chemistry between Benson and O'Connor is wonderfully warm, affecting, and utterly convincing (the fact that they were both actual teenagers when they did this film gives the picture a substantial amount of genuine credibility). Their one big love scene is exceptionally tender and special. The couple's dates are likewise delightful, with the horse racetrack date rating as a definite highlight. Sturdy supporting turns by Len Bari as Jeremy's brash and outgoing best friend Ralph Marzoni, Leonardo Cinimo as Jeremy's stern, demanding, but helpful cello teacher, New Wilson as Susan's decent hard-working dad, Chris Bohn as Jeremy's hard-nosed father, and Pat Wheel as Jeremy's preoccupied mother. Paul Goldsmith's pretty grainy, yet slick and agile cinematography offers plenty of nicely gritty shots of the New York City locations. Lee Holbridge supplies a jaunty and melodic score. The tragic ending is a real heartbreaker. A poignant little winner.

Released in 1973, "Jeremy" stars Robby Benson as a 16 year-old cellist in the Big Apple who falls for a new girl in school (Glynnis O'Connor). Love blossoms as they develop a relationship. Len Bari plays the boy's best friend and Leonardo Cimino his cello teacher while Ned Wilson plays the girls likable father.

This has the same tone as 1970's "Love Story," except that it deals with young high school students rather than college-age (interestingly, Benson and O'Connor were the same age as their characters during filming, 16 and 17 respectively). I like it better than that more popular flick mainly because the girl is more palatable than Ali MacGraw, to say the least; not to mention the story's less downbeat. This is just a quiet, sweet and beautiful love story of city teenagers that smacks of real life. For instance, if you're a guy did you ever call a girl you were interested in and have a literal list of topics to discuss because you lacked the mojo to wing it? I did; several times.

This was only Benson's second film and he had what it takes to carry it, along with the winsome O'Connor. Being only 16, he looks way geekier than later films. Speaking of which, "Jeremy" is sort of the precursor to 1976's "Ode to Billy Joe" since both flicks star Benson and O'Connor as teen lovers, although they're a year or two younger in "Jeremy," not to mention in the big city rather than rural Mississippi. While "Jeremy" is good for what it is it's unable to breach the threshold of greatness like "Ode."

The film runs 90 minutes and was shot entirely in New York City.

GRADE: B