Ever feel like you’re doing everything right and still failing at being a human? That’s the energy of Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York. Most people haven’t even heard of this 1975 flick, or if they have, they know it as a massive box-office bomb that basically derailed Jeannie Berlin’s career as a leading lady. But honestly? Looking at it through a 2026 lens, there is something so raw and weirdly relatable about its messy, "sad girl" energy.
It’s a movie that tries to be a romantic comedy but accidentally ends up being a bleak, awkward character study.
What is Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York actually about?
Okay, so basics first. The movie is based on Gail Parent’s 1972 bestseller. The book was a total riot—a dark, satirical suicide note written by a 30-year-old Jewish woman who’s exhausted by the pressure to get married. When Paramount decided to make the Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York movie, they leaned into the "New York single life" trope, but they stripped away a lot of the book's biting, nihilistic humor.
Jeannie Berlin plays Sheila. She moves from Harrisburg to NYC, gets a roommate named Kate who is basically everything Sheila isn't (glamorous, confident, an aspiring actress), and starts the desperate hunt for a husband. She meets Sam, played by a very young, very tan Roy Scheider.
They have a one-night stand.
Sheila falls in love. Sam... does not.
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In fact, Sam starts dating her roommate. It’s painful to watch. Sheila spends the rest of the movie basically oscillating between trying to be a "liberated" career woman and being absolutely crushed by the fact that the guy she likes is marrying her best friend.
Why the movie felt so "off" to audiences
The biggest issue was the tone. One minute it’s trying to be a zany comedy where Sheila is dancing with a mop to learn how to move in clubs. The next, it's this heavy, depressing drama about a woman who feels invisible. Critics at the time, like Pauline Kael, absolutely shredded it. They thought Sheila was too pathetic. Too whiny.
But that’s kind of the point?
Sheila isn't a "movie" protagonist. She’s awkward. Her clothes don't fit quite right. She makes bad decisions. In an era of cinematic "cool," Sheila was aggressively uncool.
The cast: Jeannie Berlin and Roy Scheider
You’ve gotta talk about the performances here because they are genuinely good, even if the script is a bit of a disaster.
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- Jeannie Berlin: Fresh off her Oscar-nominated turn in The Heartbreak Kid, Berlin brings this incredible, twitchy vulnerability to the role. She doesn't try to make Sheila "likable" in the traditional sense. She makes her real.
- Roy Scheider: This was right before Jaws. Seeing him as a reluctant, slightly jerky romantic lead is wild. He’s a doctor who is clearly "the prize," but the movie slowly reveals that he’s just as stuck in his own way as Sheila is.
The huge difference between the book and the movie
If you’ve read the book, the movie might annoy you. The novel is framed as a suicide note. It’s funny because it’s so extreme. Sheila is literally checking things off her list before she ends it—like finding the right outfit for her funeral.
The movie softens all of that. It turns into a "will they/won't they" romance.
Instead of the dark ending of the book, the film ends on a weirdly ambiguous note. Sam realizes Kate is pregnant by someone else and that he actually loves Sheila. He proposes. Does she say yes? The movie cuts to black before we know. It’s the ultimate "choose your own adventure" ending that left 1970s audiences totally baffled.
Why it’s worth a watch now
We’re living in the era of the "unreliable narrator" and the "messy millennial woman" trope (think Fleabag or Girls). Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York was doing that fifty years ago.
It captures the grime of 70s New York perfectly. The tiny, overpriced apartments. The singles bars that feel like meat markets. The crushing weight of parental expectations. It’s a time capsule of a specific kind of anxiety.
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Also, the soundtrack by Michel Legrand is actually beautiful. It gives the whole thing this dreamy, melancholic feel that contrasts with the awkwardness on screen.
How to actually find it
Good luck. For years, this was one of those "lost" movies that never got a proper DVD or digital release. You can sometimes find it on niche streaming services or boutique Blu-ray labels like Kino Lorber, who finally gave it a high-def release recently.
Making the most of the Sheila Levine experience
If you’re going to dive into this weird corner of 70s cinema, don't expect a standard rom-com. Go in expecting a slightly uncomfortable, very honest look at loneliness.
Next Steps for the curious:
- Read the book first: Gail Parent’s writing is much sharper than the screenplay. It gives you the context for why Sheila is so desperate.
- Watch for the cinematography: Director Sidney J. Furie used some really interesting, cramped framing that makes you feel Sheila’s claustrophobia in the city.
- Pair it with The Heartbreak Kid: If you want to see Jeannie Berlin at her absolute peak, watch these two as a double feature. You’ll see why she was such a unique presence in Hollywood.
Honestly, it's not a "perfect" movie by any stretch. But in a world of polished, artificial stories, there’s something refreshing about a film that isn't afraid to let its protagonist be a total disaster.