A widowed ex-cop, a rent-stabilized palace, and the Church lady who won't quit knocking.
City Hall is demanding more than his signature, the landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed—and the Church won’t leave him alone. For ex-cop and recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington and his recently paroled son Junior, the struggle to hold on to one of the last great rent stabilized apartments on Riverside Drive collides with old wounds, sketchy new houseguests, and a final ultimatum in this Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy from Stephen Adly Guirgis.
Acting
Henderson delivers a career-crowning performance as Pops.
Writing
Guirgis's dialogue sings, stings, and never lets you breathe.
Director
Austin Pendleton
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stephen McKinley Henderson originated the role of Pops off-Broadway in 2014, nearly a decade before this film adaptation.
The play's title references a 1999 Notorious B.I.G. lyric—Guirgis uses hip-hop cadence to weaponize working-class vernacular against institutional power.
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