The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker

Three years after graduating Princeton, Jonathan drives a Manhattan taxi and expresses his disgust with the world by insulting passengers and kicking pigeons in Riverside Park. He drifts through the city in a state of disillusionment, surrounded by a loose circle of acquaintances. The opening scenes establish his detachment from conventional success and happiness.

Jonathan's circle includes Winslow Smith, a motorcycle-riding rebel who, at 24, is still a virgin; Oliver, a homosexual interior decorator who hosts elaborate parties; and Jennifer, a 21-year-old tenant living in his building. The group embodies a world of style and detachment that will be challenged by Jonathan's growing cynicism. Their interactions foreshadow the emotional conflicts to come.

At one of Oliver's wild soirees, Naomi, a former bedmate, accosts Jonathan in the bathroom, drags him into the tub, and invites him to join her in the fur-lined bath. He resists and returns to his apartment, choosing emotional distance over physical surrender. The encounter underscores his difficulty forming meaningful connections.

Jonathan visits Jennifer and explains why he must maintain emotional detachment, insisting he cannot be emotionally intimate. Jennifer listens with unusual understanding and the conversation deepens their bond. Their connection begins to form beyond casual acquaintance.

Despite his emotional detachment, Jennifer's understanding nature leads them toward intimacy and they end up making love. The moment marks a shift from casual interaction to a fragile emotional closeness. Jonathan's mood remains unsettled despite their closeness.

During Christmas, Jonathan takes Jennifer to visit his suburban, possessive mother and potentially alcoholic stepfather in Darien, Connecticut. The family setting contrasts with their New York life and tests their relationship. The trip reveals the pull between yearning for stability and his fear of commitment.

A Christmas party and a heated confrontation reveal a generation gap as Jonathan's mother discovers him and Jennifer nude in bed. The scene intensifies with the mother's anger and pushes the couple to return to the city. The holiday setting collapses into tension and distance.

Back in the city, Jonathan remains attracted to Jennifer but becomes increasingly cynical about marriage and even his friends. His sense of alienation deepens as he drifts away from everyone he knows. The world that once seemed dynamic now feels hollow.

One night, as he tries to explain himself to Jennifer, Jonathan finds her in bed with Winslow, shattering his trust. The revelation crystallizes his sense that genuine connection may be impossible. He leaves Jennifer's apartment shaken and heartbroken.

Dazed and furious, Jonathan drives his taxi through the city and ultimately plunges off the docks into the river. The sequence marks a dramatic, suicidal moment that crystallizes his shattered sense of purpose. Passengers and bystanders are left to react to the crash.

In the intensive care unit, Jonathan recovers as friends and Jennifer visit, pleading for a second chance. His reaction shows his stubborn resolve to resist emotional reopening even while surrounded by concern. The scene sets up the possible emotional resolution or continuation of the cycle.

After the visitors, Jonathan slips out of the hospital, packs his bags, and boards a train for Des Moines, Iowa. There he plans to drive a truck and continue his isolated, resistant stance toward life. The journey signals a final attempt to live apart from the world he loathes.