Customer Reviews

29th Street

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Frank Pesce, although he has no reason to be, is upset. Frank just learned he won the first drawing of the New York State Lottery, netting himself a whopping six million dollars. But Frank leaves the lottery drawing without claiming the prize, then goes to a church and begins to throw snowballs at the building while lashing out at God. Cut to the local police station, where Frank begins to tell his story to the local cops, and what a story it is. Thus begins the movie "29th Street," arguably one of the best films of the 1990's, and one of the least known. Starring such well-known actors as Danny Aiello, Anthony LaPaglia, and Lainie Kazan, this movie is both hilarious and touching in its depiction of a working class Italian family in 1970's New York.

The problem for Frank Pesce is his lucky curse. From the day he was born, Frank repeatedly gets a lucky break in life. Frank gets out of bad situations due to luck; he wins at dice because of his luck; he cannot ditch a car for the insurance money because of his luck. Even worse, Frank's luck often has negative consequences for those around him, especially his father Frank, Sr. Frank, Jr. has no problem landing a job with local hoods for some quick cash while his father loses his trucking company and eventually his job driving a truck. Frank, Jr. wins at dice while his father is the archetypical chronic loser at any type of gambling. This lucky/unlucky dichotomy creates serious tensions between father and son, bleeding over into relations within the family.

And what a family! The story really digs deep for ethnic humor while revealing a family that lives at the top of its lungs on a daily basis. This might be upsetting if it was not so funny. A discussion about the weather at the dinner table turns into a profanity laced shouting match. An argument about the cost of pizza turns into a running joke throughout the rest of the movie. But the funniest scenes of the film, without a doubt, involve the efforts of the Pesce men to, shall we say, profit from the "loss" of a car. By the end of these scenes, you will find yourself roaring with laughter. I am not embarrassed at all to say I laughed so hard I cried numerous times during the film.

At the same time, the film poignantly shows the hardships of working class life. When Frank's father loses his company and his job, we see the adverse effects on the family and how it affects Frank, Sr. The whole business with the lottery ticket leads to painful confrontations that are not only unfunny, but also tough to watch due to the intensity of the performances. The seemingly permanent break between father and son does have a silver lining, as we see both Frank and his father prove their love for one another on the night of the lottery drawing. Ultimately, that is what this movie is about: the importance of family above all else.

The overarching beauty of this film is Danny Aiello's performance as Frank Pesce, Sr. The sheer power of his performance shrieks Oscar, and his facial expressions and hilarious outbursts are spectacular to watch. You feel the pathos of Aiello's character in every onscreen movement, with every glance and word. Of course, all the other actors do a great job. The real Frank Pesce does a good turn as Frank's policeman brother.

"29th Street" is ripe for a DVD release. Do not be put off by the slightly cheesy Capraesque cover. This great movie deserves more attention than it currently receives. It is largely due to this film that I became a big fan of Danny Aiello, but I'm not sure he will ever top the performance he gives in this dandy picture.

I really enjoyed this film, having watched it on Bravo at about two in the morning. It is well acted and has one of the finest stories in recent history. It has a satisfying ending that will leave you smiling from ear to ear.

In this film we get to see an Italian family living in New York. One of the sons, along with his father, enters his name into a multi-million dollar lottery and is selected as one of the fifty finalists. He is seemingly having one lucky occurence after another. His father, however, is having money troubles and when a local mobster offers to buy the ticket from the son for $10,000, the son accepts. The mobster, hoping to be the finalist, is eager to take his chances and see if the ticket will win him the large sum of money. That's when the best part of the film sets in. You'll just have to watch to see what happens next.

You will love this delightful and heart-warming film about some basic and simple people in New York and their fantastic tale of family and loyalty.

This is one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. I never get tired of watching it. The acting is so good that you believe they are not acting. Danny Aiello is brilliant. I feel like I grew up with these people. The relationships that are depicted are increadably touching.I find it unbeilable that a movie of this quality is so unknown. I was very pleasantly supprised to read the reviews of the others who reviewed the movie and that inspired me to write my own review. I am glad to see that other people besides me and my family appreciate it's greatness. This one is not to be missed.

Where does one begin on such an extraordinary movie? 29th Street has everything; comedy, drama, fantastic acting, memorable characters, Christmas, the mafia and the most amazing part is that not one iota of it is forced or crammed inside to attract a certain demographic. Every character and scenario plays off each other in a seemingly natural manner and the end result is a movie that has you laughing throughout and has you at near tears towards the end. It's the film equivalent of watching a real family deal with their problems and triumphs.

First, the story revolves around Frank Pesce, an ambitious kid with huge dreams of being known for something remarkable. The problem lies in his lack of wanting to make it happen and more or less wanting it to fall in his lap. He basically skates though life unscathed after a series of very near misses, ranging from his getting stabbed in a bad neighborhood actually being the event that saves his life from a deadly disease to butting heads with a dangerous mafia don in an attempt to save his unlucky father's neck from being put on the chopping block. Amidst all of the chaos that he seems to shrug his shoulders at, he purchases a lone lottery ticket for the first New York State Lottery along with a cheap pair of binoculars from a second hand store so he can cash a measly check and ends up becoming one of the finalists while his unlucky father collects them for months and comes up short.

The acting is comprised of stars that get little by way of mainstream recognition but any true film fan will profess their undying admiration for them. The unambitious kid turned umbitious adult is masterfully portrayed by Anthony LaPaglia who has to this day become a major star but was more than deserving after this film. Danny Aiello, who already tops my list of greatest actors to ever walk the Earth, turns out my absolute favorite character ever in Frank Pesce Sr., the unlucky father who; despite being overworked and underpaid, remains optimistic that one day, everything will work out for the best. His simple wants and needs in life is a stark contrast to the overindulgent world we live in and his range of emotion is as powerful and believable as they are unmatched by the majority of Hollywood's hacks that get much more underserved recognition. Lani Kazaan is the ying to Danny Aiello's yang as Mrs. Pesce and she has the frustrated mother who outwardly protests being the homemaker on the surface but underneath it all, loves her husband and family more than enough to play that role and do it well down path. Like the rest of the main characters, her character feels so real that you want to reach into your television and touch them.

Being not-quite-a-drama and not-quite-a-comedy without a lot of physical "action", the dialogue is left to really move the story forward and the absolutely flawless script flows from each character's mouth so effortlessly that it's almost nauseating that this film never won an Academy Award. Never before have I watched a film not directed by Martin Scorsese have I been floored how the words add so much color to the overall piece. You cannot help but laugh at the frankness of evrey word spoken, especially if you have an ounce of Italian blood in you. It's almost like being at a family reunion.

If you EVER get the opportunity to rent or buy this movie, do so. Calling it a mesh of "Goodfellas" and "It's A Wonderful Life" hits the nail on the head with deadly accuracy. You will feel equally at home watching this during an at-home mafia movie fest or after unwrapping gifts on Christmas.

Everytime I mention this movie, no one has ever heard of it. This astounds me because it's one of the best pictures out there! This thing is a gem. I've watched it more than 10 times and I never tire of it. You're cheating yourself if you don't see this movie. Run, don't walk, to your nearest video store and get this movie!

I'm a movie buff. and every once in a while I stumble upon of film that goes unnoticed unjustly. I saw 29th Street on the basis of only seeing the poster for it. I had not seen a preview or any advertisements for it. I couldn't beleive what I saw. This is one of the greatest, truest and rawest testimonies to a father and son relationship that has ever been expressed. the truths that the movie expresses and the heart that it exerts has been matched only by "It's a Wonderful Life". And I've seen 'em all. So take the advice of this stranger on the net. Do yourself a favor and give 29th Street a chance. with any luck, you'll see what I saw - a funny, touching, powerful, and important film that shows the loyalty we owe ourselves and those who cared for us.

I have never seen a movie that was able to combine suspense, drama and comedy the way 29th street did. This is the only movie that I would watch over and over again.
I've always told people about this movie, and no one has ever heard of it. I've been searching for years to buy it on dvd. I was so happy to find out it will be re-released on dvd this march 8th.
This is the best movie I had ever seen.

"It costs one dollar to make a peetz and you spend 7 bucks! It's a waste of money," quotes Danny Aiello. I can't tell you how many times I heard logic like that in my house when I wanted to treat myself to some "take-out" cuisine as opposed to cooking myself. Aiello has that ability to make you completely beleive his character is REAL and he doesn't get enough credit. Whether he is playing a slimebag gangster ("A Brooklyn State of Mind"), a hard-headed pizza owner ("Do The Right Thing"), or a poor hard-working family man ("29th Street"), he is doing it with his Italian charm and giving the audience a lot to discuss. His character of Frank Pesce Sr. in "29th Street" is one who seems to get all the bad luck, and his son played by Anthony LaPaglia as Frank Pesce Jr. is the one with all the good luck. To some degree. The father-son chemistry is dynamic and the film is a real life docudrama based on the first New York state lotto drawing back in the late 1970's and every character in this flick--including the REAL Frank Pesce Jr. are all portrayed with heart and New York Italian-American charm. Like "Moonstruck," this movie is about an Italian family in an old neighborhood, struggling between a modern world and old fashioned attitudes. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" did the same for Greeks however there is no Mafia backdrop in "Greek Wedding" of course, for obvious reasons. The mom from "Greek Wedding" co-stars as the mom in this. She's pretty good with ethnic roles. Anyone will love this movie, there are many surprises and what-ifs and many things to talk about with your viewing partner. A good movie to watch around the holidays and one that although like I said does have "mob scenes," they are more of a reference point used to compare the 9-5 lifestyle and the "other life" much like "A Bronx Tale" did. The best part of the flick is when Aiello and his two sons are standing outside of the house and a tow truck comes to bring back their "lost" car. I won't divulge much about the details of this film, you have to watch it for yourself to really get a feel for the simple pleasures of it all. I'm waiting for this gem to be released on DVD. One of my favorites.

This movie is your classic comedy / drama about the old time Italian families. Lots of yelling, laughing and arguing. The story is great and the casting is perfect. I just can't believe it took this long for this movie to come out on DVD. I'll actually be buying another copy in December to give as a gift.

This film is what many of today's films
should be. Great acting, directing
and story make this film one you can
watch over and over.