Customer Reviews

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Recalling your childhood can be a slippery slope: you can choose to glaze over the bad and present an imaginary world in which very little is based on reality or you can choose to tell it like it is or was.
Whether or not Dito Monteil scrimps on the bad in his film of his autobiography, "A Guide to Recognize Your Saints" is very doubtful because this film is at turns brutal, violent, emotionally poignant and difficult and many scenes are so truthful that they are almost impossible to watch.
There is also much beauty here: scenes of Love: Dito (a truly amazing Shia LeBeouf in a career making performance) and his father (the great Chazz Palminteri) in the bathroom after Dito's friend is killed, a grown up Dito (Robert Downey Jr.) and his mother (a tragic, loving, disappointed Dianne Wiest) on the porch stoop discussing Dito's friend Antonio (a terrific Channing Tatum )...these scenes form the emotional center of the film around which all the others rotate and draw strength from.
"AGTRYS" is ultimately a story of friendship among 5 boys (Dito, Antonio, Mike, Joey and Nerf): all desperately poor, all full of pride and bravado and all full of emotional and sexual fire with very few ways to diffuse and direct it.
Dito Monteil has created a thoughtful, emotional and heartfelt film, a memoir really, about his childhood and the people that were most important to him at that time. It truly is about the everyday Saints and Angels that people our lives and because it is set in a slum in no way diminishes its beauty and grandeur.

I saw "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" at the 2006 Sundance festival and I was blown away. If it's rough and imperfect, it's successfully so; its quirks complement the youthfully wild and tragic themes of this artfully presented memoir. Part of what made the film for me was Dito Montiel's apparent sense of humor in dealing with his past. "AGTRYS" is an infusion of sex, tragedy, violence, and uplifting spirit. I left the theatre feeling great and I've been searching desperately for the DVD ever since. Try it!

This well-made film has galvanizing performances by a young, energetic cast and some wonderful turns by veteran performers, Dianne Wiest and Chazz Palminteri (plus a cameo by Eric Roberts). The cinematography and editing create a constantly kinetic and agitated style of storytelling. The viewer is propelled between past and present, as the central character, Dito, lives and relives the experience of being a teenager 25 years ago on the mean streets of Queens. Based on the memoir of Dito Montiel (who also wrote and directed), the film covers ground we have seen in many other films: coming of age in a working class Italian-American neighborhood, where street talk is rough, violence is everywhere (both in and out of the home), and just getting through childhood alive is a major achievement.

Some viewers may wonder whether Robert Downey, Jr., is the right fit for the role he plays, but if you're a fan, you won't mind his portrayal of a perplexed and troubled man thrust into the position of making amends with a dying father who seems to have loved another man's son more deeply than his own. The DVD has a commentary by the director, an informative making-of featurette including interviews with cast members and the director, plus other material.

Let me start by saying I didn't have any trouble with the coarse language or the incessant contentiousness of the characters. Nor did I have many problems with the sound-delayed presentation of the overlapping lines of dialog, or the "artsy" closed caption-style graphics, or the blacked out scenes or any of the bold, impressionistic choices that director Dito Montiel makes in this allegedly (but not really) autobiographical tale. After all, Dito comes from the hardcore/punk scene, so it's no surprise that he chooses to push the envelope and intentionally agitate his viewers. And I prefer directors to take chances and fail rather than take no chances at all.

The main gripe I have about the film is, though it was very well acted, the writing and the story never make it clear just what Dito's father Monty (Chazz Palminteri) or Dito himself (Shia LaBeouf) see in the troubled and abrasive Antonio (Channing Tatum) character. I understand that Dito might have been just looking up to an older peer, regardless of how unruly or unpleasant he was (or the reasons behind his unpleasantness), but I just couldn't figure out why Monty would in many ways seem to choose Antonio over his own son, Dito. And since these relationships are at the heart of the film, this is a rather major flaw, in my eyes.

The film does make a great case as to why they SHOULDN'T hold Antonio in any esteem, however. Dianne Wiest (in a superb performance as Flori, Dito's mom) is constantly advocating a cautionary approach to Antonio. And when Scottish pal Mike O'Shea (played by the excellent Martin Compston - check out his standout performance in "Sweet Sixteen" if you like him here) says of Antonio, "The guy's a f---in' dick, Dito. It's because of him you're f---ed up," well - I couldn't agree more!

Anyway, I listened to the entire commentary, done by writer/director Montiel himself along with his editor, searching for clues about this character dynamic. And all I really got from the commentary about the story was that Dito (the director) has one thesis statement for this film: "This is a whole movie about people saying nothing, going nowhere." Oh, and he and the editor purposely edited out all the funny parts. Plus Dito admits that the young actors look nothing like the actors who are playing their older selves. Great - thanks for enhancing my viewing experience.

In addition, I think this movie gets too much credit/slack for being an autobiography, when in fact there is a lot of truth-bending (if not breaking) going on here. I don't want to reveal too much, but the fates of both Antonio and his brother Giuseppe are greatly exaggerated in the film. And Nerf takes a completely different course in real life. Which would be fine in a work of fiction, but I think too much value is placed on this film being a true-life memoir, when in fact it is constantly veering into James Frey territory.

To summarize, though the acting is terrific (Dianne Wiest and Rosario Dawson are especially entrancing) and the directing is somewhat fresh and innovative, the story itself ultimately left me cold. And the fact that it's not even truly autobiographical makes it even less remarkable. I'd like to give this film 2.5 stars (an average rating, not a negative one), but the Amazonian star system demands whole integers, so I'll round up to three because I admire Dito's moxie as much as I do his movie.

The DVD itself has some pretty good features: there's a 20 minute "making of" featurette consisting of many interviews with the cast and producer Trudy Styler (aka Mrs. Sting). There's one alternate opening and four alternate endings (both with and without commentary) and a bunch of deleted scenes (again, with or without commentary). There's also the 6 minute "rooftop scene," made by Dito whilst training at Sundance Labs. But if you don't like the movie itself, odds are you won't have too much interest in the features. I say, despite its high Amazon rating, approach this film with caution and maybe rent before you decide to buy.
[...]

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints is truly affecting in a very unconventional way. The story follows Dito (played with electrifying realism by Shia LaBoeuf as young Dito and Robert Downey Jr. as older Dito), growing up in the Astoria part of Queens. When one of his closest friends ends up dying in front of him, he flees his life in Queens for something more. Twenty years later, his father (Palminterri) is sick and Dito comes home to take him to the hospital. When Dito left, he virtually killed the relationship between him and his father. Chazz Palminterri hasn't been this good in years. The young cast featuring "Step Up" star Channing Tatum as Dito's friend Antonio and Melonie Diaz of "Raising Victor Vargas" are a match for their older counterparts played by Hollywood A-listers, this case Eric Roberts and Rosario Dawson. This film has the strongest emotional impact of any recent film, partly because of director Montiel's unconventional style, which uses subtitles in unexpected places and brilliantly avoids all biopic clichés. This is a respectable feat alone. It's worth seeing if only for the pure raw energy that hasn't been felt this vividly in any film of this kind since Scorsese's masterpiece "Mean Streets". Make no mistake, despite the excellent group of stars this film is very much about the excellent young actors. It is worth whatever Amazon may be charging for it. Excellent and emotional.

Director Dito Montiel's "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" covers very familar ground. The coming-of-age story on the New York streets harkens back to films such as "Mean Streets", "A Bronx Tale" as well as countless others. What makes it memorable is the confident direction, bold script and steller acting.

The semi-autobiographical tale follows a young Dito as he begins to look for a life beyond the narrow world of Astoria Queens. His father (Chazz Palminteri) views Dito's pending departure as an act of betrayal to the family.

Surprisingly, one of the strongest performances comes from Channing Tatum as the doomed street thug who's life is tied to Dito's. He struts his way though the role like a young Brando at his peak. His character is the one of most vibrant and most heartbreaking seen in a film this year.

Though the genre is familiar, this film breathes new life into the tired style. It proves that it isn't the subject matter that makes a great film, but, rather the way in which it is presented.

Highly recommended.

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints is a powerful film that may turn off some people because of some violent and $exual content. However, if you look beyond that (and I admit I was wondering just how many times they used "the `f' word" in this movie) you'll find a brilliant story that's very poignant, true to life and emotionally raw because of its honesty about people and their relationships with each other. The cinematography is excellent and the choreography shows good judgment. The musical score enhances the movie, too. The acting is extremely convincing and the casting is great.

When the movie begins, we quickly meet young Dito Montiel (Shia LaBeouf) who's growing up with his buddies and some girlfriends on the pretty mean streets of Astoria, Queens (NY City) during the 1980s. Dito's friends include the ultra-macho Antonio (Channing Tatum) and Antonio's younger brother Guiseppe (Adam Scarimbolo), Nerf (Peter Anthony Tambakis), Mike O'Shea (Martin Compston), his girlfriend Laurie (Melonie Diaz) and more. Dito's parents are brilliantly portrayed by Dianne Wiest and Chazz Palminteri. As the plot develops, we see Dito and his buddies leading a rather frustrating life during the course of one extremely hot and humid summer; they are young and looking for time alone with girls and some angry confrontations with other guys, including one who goes by the name of "Reaper" (Michael Rivera). When Dito gets into a fight with "Reaper" because he wrote graffiti; "Reaper" scrawls more graffiti--even some on Dito's house--that he's coming "to get" Dito and kill him. Antonio is ready to defend Dito even though they themselves have their own ups and downs; and this ultimately leads to quite an explosive scene.

In addition, Dito's parents don't meet his needs as a young teenager who doesn't really know yet what he wants from life but is old enough to know that whatever he wants certainly isn't in Astoria, Queens. His father is furious that Dito is considering leaving home with his buddy Mike to form a band in California; and Dito's mother tries her best to keep things under control even though her struggle isn't very successful.

The DVD comes with an optional running commentary by director Dito Montiel; a "making-of" featurette and more.

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints leaves me with a very powerful impression; it makes a bold statement about the harsh realities that happen so often in life. Some may say that Dito Montiel's relationships with his friends and his family were unusual; but I think there are many, many people out there who have similar relationships, struggles, fears and occasionally some happy times. I highly recommend this film for anyone who wants a good look at what life is really like on the streets of a mighty callous neighborhood; this is a terrific coming-of-age story. Of course, fans of the actors in this movie will not be disappointed.

This is a heart-gripping story of a writer going back into his tumultuous childhood in a rough Astoria-Queens neighborhood in the 1980's. When Dito returns home to try to help his ailing, estranged father, it stirs up a mix of memories surrounding friends, bullies, old girlfriends and loyalties. He's forced to face his feelings with his father and an old friend who ended up in prison. He also relives the death of a friend from Scotland who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I loved the story and the music brought up fond memories from my own childhood.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS may not be on everyone's list of great films of 2006 but it most assuredly should be. In a time when the bulk of films that come across the marquis are empty headed fluff (with of course notable exceptions), little films like this autobiographical coming of age story in Queens in the 1980s by the accomplished yet very humble Dito Montiel make an initial impact on the viewer, then hang around the psyche with memories of cinematic moments as well as fresh looks at our own lives like few other films can achieve.

Dito Montiel wrote his memoir, adapted it for the screen and directed it, each step being a first one for this very talented young man. His story on the surface is simple: a childhood and coming of age of Dito and his friends as they face the crime and drugs and love affairs and deaths of living in the line of poverty. Dito (an astonishingly fine Shia LaBeouf) has a cadre of friends that include Scottish Mike (Martin Compston), crazy Nerf (Peter Anthony Tambakis), firebrand Antonio (Channing Tatum in yet another fiery and sensitive performance), Antonio's unfortunate brother Giuseppe (Adam Scarimbolo), and girls Laurie (Melonie Diaz) and Diane (Julia Garro). The boys face gang trouble with the Puerto Rican gang Reapers, parental abuse as in Antonio's father (Federico Castelluccio), parental love as with Dito's parents Monty (Chazz Palminteri) and Flori (Dianne Wiest).

As their world in Queens comes tumbling down with tragic consequences Dito decides to leave for California. And leave he does, not returning for twenty years to the place where he successfully survived a childhood due to the 'saints' he didn't recognize until the father with whom he has not communicated in the interim has reached his end. The past and the present are woven together throughout the film with the flash forward, flash back sequences: the older successful writer Dito is played by Robert Downey, Jr.; Antonio (imprisoned for his beating death of the head of the Reapers) is Eric Roberts; Laurie now married is Rosario Dawson; Nerf now is Scott Michael Campbell: and Dito's parents remain makeup-aged Palminteri and Wiest. It is this blend of the past as revealed by the present that makes Montiel's film work so well. They manner in which he creates the magic of near extemporaneous speech with this amazing cast creates a sense of grit, verismo, and profound love and loss. Conversations such as the ones between little Dito and Monty, between the mature Dito and Flori and Lauri and Antonio - all are minor miracles of writing and acting. Montiel may be a first time director but he has drawn some of the finest work ever from Palminteri, Wiest, Downey, Dawson, Tatum, Roberts and LaBoeuf.

For those who have read Montiel's book by the same name, the time Dito spent in East Village and his fame as a Calvin Klein underwear model will seem painfully missing. But Montiel has extracted the essence of a boy growing out of his environment with the help of his unknown saints, condensed the action, and told the story in a magical way - a way that is sure to drive into the gut and heart of every sensitive viewer. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, February 07

The only complaint I have with this film is that it's too short. The ending came so abruptly I was not ready to leave these characters behind. Thanks to brilliant acting I had become totally invested in them and left to wonder whatever happened to them. The film tells the story of Dito Montiel an author turned filmmaker. It traces his violent childhood in Queens to his self imposed exile in California and finally his return home after fifteen years to tend to his ill father who never forgave him for leaving. Shia LeBeouf plays Dito as a teen and Robert Downey Jr. plays the grown up Dito. I'm not a fan of LeBeouf but his acting here is amazing. I haven't seen many of his films but I would say it's his greatest performance if there is such a thing. Dito lives with his mother (Dianne Wiest) and father Monty (Chazz Palminteri). He roams the streets with his friend Antonio (the brilliant Channing Tatum) and other characters with names like Nerf. Antonio is a hothead who is always getting into fights and vandalizing stuff. His home life is no picnic since his father beats him severely. Monty is the only person who takes an interest in him, more so than his own son. Laurie (the gorgeous Melonie Diaz) is the neighborhood girl who Dito has a crush on. Tiring of the violence and drugs that surround him Dito dreams of running off to California and starting a band with a Scottish classmate. This doesn't bode well with his friends or family. When he runs afoul of some Puerto Ricans and they beat him with bats his mind is made up. In the tragic aftermath his father suffers a severe heart attack, Antonio gets revenge on the Puerto Ricans that lands some in the hospital and others in jail, and Laurie remains in Queens and has a child while waiting for Dito to return. Dito comes home after fifteen years to take his father to the hospital but his father, like everyone else, has never forgiven him for abandoning them. The film is very raw in many ways. The behavior of Dito's friends is appalling full of sex, violence, and strong language. They aren't a likable bunch but they aren't supposed to be. What makes the film so raw and painful are the scenes between Dito and Antonio or Dito and his father. Both as child and adult the emotion is there. As mentioned LeBeouf is brilliant and Palminteri is reliably superb. The biggest revelation is Tatum. After appearing in crap like 'She's The Man' and 'Step Up' he shows a real talent and his performance is the film's highlight. (I can't wait to see his re teaming with Montiel in the film 'Fighting'.) As an adult Eric Roberts plays Antonio and even though the scene is very short and comes right at the end it's still devastating. Rosario Dawson plays the adult Laurie and she is quite raw in her limited scenes with Downey. Downey isn't in the film as much as LeBeouf but his performance is very effective. His confrontation with his father is gut wrenching. The film is great and thankfully the DVD has a lot of good extras including a making of and commentary in which Montiel elaborates on what wasn't in the movie. I love it.