Customer Reviews

Yonkers Joe

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a terrific film. The inside, tricks of the trade of the gambler are depicted with such realism that I forgot I was watching a movie. Yonkers Joe, played to perfection by Chazz Palminteri can minipulate cards and dice in order to make himself win -- I would defy anyone to try and catch him. What's different about this story is Joe doesn't make a ton of money, he uses his skills to get by until something happens that drives his ambition. I wondered after seeing this movie, if I had ever been conned in this fashion, because I didn't think these types of skilled gamblers would waste their time on small money, back room VFW type poker games. But why not? These people don't care about showing off they just want your money. These are crooked characters who operate outside the law, but when performed and photographed with such honesty and meaning, I understood their motives and was drawn in by them. The story between Chazz and his son is truely moving. If the actor playing Chazz's son isn't really mentally challenged, he's surely the greatest actor on the planet and deserves an Oscar! This is the best movie I've seen all year. In you've ever played poker or shot craps, you have to see this movie.

Aside from the premise that gets repeated everywhere about this being a father/challenged son film, I looked at this as more a gambling film. Once you watch the special features, it was apparent that was the primary intention anyway.

One solid performance by Tom Guiry (who I remember most from Black Irish movie) and a slew of normal performances by everyone else lead up this film about cheats and hustlers making a buck. Chazz as the father, takes over the care of his challenged son that he has essentially ignored for years. Through their trials and difficulties, we see them become closer, all whilst cheating everyone they come across. The filmmakers stressed the importance of the viewer liking the leads, but they were all cheats so it didn't work as well with me.

The special features make this three star film a four though.

15 minute making of documentary; extremely dry and slightly informative.
8 minute documentary on the technical consulting by "Fast Jack"; more touching than the movie, as the old guy gets choked up talking about his past - if you skip the rest, even the movie at least give this a watch.
5:30 minute clip on the look of the film, sets, lighting, etc.
7:30 minute clip on the premier footage and more interviews
But the best: a 6:30 minute look into the moves used in the film...wow. They review the slights of hand and tricks used in dealing cards and playing poker. I watched it in slow motion a few times just to try and figure out how in the heck they were pulling some of those things off. Was fun to sift through.

This was the director's first real film, and he did a decent job. The film quality was average to poor at times, the sound was selectable between 5.1 or 2.0, and the music drowns up too heavily in a few scenes, but seeing all of the background props, tricks and gambling makes for an adequate gaming watch.

This movie was entertaining, but I had to suspend my disbelief in a couple of places. Wonder where it was shot cause it really didn't look like Vegas to me. Gambling seems like a very sad addiction - for many reasons. To each his own. Couldn't figure out the wife's motive for putting herself at risk. Seemed to be a lifeless, loveless marriage.

Yonkers Joe is about a man who has a special talent for cheating when it comes to gambling, and specifically hiding cards and creating fake dice. The bogus dice is actually the main aspect of his cheating abilities. He knows people on the side who can create believable looking phony dice that bare a striking resemblance to the real thing found in casinos.

There's basically two storylines going back and forth throughout the movie. One of them is about, as I mention above, a dishonest man finding his way inside gambling environments where he can sneakily trick even the most professional of gamblers and pull the biggest money-making scams around town. This guy is really good, because on the rare occasions it's discovered that he'd been cheating, he's always able to hide the dice in time and make a clean escape.

The other storyline is drastically different and involves his mentally challenged teenage son and his numerous problems, such as trying to keep his sons anger problems in check, teaching him to respectfully communicate with women, and on one particular occasion, involve his own son in the ultimate gambling scheme.

In fact, the two stories eventually come together near the end and the son gets involved in helping his father win lots of money at a gambling center. Will it be a success? Will his cheating father get away with it? You'll have to watch it to find out.

Overall, Yonkers Joe is a pretty good movie. You have drama with the teenage boy and a little bit of suspense whenever the gambling segments happen. The movie is able to pull off both without any problems whatsoever. Enjoyable.

Loved this film!! Was suprised that I enjoyed this so much when I read the title about it being about gambling. At first I was like, "Oh, he brought home another guy film", so I almost skipped watching this. What a mistake that would have been! I like to gamble a little but am not usually into this sort of movie. But I didn't see this as so much of a gambling film. (I can usually filter out stuff I'm not interested in when watching a movie.) Enjoying mostly drama, I like the emotional stuff in a film. The acting in this film was great and very belivable and the story was sometimes depressing but also sweet and made me cry a little. Basically, I watch a movie to either cry, laugh or feel some sort of emotion. This film had me doing all 3! The jokes were funny, albeit, not PG rated! The film kept me interested the whole time and I can honestly say that has happended for me in a long, long time. And I watch a lot of films. I also don't normally write reviews but I was so taken by this film that I had to write something Also, if you are like me and you like closure at the end of film, Yonkers Joe does just that. It doesn't leave you hanging! I want an ending to fill me up and Yonkers Joe did just that.... There's so much crap out there with "A" listed actors and I am usally so dissapointed that I had to comment about this film since it was such a suprise attack!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, this is one of those movies that you will want to watch over and over again to see all the subtleties. I love the clambake scene where Yonkers Joe, played masterfully by Chazz Palminteri, notices he's been caught by a sucker going into to his pocket for bad dice. The director of the movie makes sure the actors do what's real and that they are not talking to the audience with exaggerated movements and acting. This is for a smart audience, if you miss something, your loss. Also, the cheating moves in this movie are so real and a MUST SEE for any gambler. Glad I bought it. Highly Recommend!

Robert Celestino's most tender film to date. He brings out the best performances in this moving film about a father's gambling addiction and the tormented relationship with his mentally challenged son. The realism of the acting leaves the audience drained because you can't help but become attached to these tragic characters.

Yonkers Joe is a heartfelt family drama, about a father and a son. It does a great job of sharing with the audience the life of a talented gambler, who is now faced with taking care of his troubled son, who has Down Syndrome. It was touching to see how both characters, who resented one another for so many years, due to feelings of guilt and abandonment, come together to pull off a cunning gambling act in Las Vegas!
I've watched the movie three times so far and have recommend it to all my friends...it's definitely one of my favorites...I am looking forward to seeing more from Director Robert Celestino!

YONKERS JOE is a moving portrait of a father-son relationship with tons of cool Vegas cheating scams as the story's backdrop. Director Celestino gets great performances from Lahti, Palminteri, and Tom Guiry. Check out this wonderful gambling movie with a big heart.

This film has some of the finest acting you will ever see. The characters in this movie are real and the actors play them with all the truthfullness the script deserves. Excellently written and directed by Robert Celestino...VERY riveting!