I'm glad this turned out to have a dramatic turn of events right in the middle, cause if it wasn't for that it would be a pathetic and shallow little movie about almost nothing.
"29th Street" tells the story of a lucky guy in New York who doesn't seem to realize all the luck he has, confusing it (to some extent) as a misfortune. He could be called as the luckiest man alive yet quite unlucky. The movie begins with him being the first person to ever win the New York State lottery. And what does he do? Scream to God in anger. Later, his life story is retold, showing his instants of pure and amazing lucky strikes such as being discharged from serving in the Vietnam war or surviving an fatal attack where he could almost get killed. And he doesn't win the lottery once but twice.
Who is this guy? He's Frank Pesce (played by Anthony LaPaglia), quite an character who now is an actor (he plays his older brother in this film). We follow not only him but also his big and lovable family having as parents two great folks (played by Lainie Kazan and Danny Aiello), who always try to make ends meet despite everything, including Frank's lunacies and lack of involvement on things.
So, first half of the movie is so incredibly dumb and unfunny that one can easily depart from watching it. It's full of comic situations that doesn't cause much impact on the viewer. It gets better when the "stolen car" problem is introduced to us.
And if lifts up for good when Frank has to solve his father's financial problems, surrounded with debts after asking money from the mob. Frank will have to decide if he'll get the millions of dollar of the ticket or deliver it to the mobsters who want to buy it for a good price (smaller than the prize though) since they know about Frank's luck. That's when the movies shows what's it all about, creating some tension and building an satisfying story involvement for us that saves this project of being a little silly.
LaPaglia's performance comes of as strong and vigorous, sometimes truly funny when almost everyone around plays pathetic types, and he can be quite moving as well (the fight scene with the father is his high point). But it's Danny Aiello and his class act that are the true reason "29th Street" doesn't suck. He's an convincing father, very real, a good person who does his best to unite his family, sacrificing everything for whom he cares.
The final message is the one that really grabs us despite a little sentimental. It's a film about understanding what luck or fortunate moments means. But not the most perceivable of lucks, or getting millions of dollars but discovering that you have not only the most difficult of lucks but the one that truly matters. Find it what it is in this picture. 6/10
"29th Street" tells the story of a lucky guy in New York who doesn't seem to realize all the luck he has, confusing it (to some extent) as a misfortune. He could be called as the luckiest man alive yet quite unlucky. The movie begins with him being the first person to ever win the New York State lottery. And what does he do? Scream to God in anger. Later, his life story is retold, showing his instants of pure and amazing lucky strikes such as being discharged from serving in the Vietnam war or surviving an fatal attack where he could almost get killed. And he doesn't win the lottery once but twice.
Who is this guy? He's Frank Pesce (played by Anthony LaPaglia), quite an character who now is an actor (he plays his older brother in this film). We follow not only him but also his big and lovable family having as parents two great folks (played by Lainie Kazan and Danny Aiello), who always try to make ends meet despite everything, including Frank's lunacies and lack of involvement on things.
So, first half of the movie is so incredibly dumb and unfunny that one can easily depart from watching it. It's full of comic situations that doesn't cause much impact on the viewer. It gets better when the "stolen car" problem is introduced to us.
And if lifts up for good when Frank has to solve his father's financial problems, surrounded with debts after asking money from the mob. Frank will have to decide if he'll get the millions of dollar of the ticket or deliver it to the mobsters who want to buy it for a good price (smaller than the prize though) since they know about Frank's luck. That's when the movies shows what's it all about, creating some tension and building an satisfying story involvement for us that saves this project of being a little silly.
LaPaglia's performance comes of as strong and vigorous, sometimes truly funny when almost everyone around plays pathetic types, and he can be quite moving as well (the fight scene with the father is his high point). But it's Danny Aiello and his class act that are the true reason "29th Street" doesn't suck. He's an convincing father, very real, a good person who does his best to unite his family, sacrificing everything for whom he cares.
The final message is the one that really grabs us despite a little sentimental. It's a film about understanding what luck or fortunate moments means. But not the most perceivable of lucks, or getting millions of dollars but discovering that you have not only the most difficult of lucks but the one that truly matters. Find it what it is in this picture. 6/10