Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, Giuseppe, Nerf and Mike.
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this movie was made in a busy and poor neighborhood. this movie also shows the characters personality very well. this story is told from multiple characters. the sexual parts really didn't have to be in this movie because it didn't tell anything about the character. this movie showed teenaged life in multiple was. i also think the father is too abusive to these boys so they hate when someone yell at them.
film grabs your attention and jerks at your emotional draw strings. Its unapologetic in its true life portrayal of NY in the 80s. This on screen adaptation of the autobiography tells the story of teens stuck in a gridlock of violence. Loved it and would recommend it. Robert Downey Jr does an amazing job. Channing Tatum surprisingly steps out of his comfort zone to play an angry hot headed and misguided friend of the Dito Shia labouf. The film was entertaining and I would not hesitate to recommend it to all. I watched the film before reading the book, now I'm excited to read the book. You really feel like you can connect with some of the characters.
This relatively short movie (1,5 hours) features several great younger and older actors popular at present: Palminteri, Downey Jr., LaBoeuf, Tatum - to name the most frequently seen in the scenes. As the director Montiel did his debut with this movie, it is a remarkable cast. And they all do great job, there are no dull or mediocre performances.The background is grim, of course, there are several casualties, broken destinies, inter-generation discrepancies... Ugly and violent neighborhoods create empty and violent persons, and it is practically possible to change it single-handed; it is just the option of leaving or adapting - and the same life goes on. The main character made his choice - but had to pay spiritual price for this.The script is largely based on Montiel's youth experiences and this movie is recommended to those whose childhood was not so bright and shiny... Even comparison can be challenging.
I don't really feel like a need to add a summary here. All the people who have seen the movie know the story already but I believe that there is a deeper meaning to it. Much as James Joyce's Ulysses has the same story as the Odyssey but it is adapted to early 20th century Dublin with a more syncopated, modern, staccato style so this modern days American Graffiti is based in Astoria in the '80s. I don't know if anybody read the movie the same way. It is basically the same story: some young boys dreaming of leaving the oppression of a place with no future. But only one will leave, the others will be condemned to a bleak, boring future of drugs and joblessness. Give or take something and allow for changes in time, attitude,culture and place this really is a modern days American Graffiti. Great movie. Intense and absorbing if not technically accomplished. it speaks even to people who don't know where Astoria is because it talks of problems we all are familiar with.
