When Marlon Brando uttered the immortal line "I got a one-way ticket to "Palookaville" (in "On the Waterfront"), he was referring to his current life as washed-up boxer, crumb and stooge for the mob, living out his life in a kind of moral limbo, doing rotten things and not quite realizing their import until it's too late. The creators of this fine, quirky film reputedly got the idea for their movie from the line quoted above. Their idea of "Palookaville" is a forgotten nothing of a town where oddballs and misfits abound and where a job in the local pizzeria constitutes a career. The movie centers around a trio of professional losers, whose attempt to rob a jewelry store nets them nothing but some pastry from the bakery they break into by mistake. Their efforts to hold up armored cars yield similar results. Nearly everyone in their orbit seems to be a screw up, including their hapless girlfriends. In spite of their criminal bent, our would-be crooks manage to be endearing (each robbery is going to be their "last job"), as is the entire movie. You find yourself rooting for them and when the intended burglary of the armored car gets them the town's highest honor (they did return the money, which makes them heroes to the town, which doesn't seem to realize what they were up to) you almost want to stand up and cheer. William Forsythe ("Gotti") anchors the film with his performance and his two dogs manage to steal several scenes. Vincent Gallo and Adam Trese are also fine as his accomplices, as is Frances McDormand, in a far-too-small role that for once emphasizes her good looks. This offbeat, comic film is definitely worth a look.

I loved all your critics. This movie deserves a great deal of honors. But I did not only love the film. I also listened to the beautiful music. I have been looking on the web but could not find anything about is. That in fact, I found it very strange, as the main theme came up over and over again, all the time slightly different. Really fantastically done. It supported the plot of the film in a strong way, sometimes sad, then funny and later melodramatic etc. Did anyone else listen too? And have a look at the end titles who made it? I forgot that stupid enough. Hope you can help, waiting for your reply...I guess it would help already to learn the composer, but any additional information would be most welcome too!

In the vein of "Small Time Crooks" and "Trapped in Paradise," "Palookaville" tells the story of three screw-up, would-be criminals (Forsythe, Gallo and Trese) and their quest for the perfect crime. The film opens with a foiled jewelry store robbery that find the trio in a bakery instead of its neighboring store. The whole situation is goofy in an endearing way, especially when we find Trese crouched on the floor, hiding from police yet all the while chowing down doughnuts and brownies. With this film, Parker creates a familiar oddball trio with, while not completely appealing personalities, an overall charming combination. Forsythe's seriousness plus Gallo's wit and Trese's goofiness makes a film that made me laugh out loud and left me smiling, but in an independent rather that cheesy way. Definitely recommended.

I'm very rarely inspired to give a film a Ten, but this must have been just the film I was in the mood to see at the time. Only a few of those consciousness-threatening laughs, but generally a warmly funny film. As a dog-hater, I'm always astonished when a dog (or two) steals the show. Palookaville's dogs were the first film roles I've ever seen for the kind of pets MY friends have in real life. My wife was so caught up in her identity with the lives of the characters, that she was at one point heard to remark "Oh, no! Don't let something bad happen in this film!" Almost made us want to go and live in New Jersey.