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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Get in the Car!, Mar 23 2003
Frank Pesce, although he has no reason to be, is upset. Frank just learned he won the first drawing of the New York State Lottery, netting himself a whopping six million dollars. But Frank leaves the lottery drawing without claiming the prize, then goes to a church and begins to throw snowballs at the building while lashing out at God. Cut to the local police station, where Frank begins to tell his story to the local cops, and what a story it is. Thus begins the movie "29th Street," arguably one of the best films of the 1990's, and one of the least known. Starring such well-known actors as Danny Aiello, Anthony LaPaglia, and Lainie Kazan, this movie is both hilarious and touching in its depiction of a working class Italian family in 1970's New York. The problem for Frank Pesce is his lucky curse. From the day he was born, Frank repeatedly gets a lucky break in life. Frank gets out of bad situations due to luck; he wins at dice because of his luck; he cannot ditch a car for the insurance money because of his luck. Even worse, Frank's luck often has negative consequences for those around him, especially his father Frank, Sr. Frank, Jr. has no problem landing a job with local hoods for some quick cash while his father loses his trucking company and eventually his job driving a truck. Frank, Jr. wins at dice while his father is the archetypical chronic loser at any type of gambling. This lucky/unlucky dichotomy creates serious tensions between father and son, bleeding over into relations within the family. And what a family! The story really digs deep for ethnic humor while revealing a family that lives at the top of its lungs on a daily basis. This might be upsetting if it was not so funny. A discussion about the weather at the dinner table turns into a profanity laced shouting match. An argument about the cost of pizza turns into a running joke throughout the rest of the movie. But the funniest scenes of the film, without a doubt, involve the efforts of the Pesce men to, shall we say, profit from the "loss" of a car. By the end of these scenes, you will find yourself roaring with laughter. I am not embarrassed at all to say I laughed so hard I cried numerous times during the film. At the same time, the film poignantly shows the hardships of working class life. When Frank's father loses his company and his job, we see the adverse effects on the family and how it affects Frank, Sr. The whole business with the lottery ticket leads to painful confrontations that are not only unfunny, but also tough to watch due to the intensity of the performances. The seemingly permanent break between father and son does have a silver lining, as we see both Frank and his father prove their love for one another on the night of the lottery drawing. Ultimately, that is what this movie is about: the importance of family above all else. The overarching beauty of this film is Danny Aiello's performance as Frank Pesce, Sr. The sheer power of his performance shrieks Oscar, and his facial expressions and hilarious outbursts are spectacular to watch. You feel the pathos of Aiello's character in every onscreen movement, with every glance and word. Of course, all the other actors do a great job. The real Frank Pesce does a good turn as Frank's policeman brother. "29th Street" is ripe for a DVD release. Do not be put off by the slightly cheesy Capraesque cover. This great movie deserves more attention than it currently receives. It is largely due to this film that I became a big fan of Danny Aiello, but I'm not sure he will ever top the performance he gives in this dandy picture.
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