Directed by:
Dito MontielScreenplay:
Dito MontielCinematography:
Eric GautierComposer:
Jonathan EliasCast:
Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri, Shia LaBeouf, Dianne Wiest, Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Eric Roberts, Melonie Diaz, Anthony DeSando, Michael Rivera (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Writer Dito Montiel's highly cinematic memoir of his childhood in Queens, New York, makes the leap to the big screen, with the author himself getting behind the camera to helm this powerful, and at times gut-wrenching, adaptation. The film flits back and forth between the adult Montiel's (Robert Downey Jr.) emotional return to the neighborhood after a 15-year gap, and the childhood antics that led to his younger self (played by Shia LeBouf) fleeing to Los Angeles in 1986. Downey's older brother Montiel is an introspective, quietly successful author who comes home after he is informed of his father's (Chazz Palminteri) life-threatening illness. LeBouf's teenage Montiel is a young tearaway who runs into constant trouble with his gang of friends, falls in love with local looker Laurie (Rosario Dawson), and dreams of an escape from the city with his Scottish friend, Mike (Martin Compston). The balance of the film tilts in favor of the kids, with most of the action taking place in 1986. These scenes acutely capture the punishing heat of the New York City summer, with the teenage gang soaked in sweat and dirt as they trample through their crumbling Queens ghetto. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
This film is a significantly emotional, plotless film that is difficult to describe for this reason. It is a film about searching for one's roots and attempting to map out one's childhood and adolescence. As a story, it is essentially about nothing, and the adventures of a group of teenagers from a poor suburb of an American metropolis are completely forgotten in a few days. However, the nostalgic melancholic mood will resonate with me for a long time. It is definitely not a bad film and considering how inexperienced the director was, I consider it more than successful. However, considering the above, it has its limits, for which I can give no more than three stars. Dito Montiel made a film where the combination of music, images, and performances rarely works well. Overall impression: 65%.
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