Yonkers Joe

I saw this film last night @ the Starz Denver Film Festival. My husband and I decided to see it @ the last minute after hearing rave reviews from a festival volunteer who had been to a screening earlier in the day. We were intrigued, having lived in Yonkers for 3 years and it is always a treat to see a film and meet the director afterwords @ the Q and A. We were not disappointed. The above comments do a good job of describing the film. Indeed, the viewer is drawn into the lives of these characters and it is refreshing to see a true Indie film as opposed to a big budget, Hollywood extravaganza. The acting is great-you will recognize many of the actors from more high profile films/TV. The lead, Guiry, was most recently a star of the ill-fated TV series "The Black Donneleys. The film has scenes in four cities: Yonkers, Atlantic City, Miami and Las Vegas. It is especially interesting to see Vegas from the point of view of a "regular" gambler as opposed to the highly glamorized view the film-goer gets from an "Oceans Eleven," for example. Christine Lahti is amazing in this film. Support independent film-making in the U.S. and go see it when it comes out!

This movie's plot revolves around a small gang as it prepares itself to take on the Casinos. As a counterpoint, a simultaneous plot evolves involving a very difficult father-son relationship. The two interwoven plots, like a piece of contrapuntal baroque music, result in a rich textured film that never bogs down.

Where "Ocean's 11" may epitomize the star-studded Hollywood con movie and "21", the real-life story adaptation, this wonderful Indie film carves out it's own territory. Believable, informative and very enjoyable.

A fine and successful effort by all involved, with special kudos to Tom Guiry for a truly remarkable performance.

This is a great film with some really exceptional performances. I caught the film at TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL in April and like many audience members was intrigued to find out that actor Tom Guiry didn't have Down Syndrome. He was very believable in the role of Joe Jr and Chazz Palminteri and Christine Lahti were also amazing. The gambling scenes were different than anything I have seen before and were very suspenseful. The film also was full of emotion which left some audience members in tears at the end. In the Q and A with Director Bob Celestino, audience members were very enthusiastic about what they had seen and asked many questions that the director answered graciously. Someone asked if this story was based on someone as the director just looked at them and smiled which was kind of a mysterious way to end the Q and A. A great film. Go see it.

This is a fantastic film. The performances are engaging and Oscar-caliber. The characters express so much more through their expressions than words ever could.

While this was made independently, it doesn't give the look or the feel of an independent movie. Every performance is spellbinding, particularly those of Christine Lahti, Chazz Palminteri, and Thomas Guiry.

The supporting cast is outstanding as well. Every character has a purpose and plays it to perfection. The relationship between father and son is examined in a different, yet honest environment.

I hope everybody will search out this movie. It is truly phenomenal.

I watch about 30 movies a week. And this is the one movie in the last year that I have felt compelled to rave about.

Yonkers Joe is expert in every way. From the procedural con-man story to the heartfelt family tale. There is not a wrong note in the entire script.

I generally hate films that use developmentally impaired characters -- they are usually a storytelling shortcut to the pulling of heartstrings. In this film, I expected only that the need to pay for an expensive group home for his son would be the incentive for Chazz Palminteri to take an extraordinary risk. But writer-director Robert Celestino proved me wrong. Way wrong.

A very satisfying film on all levels, with great performances, smart economical dialog, clever plot maneuvers, and not a saccharin moment in the entire flick.