Customer Reviews
Great Used DVD 
2008-09-29
I bought this DVD used on Saterday & recieved it on Thursday. At first I didn't know what to expect because I had never bought a used DVD before. But to my surprise it was in good working order when I watched it. I feel more confident now about buying a used DVD.
Mickey Mantle don't care about you, so why should you care about him? 
2008-08-25
But you should care about this classic. This movie passes all the tests. Except the Mario test.
Simply Put, One Great Movie 2008-08-11
Based on Chazz Paliminteri's autobiographical one-man play, "A Bronx Tale" is an impressive coming-of-age story about a young man, Calogero, or "C," as he is called, growing up in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx during the racially turbulent Sixties who is torn between the ethical standards set by his scrupulously honest bus driver father, Lorenzo, and the flashy appeal of "Sonny," the charismatic local crime boss. When Calogero, as a mere child, witnesses Sonny shoot and kill a man in a street dispute and refuses to pick him out of a hastily organized lineup moments later, Sonny takes the boy under his wing, much to the displeasure of his father. In his own way, Sonny is looking out for the young man's best interests. He is both paternal and protective, urging C to stop hanging out with his troublemaking friends, whom he derisively calls "jerk-offs," and emphasizing the importance of a good education. He also tutors him in the ways of the street. "That way," says C, "I'll be twice as smart as everyone else." Eventually there is a heated confrontation between the boy's father and the gangster, but the lure of Sonny's lifestyle - a flashy red Cadillac, women, nice clothes, "respect" - is too strong for the youngster to resist. There is an interesting assortment of supporting characters - Eddie Mush (the unluckiest gambler in the world), Tony Toupee (so called because of his ill-fitting hairpiece), Frankie Coffee Cake (whose acne-scarred face reminded everyone of a Drake's coffee cake) - and a host of others who apparently made an indelible impression on the young Palminteri. There are several memorable scenes - the humorous antics during a basement craps game; the invasion of Sonny's bar by a gang of bikers, to their regret; Sonny's advising his protege on dating etiquette. Robert De Niro, in his directorial debut, plays Lorenzo, but it is Chazz Palminteri's Sonny who dominates the film throughout. The ending is sad, poignant, and touching, but of course I won't go into that here on the assumption that you haven't seen this movie. As a lay person I'm unable to intelligently critique the technical aspects of any film, but I can state in all honesty that this is one movie I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.
IF A MAFIA FLICK CAN BE HEARTWARMING, THIS IS IT! 2008-08-03
This is a film that I can watch a kazillion times and still not get enough. Chazz Palminteri is one of the scariest actors in gangster history. However, his insight into the world that he was born in was touching. Robert De Niro shines as a frustrated father trying to save his son from the streets.
a fun movie 2008-06-29
Well acted, great local scenes of The Bronx, plausible. Good story. De Niro is fantastic in a different sort of role as a hard working, earnest, honest bus driver just trying to show his son a decent way to live. Parmentieri is fantastic as the local crime boss-very believable.
Deals with good/bad themes, easy money vs.integrity & hard work, racism & racial clashes in the paradigm of The Bronx.
Great musical score.
Daniel's Review 2008-04-16
Chazz Palminteri wrote the script for this excellent story of an Italian American boy (Lillo Brancato) who grows up in the 1960s caught between the strong influences of his blue-collar, straight- arrow father (Robert De Niro) and a Mafia chieftain (Palminteri) who is his all-purpose mentor. De Niro makes his directorial debut with this production and, except for a little stiffness, does very well by the characters and their world. The story does not go precisely where one might expect it to go: Palminteri knows better than to force the central figure to choose between the two most important men in his life, and he doesn't fill time with stock drama about crime or family conflict. Joe Pesci makes an extremely effective and uncredited appearance at the end as a man who doesn't have to do more than speak softly to communicate how dangerous he is.
--Tom Keogh
one of my favorites 2008-03-26
This is just such a good movie! You just really don't need to know anything except to see this movie!
A course in phony nostalgia and phony morality 
2007-09-29
I was greatly surprised to see how many stars this film recieved by viewers, it certainly does not deserve such applause. "A bronx tale" is basically a tale about a typical Italian american boy growing up in the 60's ,who is mentored by a mobster. This underworld figure demonstrates a set of morals and he cares deeply for "calogero", who later in his teenage years falls in love with a black girl. His mentor, played by Palimentieri, teaches him that true love is all that counts. The plot means well, but the acting is awful and the message is not believeable.
Never, ever, in the 1960's would a large number of whites, regardless of how they earned a living, demonstrate such understanding. The film has an agenda and the role of the mobsters are incidental to the central point, which is calogeros' eventual love for the girl. Lilo Brancato and the characters of his friends display an incredible lack for acting. The writing is bad and the characters stiff. It is known that Robert deniro only dates women of color, and although there is certainly nothing wrong with that, his desire and predilection seem to dictate the direction of this movie. It is not moving, but rather offensive. Italian americans are overwhelmingly portrayed as dopey , all of them having a cross dangling from their necks. No, I did not like this movie. I grew up in Queens during the 70's. I am an Italian american who grew up in an Italian neighborhood.I found this film reeking from steriotypical ideas of what New Yorkers were like. The writing was awful and I cant stress how bad the acting is. I also do not believe the movie was completely based on the play, it was rewritten to fit personal profiles. The movie was insulting and false. A figment of Deniros idea of entertainment. He should have stuck to playing roles where he does what he does best, curse and swear.
I Love This Movie 2007-09-15
My daughter and I watch A Bronx Tale at least twice a week. I have loved this movie every since I first saw it on AMC. Chazz Palaminteri and Robert De Niro both did great jobs, as well as all of the other actors. Robert De Niro plays a bus driver named Lorenzo Anello. He and his wife Rosini and their nine year-old son, Calogero are living in the bronx. Calogero is fascinated by mobster, Sonny, who is a fixture in their neighborhood. Lorenzo is trying to keep his son away from people like Sonny, but the young boy ignores his dad and befriends Sonny. Calogero witnesses Sonny doing something that he refuses to admit to the police. A bond is thereby created between the young boy and the mobster.
I like how Sonny teaches his young friend, Calogero, who he gives the nick-name of "C" to not try and live the same life that he is living. He tells him to stay in school, stay away from bad company, and know who your real friends are. Calogero loves his father, who is also teaching him to be respectful and hardworking, but he also looks up to Sonny, and picks up a lot of "street smarts" along the way.
"We asked you to leave, now yooz can't leave," 2007-09-10
"You open the car door for her and then you walk around the back of the car to see whether or not she unlocks the car door for you, that's how you tell whether or not she's a good girl." That may not be the exact quote, but you get the gist. If you didn't know that was the world's perfect litmus test before seeing the movie, you have the most amazing ah ha moment when you first here it explained in the movie. And when you start to think about it, that's when you remember, he's right. This is a great movie!
