Wannabes

A nice little movie, that isn't as mobbed up as the sales pitch. Really a good story about a small family in a changing world, where clinging to the past isn't such a good idea no matter what side of the law you fall on. Strong performances by both Ray Serra and Joe Viterelli, and decent production values. 7/10

This is a pretty decent movie about a young man, Angelo, and his friends who decide one day that they've had enough of being on the short end of things. They start out bookmaking and eventually work their way into the good graces of the local mob boss. It's not a glorification of crime as a way of life, but rather a statement on what people do sometimes to get ahead in the city.

I'd say the main weakness, what makes this come up short of being a really good movie, are the actors playing Angelo and his brother, Paulie. William DeMeo just doesn't exude the leadership qualities you'd expect in the head of a crew. He's isn't physically imposing enough and seems more like a follower not a leader. And the actor playing his younger brother, Conor Dubin, seems out of place as the only Irishman in a cast of Italians.

Joe Viterelli hands in a fine performance as Santo, the local mob boss. Viterelli was born to play the part - his face and voice are perfect. Joe D'Onofrio plays Vinnie, his spoiled, ambitious son who clashes with Angelo throughout the film.

This film wasn't shot on a big budget and there aren't any elaborate sets, but it has a nice feel to it. The characters aren't overly violent or cartoonish like you'd see in a normal Hollywood treatment. No one is screaming for attention. Angelo and his friends act like regular neighborhood kids from Brooklyn wanting to move up in the world.

A good story with a moral to the ending, and that's what it's all about.

Keeping in mind that this is a low-budget indie film about four young men from a poor neighbor trying to make something of themselves.

The dialogue is sketchy at some points, the acting isn't the best, and some of the fight scenes are laughable. But in all, it's a well done story of family and respect. The film is well directed and flows well with few slow spots. It's not Goodfellas for sure, but I enjoyed it.

In my opinion, the movie was laughable--bad dialogue. Whoever wrote the script--please keep your day job. It's definitely NO Godfather or Goodfellas. It's good to be on the otherside of the table--poor choice of words. Some of the characters were clowns. But what do you expect from a low budget movie with no name actors.

I'm a fan of independent film. Dialogue driven, character study pieces are where it's at for me. Some of the other posts are right: "Wannabes" isn't going to rival "The Godfather" for best mob film ever. On the other hand, "Wannabes" is a well-written and well-directed picture that has surprisingly good performances from every actor/actress. My problem with one of the other reviews:

• Conor Dubin stands out as the only Irishman in a cast of Italians

• Dubin is a Jewish last name, and as such has a dark complexion, not a traditional ruddy one of an Irishman. He doesn't stand out at all, rather, delivers a great performance.

This didn't win many awards, but it is deserving of a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn. I found it for 7 bucks at Blockbuster and was pleasantly surprised to say the least! Highly recommended.