Yonkers Joe

Nice indie film with great ingredients: gambling, sleight of hand, craps rather than cards, no poker sponsors (Hurrah!) and in the mix a good family drama about a father discovering his mentally handicapped son and building that relationship.

It works in the main: a very solid cast and a good script give this some oomph, however it is a little light on real drama. Perhaps it suffers from the seen it before syndrome that afflicts most con films, even with the twists of dice and a handicapped kid, that aside as a study of a gambler rediscovering life it works well.

It is enjoyable and the performances are solid.

Definitely worth viewing - just lacks something that something extra that would make it truly memorable.

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.

YONKERS JOE is a great addition to the tradition of independent New York centered films. Twelve years in the making, its story of a mid-level professional gambler and his adult son with Down's Syndrome was compelling and skillfully played. Chaz Palminteri keeps your attention throughout the story, and Tom Guiry (The Black Donnellys)deserves recognition for a convincing performance of a young man coping with Down's.

The story covers familiar ground with lots of nice twists and details. Technically very clever on the skills required to take on a modern casino security system. Believable from beginning to end.

Support this film when it comes out for release. Wonderful performances by Palminteri, Christine Lahti as his patient and clever love interest and a solid character cast including Michael Lerner,Roma Maffia, Arthur Nascarella and many familiar TV series faces. Any father/son should see this movie. You will laugh and learn, and be wiser at the end.

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This film is not for everyone.Maybe not for most.However if you like films that can be hard to watch and seem painfully true to the world you don't want to see but know is out there,than you MUST see this film.The underside of life meets crisis of family in a way not seen since "rainman"a film I thought was overcast and thus dulled the story by being over exposed to "star"power.Yonkers Joe only loses 1 star because the story is so hard.Released in 2008 and running only 101 minutes the secret is the casting.Inspired therefore of Chazz Palminteri and Christine Lahti as two losers who cling to the hope of a last score to continue their pathetic lives.Chaz plays Joe and he has a son who is institutionalized and has never really been there for him since his wife left them both.Joe Jr. is played well enough by Tom Guiry but he's really a burden that Joe can't shake and is now forced to confront when the institution is going to expel him as being unmanageable.It's never explained what the soon to be 21 year old's issues are other than he's mentally and socially challenged. Christine plays Janice who has very low self esteem but is a anchor for Joe. Focusing on a score against casino crap games in Vegas clash with the rediscovery of the father/son relationship between the 2 Joe's that is steadied by Janice in a fine performance by Mz Lahti who deserves recognition here.Chaz is Chaz and thats what's called for to make this a more gutty film than "Rainman"was to me.No one is better playing a low life hustler than Chaz and as a cunning low level "mechanic"he scores here.They way the film ends is so believable and yet it's not a happy "hollywood"ending,tho not a disaster ether considering the life everyone has led.If you liked"Leaving las Vegas"the ending is far more upbeat but the film is almost as depressing till then.

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

Yonkers Joe stars Chazz Palminteri as the title character, a great con artist who makes a lot of money from working the tables at casinos. He and his girlfriend Janice (Christine Lahti) have a pretty good life. But then Joe gets a call from an institution telling him that his son Joe Jr. (Tom Guiry) who has Down's Syndrome is being disruptive there and thus must be taken out. Joe doesn't know how to take care of his son and this new change in his life is ruining a lot of his plans and ways of making money. Over time, the father and son try to live with each other while at the same time try to help each other out.

This film had a great cast. Palminteri was wonderful as Yonkers Joe, a conflicted and confused parent who doesn't know how to take care of his troubled son. Lahti is a delight trying to play the role of the one that hopes to ease the tension and make Joe Jr. feel like he's welcome. And Tom Guiry is excellent and very believable as Joe Jr. Someone after the screening even asked the director if the actor who played Joe Jr. really had Down's Syndrome. Guiry gives a lot of depth to the character, making Joe Jr. both entertaining and emotional.

There are many clever moments throughout the film, all of the con acts are fun to watch. The dialogue is well written and the plot unravels nicely. The scenes in Las Vegas are also very well shot in all of the different locations.

With a talented cast and crew, Yonkers Joe is a great and enjoyable film that people she really look out for.