Prince of Central Park

I watched this movie recently and found it to be pretty good. I was surprised at the low ranking it was given here. That was before i realized that it was a remake of another very popular film. I may or may not have seen the original, i can't recall, however I feel it's unfair to slam this one because it doesn't quite stand up against the original movie. There were a few scenes that were very well done and genuinely touched me. I loved the scene on the ferry when the boy was imagining his mom writing a letter about her love for her son. I really felt the character's sense of loss in that scene. This technique is repeated when the JJ goes and rides on the carosuel that he had shared with his mom. Having said that, the movie is a bit uneven. The cast was terrific except for the kid playing JJ. There were times when he wasn't effective but hey he's only a child and not all children can give emotional performances in movies. Something else that bugged me is the way JJ stays clean and well groomed while living with a dog in a cave. Not very realistic. I also didn't feel Kathleen Turner gave a terrific performance, perhaps a bit of miscasting there. Overall I was entertained for a couple of hours and yeah it could have been better but there were some very powerful scenes that made it worthwhile.

The only reason I even stumbled across this film is because one of its young stars, Carmen Moreno who plays Sofia, was one of my students this past year. I know the film had a theatrical showing in New York, but it does not appear that it was ever picked up for national theatrical distribution. After finally seeing the film, this is not surprising; it's a film that cannot quite make up its mind what it wants to be JJ (Frankie Nasso) lives with an abusive foster mother Mrs. Ardis (Cathy Moriarty) in present day Staten Island, NY. He dreams of finding the mother who left him, and one day he leaves Staten Island for Manhattan with hopes of finding her. In a parallel story we meet Rebecca (Kathleen Turner) and Noah (Danny Aiello) as a well-to-do Manhattan couple whose marriage is inexplicably crumbling. In JJ's journey to find his mother he also encounters The Guardian (Harvey Keitel) an eccentric New York "character" who lives under a bridge in Central Park. Along the way we also discover that JJ is a musical prodigy who can play any melody he hears, well, not only play it, but turn it into a full blown musical piece. Once JJ and Rebecca meet (she has a grand piano that nobody has played for a long time) the film heads toward its inevitable conclusion. The producers claim that "Prince of Central Park" is a modern day retelling of Huck Finn. Okay . . . There are also borrowed plot elements from such diverse sources as "Oliver Twist" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". The problem is these exemplary literary sources don't really mix very well. Consequently, the film has a patchwork feel, the sum of the parts don't really equal an engaging whole. Still, there are pleasures to be had here. Frankie Nasso gives an engaging performance as JJ. There is an inherent sweetness to his performance which goes a long way toward helping the audience get by some of the gaping holes in the plot. We come to care about this character despite some of the situations that the filmmakers throw him into. Screen stalwarts Turner, Aiello, and Moriarty give fine performances even if the script does not always support their best efforts. Harvey Keitel (admittedly not one of my favorite actors) has a harder time with a character that strains credulity to its limits. Also of note are the performances of Carmen Moreno as Sofia and Tina Holmes as JJ's mother. Both are quite affecting. The film has a nice score as well.

A young boy flees the clutches of his foster-mother and decides to take up residence in Central Park. There he meets a few people that will help him to shape his future: a bully, The Guardian (a witty Harvey Keitel) and a couple with needs of there own (Aielo and Turner). This movie has some surreal undertones and can count on a very strong cast to make the story not too sentimental.

A real treat for children of all ages.

I don't see why all of you are saying this movie was horrible, I thought it was very good. It was a good movie to teach you what happens when you're homeless, and you have to live in a park or just on the streets. All that I have to say is that it was a great movie!!

This movie absolutely wonderful! I've seen it twice and I want to see it again! Carmen is a great actress. She was very believable. I hope to see her in many more movies! Go rent or buy this movie today! It is worth every second that you spend watching it. I would definitely recommend this movie to people of all ages! It is very charming!