Taxi Driver (1976)

Robert De Niro Film Fest Movie #5

Synopsis: Dude really needs a vacation. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Robert De Niro stars with Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, and Albert Brooks in the all-too-real story of a psychotic New York cabby who is driven to violence in an attempt to rescue a teenage prostitute.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) If you ever find yourself posing shirtless in front of a mirror, holding firearms and repeating the words: “you talkin’ to me?” you should immediately seek out professional help. 2) It’s not such a hot idea to take a girl out to a porn theatre for a second date. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that only De Niro could play Travis Bickle...not Gregory Peck, and certainly not Woody Allen.

 

Really?: Hold on – Travis blows away three people (one in the street), and he doesn’t face criminal charges? Ok, I realize crime was out of control in late-1970s New York City, and that Sport/Matthew (Harvey Keitel) and his buddies were scumbags who were sexually exploiting a 12-year old girl, but wouldn’t one of the cops ask Travis some tough questions? 

Rating: Taxi Driver is a powerful, visually stunning, and completely unforgettable movie. De Niro gives a masterful performance, and somehow manages to make Travis Bickle a likeable and sympathetic character even though it’s obvious he’s out of gourd. While the film tends to drag in places (which is why I’m giving it 9, rather than 10 stars), it also boasts an impressive cast, a haunting musical score that strangely alternates between sweetly sentimental and menacing, and it succeeds in capturing the vibe of New York City in the mid-1970s. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/?ref_=rvi_tt

The Score (2001)

Robert De Niro Film Fest Movie #4 

Synopsis: See: Heist. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Three generations of acclaimed actors team up in The Score, an intriguing crime thriller that marks the first time that legendary Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando have shared the screen.”

What Did I Learn?: You never, ever make an exchange in a public park. Of course, nobody ever explains why that’s the case, but the fact still remains you should never, ever make an exchange in a public park. 

You Might Like This Movie If: you enjoy an expensive lifestyle, and you'll do anything for a big score... or a big Skor.

 

Really?: 1) So, um… is there a reason why Jack (Edward Norton) decides to fuck with Nick’s (De Niro) head during the actual robbery? I mean, isn’t it a bad idea to waste time when they need to get out of there, lickity-split? That scene when Jack goes silent when Nick is hanging from the wires seems a little silly. 2) Hmm… the veteran cat burglar decides to retire after “one last job”…. That’s original. 3) So, why would Jack show his face to Danny? Considering he knows there’s going to be a massive man-hunt afterwards, that seems incredibly reckless. 4) Even if Jack doesn’t have enough evidence to put Nick behind bars, I’m not sure I’d want him angry with me – he beat the crap out of a dude twice his size, after all. Why couldn’t Jack return to Montreal two or three years later in search of some payback?

Rating: The Score is an entertaining, but somewhat formulaic and forgettable caper film; not bad, but not great, either. While it’s wonderful to see the older and younger versions of Don Corleone (Brando and De Niro) on screen together, and Norton gives a good performance, Angela Bassett isn’t given much to do, and the “Really?” moments start to pile up by the end. 6.5/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0227445/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Meet the Parents (2000)

Robert De Niro Film Fest Movie #3 

Synopsis: It’s basically an-hour-and-48-minutes of Ben Stiller getting physically and emotionally abused as he lurches from one awkward scene to another. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Male nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is poised to propose to his girlfriend (Teri Polo) during a weekend stay at her parents’ home. But here’s the catch… he needs to ask her father first. Alas, the fur flies as Jack Byrnes, Pam’s cat-crazy, ex-CIA father, played hysterically by Academy Award winner Robert De Niro, takes an immediate dislike to her less-than-truthful beau.” 

What Did I Learn?: It’s a really bad idea to say the word “bomb” on an airplane. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that adorable Himalayan cats are nothing but trouble.

 

Really?: Hold on – Pam and Greg have lived together for how long (a year? Maybe longer), and her parents have never once visited her, or called the apartment and spoken to Greg? That’s a little difficult to believe… or that Pam and Greg wouldn’t stay at a hotel once it’s made clear they can’t sleep together in the Byrnes house. 

Rating: The “Synopsis” says it all. Meet the Parents has a few amusing moments (I quite enjoyed the scene near the end when Stiller finally loses it and gets hauled off by airport security), but I have to admit that I didn’t find it to be all that funny. 5.5/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212338/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Raging Bull (1980)

Robert De Niro Film Fest Movie # 2 (Interestingly, Jake LaMotta made a cameo appearance in The Hustler) 

Synopsis: Working class Italian-American becomes boxing champion. Hey, it’s just like Rocky… if Rocky Balboa was a paranoid, philandering lunatic who regularly beat the crap out of Paulie and Adrian.  

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “In what is still considered the performance of his career, Robert De Niro won the Best Actor Oscar for his searing portrayal of real-life boxer Jake La Motta. Martin Scorsese’s flawless direction and Michael Chapman’s gritty cinematography vividly capture the blood and brutality of the fight world – and the dark landscape of the human soul.” 

What Did I Learn?: If you own a championship belt and you’re desperate to make some fast cash, it’s a much better idea to sell the belt as-is, than to pry the rhinestones out with a butter knife. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You appreciate realistic, hard-hitting dialogue. 

Really?: Raging Bull is based upon La Motta’s book, so it might not be entirely fair for me to judge its credibility, but I’m surprised that any of the people depicted in this film would have stayed in his life as long as they did. 

Rating: I know that Raging Bull is widely considered to be a classic, and that both De Niro and Joe Peschi deliver outstanding performances in this film, but I’ve always found it to be unpleasant, and difficult to watch at times (See: “Synopsis”). While I love character-driven films, De Niro’s La Motta is a repulsive human being, and Joey (Peschi) isn’t much better. 6/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081398/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

Bill Murray Film Fest Movie #6

Robert De Niro Film Fest Movie #1

Please click the links to read my reviews of Analyze This, Jackie Brown, Cop Land, The Deer Hunter, Wag the Dog, Night and the City, and my favourites: Casino, Heat, The Godfather Part II, Angel Heart, and Goodfellas.

Synopsis: Goofy, grateful gangster gives glum, grumpy gumshoe gorgeous, gabby girlfriend. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Chicago evidence detective Wayne Dobie (Robert De Niro) is a shy, soft-spoken man who hasn’t drawn his gun in fifteen years. His fellow cops have jokingly nicknamed him ‘Mad Dog’ for his lack of guts. But when Dobie inadvertently saves the life of Frank Milo (Bill Murray), a local gangster and loan shark who moonlights as a stand-up comic, he becomes the unwilling recipient of an unusual thank-you present: a beautiful young bartender named Glory (Uma Thurman) for one week.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) If you’re putting together a stand-up comedy routine, it’s a good idea to throw in some self-deprecating jokes so you don’t come across as overly hostile. 2) Cops love baked goods. 

You Might Like This Movie If: just like Frank Milo, you honestly believe anyone can do stand-up comedy.

 

Really?: 1) I had a bit of trouble accepting the premise of the movie: i.e. that Wayne would let Glory into his apartment from the get-go, considering he’s a cop, and he can’t be seen accepting gifts from organized crime. 2)So, David Caruso (remember him?) is some kind of tough guy who can beat up guys twice his size? I dunno….

Rating: Mad Dog and Glory is an off-beat comedy featuring some highly-against-type casting. It’s an enjoyable film that starts out well and then sort-of coasts in the second and third acts; Murray disappears for long stretches, and the possibility of an interesting Frank/Wayne friendship (one is a gangster who wants to be a comic, the other is a cop who wants to be an artist) is never developed. 8/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107473/?ref_=nv_sr_2