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Goodfellas (1990)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
19 September 1990 (USA)
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Tagline:
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955. more
Plot:
Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 34 wins
&
18 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(136 articles)
Gretchen Mol to join Boardwalk Empire
(From AOL - TVSquad. 18 November 2009, 6:34 AM, PST)
Happy Birthday, Martin Scorsese: Wake-Up Video
(From MTV Newsroom. 17 November 2009, 7:00 AM, PST)
(From AOL - TVSquad. 18 November 2009, 6:34 AM, PST)
Happy Birthday, Martin Scorsese: Wake-Up Video
(From MTV Newsroom. 17 November 2009, 7:00 AM, PST)
User Comments:
An Offer You Can't Refuse...
more (739 total)
US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Robert De Niro | ... | James 'Jimmy' Conway | |
| Ray Liotta | ... | Henry Hill | |
| Joe Pesci | ... | Tommy DeVito | |
| Lorraine Bracco | ... | Karen Hill | |
| Paul Sorvino | ... | Paul Cicero | |
| Frank Sivero | ... | Frankie Carbone | |
| Tony Darrow | ... | Sonny Bunz | |
| Mike Starr | ... | Frenchy | |
| Frank Vincent | ... | Billy Batts | |
| Chuck Low | ... | Morris 'Morrie' Kessler | |
| Frank DiLeo | ... | Tuddy Cicero | |
| Henny Youngman | ... | Himself | |
| Gina Mastrogiacomo | ... | Janice Rossi | |
| Catherine Scorsese | ... | Tommy's Mother | |
| Charles Scorsese | ... | Vinnie |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Good Fellas (USA) (original script title)
GoodFellas (USA) (promotional title (video box title) (poster title))
Wiseguy (USA) (working title)
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GoodFellas (USA) (promotional title (video box title) (poster title))
Wiseguy (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
146 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Canada:PA (Manitoba) |
Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Iceland:16 |
Brazil:14 |
USA:R (certificate #30613) |
Israel:16 |
India:A |
Poland:18 |
Argentina:18 |
Australia:R |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-16 |
France:-16 |
Germany:16 |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Italy:VM14 |
Japan:PG-12 |
Netherlands:16 |
New Zealand:R16 |
Norway:18 |
Peru:18 |
Portugal:M/16 |
Singapore:M18 |
South Korea:18 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
Switzerland:16 (canton of Bern) |
UK:18
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Based on the book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi. The movie was renamed to avoid confusion with the TV series "Wiseguy" (1987).
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: When we first see Paulie's house, a cable TV wire is clearly visible on the outside. Cable TV didn't come to the outer boroughs of New York City until the mid-1980s, decades after that scene was set.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Alec Baldwin/Tori Amos (#21.11)" (1996)
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Soundtrack:
Atlantis
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FAQ
How closely does the fim follow the book?What actors have been in both "The Sopranos" and "GoodFellas"?
Why is there a black bar covering the airline ticket the babysitter pulls out of her purse?
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"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.
Gangsters are all around us. Everyone knows it, not everyone wants to accept it. "Goodfellas"--based on true events--explores the lives of gangsters, chronicling the events through the eyes of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who gets involved with the Mafia at a young age and continues his "career" throughout the film.
As he gets older, he marries and has children, but still works for the organized crime family, under mob boss Paulie (Paul Sorvino); and he is friends with Jimmy (Robert De Niro), a calm, steady gangster; and Tommy (Joe Pesci), a wild man with serious mental problems.
Eventually Henry's life goes down the gutter, leading to drug abuse and paranoia, that leads to other unfortunate incidents that will be ruined if I type any more about them.
"Goodfellas" is one of the best films I have ever seen. It's a tour de force of breathtaking images, witty scriptwriting, superb acting and realistic violence.
Robert De Niro gives one of his best performances -- ever -- as Jimmy, even if he's not in the film as much as you might be lead to believe from the front cover.
Joe Pesci is in this movie about as much as De Niro, maybe a bit more or less. But when he's on screen there's no doubting he's on screen--he's very hard to miss. A short, deranged, loud-mouthed man with something wrong in his head. Someone makes an insult toward him and he shoots them, and then laughs. It's quite disturbing. I am a huge fan of Pesci, and I tend to love his characters, but he really makes you feel sick towards his character in "Goodfellas," while at the same time taking a strange liking to him. That just goes to show how good of an actor Pesci is.
Ray Liotta is perfect as Henry Hill. I can't think of a better actor to play him. He captures a sense of innocence yet at the same time a feeling of violence. I love the scene where he walks over to a man's house with a regular expression on his face. "What do you want, f&*^&?" the man asks. Liotta continues walking, takes out a gun, and starts to continually beat the man in the skull with the butt of his gun. As Henry walks back to his car, his face is disturbing and his expression stays with you for a long, long time.
Martin Scorsese is a brilliant director and his work here is fabulous; it's been recreated by other directors (namely Paul Thomas Anderson in "Boogie Nights") and there's a reason: it's great stuff. He totally deserved to receive Best Director in 1990, but of course he didn't. (Rumor has it the Academy frowns on Scorsese's use of racial slurs in his work. Oh boo hoo, get over it.)
The movie is based on the true-crime memoirs of the real-life Henry Hill, whose novel with Nicholas Pileggi -- "Wiseguys" -- was adapted into a screenplay by Pileggi and Scorsese. The book itself was fantastic and insightful; the screenplay is even better. The dialogue is incredible.
By the way, I think it is appropriate to put a bit of a disclaimer on this review: I would not recommend "Goodfellas" to those that have a problem with violence and/or language, and "Goodfellas" is definitely not one for your kids to watch--it contains extremely strong, pervasive language, and a great deal of strong, realistic violence. I only put this because I am sick of parents taking children to see R-rated films that are not appropriate for children. And this is definitely one of them.
Anyway, "Goodfellas" has to be one of the best films I've ever seen--a true modern classic that will be remembered for what it is: One of the greatest tales told on screen. It's an offer you can't refuse!