29th Street USA, R, 101 m, 1991
It’s Christmas Eve circa 1968, and the winner of the first New York State Lottery is about to be announced by Joe Franklin at the Radio City Music Hall. One of the fifty finalists, Frank Pesce, sits anxiously in the audience, pleading with God to influence which numbered ping-pong ball comes tumbling out of the spinning cage. But Frank’s prayer differs from those being whispered by the other finalists. You see, Frank is praying not to win. The events that led to this incredible moment in Frank’s life are told to us in flashbacks, all of which were supposedly inspired by a true story. The real Frank Pesce (his surname is Italian for “fish”) not only co-wrote the screenplay, but also plays the part of his own bother, Vito. Yes, Pesce and director George Gallo probably took some dramatic liberties here and there, and though Frank’s string of implausibly good fortune is the picture’s hook, it’s through-line is his turbulent relationship with his largely unlucky pop, Frank Pesce, Sr. (Danny Aiello in a full-bodied performance.) 29th Street plays like a batty hybrid of It’s a Wonderful Life and Goodfellas, which in today’s Hollywood is about as original as you‘re gonna get. December 1, 2005 © Copyright 2007 by Edward Larsen Terkelsen. All rights reserved.
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