Searching for Bobby D (2005)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Paul Borghese

Writers:

Paul Borghese (writer)
William DeMeo (writer)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Four young filmmakers raise money for their project by telling potential investors that DeNiro is on board. Now they have to find him...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

William DeMeo	...	Johnny Argano
Robert Daleo	...	Commercial tryout
Les Gardonyi	...	Lounge flirt
Paul Cicero	...	Louie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Bank	...	Piscopo
Jaid Barrymore	...	Acting Coach
Tyson Beckford	...	Jerome
Sandra Bernhard	...	Sherri Dansen
John Bianco	...	Vinny
Eve Blangiardo	...	Samantha
Frank Bonsangue	...	Frank "The Butcher"
Malika Borghese	...	The Makeup Artist
Paul Borghese	...	Marty the Director
Lillo Brancato	...	Bobby
Richard Brietfeller	...	Hotel Manager
Al Burgo	...	Coal Miner #1
Michael Buscemi	...	Petie
Mario Cantone	...	Casting Director
Nayi Castro	...	Customer at bar
Alice Chamberlain	...	Hotel Assistant
Karen Chamberlain	...	Hotel Manager
Mark Charran	...	Business Man
Chrissy Colarusso	...	Tracey
Robert Costanzo	...	Aldo
Michael D'Antoni
Tony Darrow	...	Ralph Argano
Brian Delate	...	Officer Richard
Carly DeLuca	...	Screaming Fan
Kevin Dobson	...	Rustle Johnson
Carmen Electra	...	Rebecca
Brooke Engen	...	Candy
Tiffany Engen	...	Mandy
Rocco Ferrara	...	Coal Miner #2
Emily Frances	...	Herself - WB11 Newscaster
Anthony Gerace	...	Audition Wise guy
Allison Gestone	...	Bar Patron
Karen Lynn Gorney	...	Sophie Argano
Cara Hamill	...	News Reporter
Katie Hamill	...	Auditioning Girl
Robert Heitman	...	Mark Brody
Elizabeth Hendrickson	...	Denise
John Hoyt	...	Officer Billy
Alexis Iacono	...	Stephanie
Matt Jade	...	Wiseguy Wannabe (as Mathew Jade)
Priscilla Jones	...	Featured Exotic Dancer
Amelia Kallman	...	Jennifer Calloway
Eileen Kovener	...	Customer at bar
Anna Kulinova	...	Screaming Fan
Kirsten Kuppenbender	...	Dancer (not credited)
Peter Linari	...	Edward Jones
Joe Lisi	...	Mr. Barone
James Madio	...	Young Mike
Joe Manuella	...	Robert DeNiro Impersonator
Daniel Margotta	...	Tommy
Lou Martini Jr.	...	Phil
Jackie Martling	...	Auditioning Comic
Michael Mazzeo	...	Tony Rusto
Angelo Megaro	...	Joey Rusto
Moet Meira	...	Stripper #1
Angelica Morrow	...	Production asst.
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Matty
Justin Ness	...	Elmer Johnson
Michael Nouri	...	Angelo
Carla Occhiogrosso	...	Brooklyn Chick
Seregon O'Dassey	...	Kim (Asst. Hotel Manager)
Chelsea O'Toole	...	Bar Girl
Frank Pellegrino	...	John Argano, Sr.
Rachel Perry	...	Herself - VH1 Newscaster
Chris Russo	...	Crew man
Al Sapienza	...	Wiseguy
Brooke Rachel Shive	...	Yodeling Audition Girl
Diana Terranova	...	Stripper
John Thomas	...	Secret service agent
Joseph Tudisco	...	Cop
Louis Vanaria	...	Leo
Chuck Zito	...	Freddy Knuckles

Also Known As:

Movers and Fakers (USA) (working title)
Searching for Bobby De Niro (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and brief drug use.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Neighborhood Filmworks

Soundtrack:

Country Baskets

Buddy Flick with a New York flair

I saw this movie at the recent Winnipeg International Film Festival. It actually wasn't completely finished. The score wasn't finished, optimizing picture quality and sound quality hadn't been done either. In attendance was the director, Tony Darrow, Paul Cicero and Justin Ness and overall it was a very enjoyable experience.

Searching for Bobby D is a comedy about 4 New Yorkers, the film's star Johnny Argano (Will Demeo), Tommy (Daniel Margotta), Mike (James Madio), and the only non-Italian in the group Jerome (Tyson Beckford) who are all stuck getting the worst parts as New York actors. They are all sick of it and want to move up in the world. This plot line is very similar to that of Wannabes, which stars Will Demeo and Daniel Margotta trying to move up in the world of wiseguys. But things begin to look up when Johnny's cousin Leo (Louis Vanaria) says a rich guy in Pennsylvania loves movies and would be willing to put up some money for the film, for which Johnny has written a script. Desperate, the boys decide to take a road trip down to Pennsylvania, but soon after the boys arrive they realize Leo is still a complete goof and that he's told their potential investor that Robert Deniro has signed on to appear in the film.

This is where the film's title loses any meaning. The guys don't go "searching for bobby d" but they are talked into using a look a like by Leo. Stupidly enough their investor actually falls for it until his beautiful daughter played by Carmen Electra exposes the impostor. Bizarrely enough even after all of this, their investor still agrees to contribute until he is arrested for "questionable" acts with his farm animals. So this is where the characters decide to find Robert Deniro for their movie right? Wrong, instead they scam the town's people into thinking they can be in the movie if they donate to the budget.

Searching is a pretty standard buddy flick with an almost teenage college humour feel. Also mixed in is a subplot about Johnny's uncle Ralph (Tony Darrow), involved in the crime underworld and how if Johnny isn't successful he may end up going down this road. While Ralph and the other characters are very good in their parts this plot line seems too extraneous to the plot and as the film runs near 2 hours it's probably unnecessary. The main cast of buddies are decent in their roles. James Madio and Tyson Beckford are solid throughout while Margotta seems to play the exact same role as he did in Wannabes. Demeo is good as well but his smile apparently got on the nerves of my friend at the theatre after a while. Carmen Electra's character is completely useless to the story but her dance during an audition for the boys is a must see for all of her fans.

Decent little New York flick which had most of the crowd rolling with laughter.

6/10 neither thumbs up or down