Dominick and Eugene

But the rest of us, who love a good sentimental and emotional story that is a lock to get you crying..enjoy!

Tom Hulce is magnificent as Dominick, a mentally slow trashman who loves professional wrestling and his brother, Eugene, played by Ray Liotta, who is a doctor and who works very long hours.

Due to Eugene's work schedule, Dominick is alone a lot of the time and tends to make questionable judgment calls. He really just wants to be a good boy, to do the right thing, and to make his brother proud of him. He stops in church to pray at one point and expresses his emotions so openly and so well that the character has you crying before the damn movie even gets really started.

Not about to give anything away here, but the movie is extremely involving and sad and heartbreaking. Those unafraid of these things will have a field day with this beautiful story, its loving characters and a great song I cannot quote here, that has nothing to do with the movie at all but is strangely appropriate..but you hear it in a bar.

I thought Tom Hulce would be nominated for this movie, since he was for 'Amadeus' I figured that might give him the inside track to actually winning. No such luck. Liotta is just as good but has less of an emotional impact, but then he does later on. All I can say about Jamie Lee Curtis is that she doesn't have much of a part here but it was nice of her to lend her name to a small drama set in Pittsburgh about two brothers who you will never forget.

Eugene (Ray Liotta) and Dominick 'Nicky' Luciano (Tom Hulce) are twins living in Pittsburgh together. Eugene is studying to be a doctor and finds out that he got into Stanford. Nicky is mentally slow and working as a trash man paying for Eugene's school. Eugene is leery of Nicky's crass work partner Larry Higgins. Nicky wants to live with Eugene in a house by the lake but Eugene is wondering if Nicky could live by himself. Eugene starts a relationship with nurse Jennifer Reston (Jamie Lee Curtis).

These are two good performances especially Tom Hulce. The brothers' chemistry is great. There is real dramatic complexity with their relationship. Everybody is great including Curtis. It's a good sentimental melodramatic movie. It would be nice to make Mikey more of a constant sidekick to Nicky and a more central part of the movie from the start.

Where to begin? Is it because it has two powerfully realistic performances that make the viewer forget that it's only a movie? Is it because it's filmed in my hometown? I must admit that it was because it was shot AND set in Pittsburgh that I went to see it immediately when it was released but I soon saw past all the familiar sights of the South Side to watch a drama unfold as if these were real people that I might have even known.

Tom Hulce's portrayal of Nicky was so riveting that even without words he was able to evoke emotion that spoke volumes -- that's talent deserving of the highest accolade. He is a man-child living to please those around him; especially the one person he has depended on his whole life - his twin brother who himself is deeply committed to becoming a doctor and fearing that leaving his mentally handicapped brother to pursue his dream will mean breaking his own and Nicky's heart.

Ray Liotta as Eugene plays out his own inner struggle to succeed but not at the expense of his brother's love with such poise that it hurt to watch when he would reprimand Nicky for not using common sense in his daily life. He wants to believe that his brother is capable of caring for himself but Nicky repeatedly gets himself into scrape after scrape. Add to the mix Larry, Nicky's partner on the garbage truck. He is the little devil that sits on Nicky's shoulder feeding him reasons to believe that his brother is "dumping him like a rock" when he begins tutoring a fellow medical student. This only upsets Nicky and forces Gino to admit that he is leaving.

This movie speaks to many issues -- brotherly love, family ties, independence, jealousy and abuse, all delivered with understated grace. This is a top shelf film that makes one happy and sad by the end. There aren't enough movies like this.

this is a great movie one of ray liotta's best. i saw it on hbo as a kid and i have loved it ever since. it shows that one person can make a positive difference in other people's lives.great acting and a very good storyline make this movie a must see.

If you have any kind of heart and compassion for people, this is a tough movie to watch, at least in the second half of it.

It's in that segment where we see nice little kid get beaten up and then a retarded (mentally- challenged) man go off the deep end after he witnesses this brutal act against the child. It's not pleasant material.

However, it's a good movie and the acting is good, too. The story will sit with you awhile.

"Dominick" is the mentally-disabled guy and is played by Tom Hulce. I think this might be Hulce's best role ever. He's looked after by a med student, "Eugene," played by Ray Liotta, who became a star the following year with Kevin Costner's "Field Of Dreams."

Dominick is a goodhearted garbage man who reads "Hulk" comic books and loves wrestling. He's the type of "slow" guy that you can't help but love and root for to live a happy life. When he freaks out, it's for several good reasons and...well, see the film for the whole story. It's worth your time but be prepared to go on real emotional roller coaster and possibly be very upset at some things you see.