Two Bits (1995)

Gennaro lives with his ailing grandpa, who sits outside holding tight to his last quarter. But grandpa's not ready to die, he has some unfinished business with a woman from his past and he enlists Gennaro to act as his emissary.

Director:

James Foley

Writer:

Joseph Stefano

Stars:

Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Jerry Barone

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Barone	...	Gennaro
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Luisa Spirito
Al Pacino	...	Grandpa
Patrick Borriello	...	Tullio
Andy Romano	...	Dr. Bruna
Donna Mitchell	...	Mrs. Bruna
Mary Lou Rosato	...	Aunt Carmela
Joe Grifasi	...	Uncle Joe
Rosemary De Angelis	...	Mrs. Conte
Ron McLarty	...	Irish
Charley Scalies	...	Ballyhoo Driver
Joanna Merlin	...	Guendolina
Geoff Pierson	...	Dr. Wilson
Karen Shallo	...	Woman in Red
Nick Discenza	...	Father of Deceased

Storyline

It's a hot summer day in 1933 in South Philly, where 12-year old Gennaro lives with his widowed mom and his ailing grandpa, who sits outside holding tight to his last quarter, which he's promised to Gennaro and which Gennaro would like to have to buy a ticket to the plush new movie theater. But grandpa's not ready to pass on the quarter or pass on to his final reward: he has some unfinished business with a woman from his past, and he enlists Gennaro to act as his emissary.

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Plot Keywords:

man wears eyeglasses | old man | suicide by hanging | great depression | cinema | 

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Taglines:

You're never too old to believe in a dream. Or too young to make one come true!

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some traumatic thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Al Pacino appeared in the film as a personal favor to director James Foley because he had a great time working with him on Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

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Quotes

Gennaro: [when a dime rolls out of his grandfather's hands after he has just died] Thanks, grampa.

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Connections

Features Queen Christina (1933)

User Reviews

Neat coming-of-age drama

I tend to be a sucker for coming-of-age dramas like these, and this is one of the good ones. The premise of a boy wanting to accumulate 25 cents to go to the movies is simple but engaging and effective. Modern day viewers might look at his quest as stupid and redundant, but that's easy to say when you have enough money to go the movies every weekend. To this little boy, it's his dream to go to the new local cinema on opening day. Plus, in the days of the depression, the cinema meant much more than it does now. Nowadays, people don't respect the institution. You see people put their feet up on the chairs in front of them, throw popcorn at the screen, shamelessly talk amongst themselves and to give a thoroughly modern example, let their cell phones ring. I think it was Gene Siskel, who said the most beautiful sight is seeing a movie audience as the screen shines over them and their eyes are glued to the screen. Cinema just had that magical feeling to people. So though I was born five decades later, I was still able to put myself in the main character's shoes.

Joseph Stefano, known mostly for his screenplay for "Psycho," wrote this nice character-driven drama that took me on a journey. Of course, that's also thanks to the child actor who played the main character. He has a certain authenticity to him that not all child actors have. If a child actor can say his lines like he means them and deliver emotions without dialogue, he's doing a good-enough job. Not only that, but he holds his own opposite the brilliant Al Pacino. Like always, Pacino gives a powerful performance, and I felt the character he played was different and unique. This time he's not a gangster or a cop. Though he has a supporting role, he makes his screen time memorable. Mary Elizabeth (I'm not gonna attempt to say her last name) is great as well.

The situations our protagonist gets into are sometimes funny, sometimes sad. As trivial as his quest to get 25 cents may seem, I wanted him to accomplish it. The ending is sad, though not unexpected. Mainly, it's the richly developed characters and their interactions that make this a solid film.

My score: 8 (out of 10)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Two Bits

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,299, 26 November 1995

Gross USA:

$26,282

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,282

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Arthur Cohn Productions, Capella Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1