A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, New York during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs, or in prison. He comes to believe he has been saved from their fates by various so-called saints.

Director:

Dito Montiel

Writers:

Dito Montiel (book), Dito Montiel

Stars:

Robert Downey Jr., Rosario Dawson, Shia LaBeouf

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dianne Wiest	...	Flori
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Dito
Shia LaBeouf	...	Young Dito
Melonie Diaz	...	Young Laurie
Laila Liliana Garro	...	Diane (as Julia Garro)
Eleonore Hendricks	...	Jenny
Adam Scarimbolo	...	Guiseppe
Peter Anthony Tambakis	...	Young Nerf (as Peter Tambakis)
Channing Tatum	...	Young Antonio
Anthony Tirado	...	Street Corner Puerto Rican (credit only)
Erick Rosado	...	Puerto Rican Van Driver
Steve Payne	...	Beach Chair Guy (as Steven Payne)
Chazz Palminteri	...	Monty
Tibor Feldman	...	Teacher
Martin Compston	...	Mike O'Shea

Storyline

Dito, a writer in L.A., goes home to Astoria, Queens, after a 15-year absence when his mother calls to say his father's ill. In a series of flashbacks we see the young Dito, his parents, his four closest friends, and his girl Laurie, as each tries to navigate family, race, loyalty, sex, coming of age, violence, and wanting out. A ball falls onto the subway tracks at a station, small things get out of hand. Can Dito go home again?

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Plot Keywords:

erect nipples | bare chested teenage boy | friend | coming of age | subway track | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go back

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality, and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tus santos y tus demonios

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$94,784, 1 October 2006

Gross USA:

$517,809

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,035,468

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belladonna Productions, Truly Original, Xingu Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Characters alternately refer to Dito with different pronunciations. This is true to real-life, as Dito Montiel claims his family were the ones who pronounced it "dee-to", but his friends said "ditto". This is reflected in the film, where Dito's parents use the former and his friends use the latter.

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Goofs

In one shot of the subway, American flags are visible next to the subway windows. These were added after the attacks of 9/11, years after the movie takes place.

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Quotes

Frank: Listen to Dito. He knows when it's time to go.

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Crazy Credits

Images of all the main actors are shown as the credits begin.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Channing Tatum Performances (2015)

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Soundtracks

Brother Louie
Written by Errol Brown and Anthony Wilson
Performed by Stories
Courtesy of Buddah Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Raw, Gritty, and Stunning.

I was lucky enough to catch the last showing of "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" at my local theater, and man, was I surprised. I haven't seen a film with such an accurate and heart wrenching portraits of troubled youths since "Kids".

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" gives us a glimpse into the life of Dito Montiel (Shia Labouf, with Robert Downey Jr. as the older version) growing up on the streets of Astoria, Queens in 1986. When he leaves for California, he leaves behind his best friend and resident tough guy Antonio (Channing Tatum, with Eric Roberts playing the older version), his caring mother (Diane Wiest) and tough love father (Chazz Palminteri), his girlfriend Laurie (Melonie Diaz, with Rosario Dawson as the older version), and pretty much everyone else he knew.

First time director Dito Montiel does a stellar job of establishing characters and their relationships. He also does a great job directing scenes that seem so real (thnks to some superb acting by the cast), it almost seems like a documentary. A huge round of applause goes to the cast for their performances.

The ending wasn't really cohesive with the script. I didn't leave knowing what happened with Dito and his family and friends. Other than that, there's not a single bad moment.

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" is raw, gritty, and stunning. There's not a single disappointing scene in the movie.

9.5/10