Deniro Too Unlikable??
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Samurai_babe — 20 years ago(March 06, 2006 10:18 AM)
For me, it's De Niro and I simply can't help but like him. Sad truth I'd like him if he had a gun to my head. I can't help it.
haha! i'd too still love him even if were holding a gun to my head, just CAN NOT help loving him.
A census taker tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti -
dth1212 — 19 years ago(April 09, 2006 05:18 PM)
and because the movie hasnt a "happy ending".
I think part of the failure of NY, NY upon its initial release, among other things at the time, was due to all but the end of the "Happy Endings" number being cut. After being restored and the film's re-release in the early '80s, that number (an artificial, Hollywood-style movie-within-a-movie) gave the film enough of a "happy ending" to make up for the fact that Minnelli & DiNiro's characters could never have had such together. It also benefited from the "life affirming" quality of Minnelli's musical performance style. (If you've ever seen her live, especially when she was in top form, you know what I mean.) Even though NY, NY is a favorite of mine, I've always felt that DeNiro dominated the first two thirdsbut I especially love the last act, after he leaves and Francine's career takes off. That's when Minnelli owns the picture, IMHO. -
dth1212 — 19 years ago(April 22, 2006 04:17 PM)
True, that's why I typed "happy ending" in quotes. My point is that, for me at least, NY, NY became less of a downer when that number was restored in its entirety a few years after the film's initial premiere. (Actually, I didn't want to see the two of them back together at the end and was happy when they aborted their little reunion. I felt it actually showed growth in Minnelli's character, considering how women were traditionally represented during the period of the film.) Unfortunately, too many problems (the relationship, in general, the length and pace of the movie, etc.) still keep the movie from being a fully satisfying experience for most people.
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dth1212 — 19 years ago(April 09, 2006 05:41 PM)
and i dont know why she ended up marrying him.Since the beginning she could see that guy was a moron.
I think he wore her down with his persistance (he was one persistant SOB) and charm (yeah, he had some). Also, please remember that this movie takes place in the '40s, right after WWII. Women weren't allowed to be as independent in those days, unless life circumstances forced them to be otherwiseand what brief independence they had while the men were away at war soon ended upon their return. Though Francine appeared independent in the beginning, I think she started to lower her guard (at least with her heart) when she first heard him play and tried to help him at his audition. Plus, she was kind of trapped after he found her on the road and got a job with her band. From there, she probably got caught up in the whole fantasy of family and marriage (song: "The Man I Love"), and since they were both musiciansso much the better. Well, we know how that turned out. She found her real independence in the third act of the movie, IMHO. -
neil57 — 20 years ago(March 10, 2006 12:19 PM)
When the movie was first released, there was some speculation in the media (Rex Reed for example) that Scorsese had based the characters on Doris Day and her first musician husband who was apparently very abusive to her. If that is the case, then De Niro was playing the character as written.
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filmmekker — 13 years ago(May 06, 2012 03:55 AM)
True. I find DeNiro's character interesting but I'm sure that's why the film didn't do well. As James Cagney once said, "films are a boy girl business" I assume he was talking about hit films. If you were rooting for Minnelli and DeNiro to get together and they did, I'm sure this would have been a bigger hit.
Open the door for Mr. Muckle!! -
DracTarashV — 13 years ago(July 06, 2012 07:27 PM)
Many felt hideously annoyed by his character, but to me he was a somewhat charming guy but with a temper. He was an angry, despicable, sadistic character and was rarely in a pleasant mood. But, despite this, I found some humor in him, e.g., earlier in the film, the scene at the hotel where he's pretending to be someone else and feigns some sort of disability to avoid payment, had me laughing out loud. He was cool.
I mean Jimmy Doyle is not a person I would like to meet personally, but as a character in a film, I, the viewer, found him to be an entertaining individual.
And if you really think this film flopped due to De Niro's "annoying" character, then I guess Jake Lamotta must've been Rocky 2.0. because he was a nice guy who could easily be admired, right? I seem to remember the film based on him was a huge success, mainly with critics and film goers, but it was far from a flop.
As for the film, I loved it.
Do you know how HARD it is for a bloody black man to get a cab on Thanksgiving?