Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Still glad that you liked Y Tu Mama and i understand your problems with it even if i don't agree. I don't agree with your last sentence though, every movie is hit or miss obviously but i don't think Y Tu Mama is a special case i.e that indicates that it will overall get mixed reactions with just as much disliking as liking it. I really don't think it is one of those films even for more casual viewers, the vast majority of the people i've spoke to at least liked it and i don't think there was a single person in that hall of fame that disliked it. Was there? I might be forgetting someone.

Director: Martin Brest
Writer: George Gallo
Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

About: An accountant for the mob who jumps bail and is being chased by bounty hunters, the FBI...and the Mafia as well.

Review: Robert De Niro was likeable and funny. I haven't seen any of his big films (Taxi Driver, Godfather, Raging Bull, etc). I mostly know him from Meet The Fockers, so it was interesting to see him so young.

Charles Grodin, I've never liked him. I remember watching him on Late Night TV shows being interviewed and he's just as annoying off screen as he is on.

My favorite characters/actors were the big FBI guy who was pissed at De Niro, and the two Mafia hitmen who couldn't do anything right.


What stayed with me the most was some of the little nuances:

I thought it pretty interesting that when De Niro visits his ex wife's house, both him and Grodin wipe their feet before entering. I don't know why that was impressive, but I haven't seen that much in movies...or real life come to think of it.

The other interesting thing was the $1000 dollar bills. Has anybody seen one of those in person? They used to make them, but haven't in the longest time.

Oh and I liked seeing Sedona in Arizona as I've been there. I know no one cares but somehow it's fun to spot places in movies you've actually been. I think this would have been a more entertaining movie with 30 minutes trimmed out, there's just not enough in the story for a full two hours

If you're a fan of Robert DeNiro in lighter roles and you can stomach Charles Grodin, this one might be for you.

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Paris, Texas. Don't think that's exactly right but you should watch it anyway haha. It's from Wim Wenders who also directed Wings of Desire; Cosmics nom in the 13th. Those two aren't that similar though so if you don't like Wings of Desire you should see it anyway, Harry Dean Stanton is amazing in it.

It's been many years since I saw Midnight Run, but I remember it being a fun movie. I'm the opposite of you with the two main stars. I'm not a big fan of Robert De Niro, but I like Charles Grodin.

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Damn, i forgot about you not liking Midnight Run. You were miserable that Hall of Fame What was your list out of interest if you still have/know it?

I think most in the Hof liked it. I could have really liked it, if some of the sex stuff and the over rambunctious teens had been toned back.

Ha! yes I was I'm liking the films in the 13th much, much better.

Oh god! Charles Grodin is annoying.

I don't find him annoying. He usually plays the "lovable loser". I loved him in Seems Like Old Times.

Do you have a general problem with sex depicted in film? I mean if there's a graphic sex scene does that automatically take your appreciation down? Just wondering. The sex was necessary it played a major part in the plot in building the jealousy and resentment between both and the threesome scene was just amazing; not in a sexual sense just in how much of an explosion of emotions it was, watching that the on the second watch was so dark and intense.

My main gripe with your comment there was the hit or miss part, as i said every film is hit or miss to some degree but i don't think Y Tu Mama is in any notable way, actually in my experience it has been nearly unanimously liked by everyone i've rec'd it to.

I wrote somewhere on this site a while back about re-watching Midnight Run. It was a movie I really liked when I first saw it in the theater, but for some reason, it didn't seem to age well with a re-watch (or maybe I was just in a lighter mood in the 80's).

I agree with gbg, I've always liked Charles Grodin's deadpan affect. I caught him not long ago in Catch 22, he's pretty good in The Heartbreak Kid, but one of my favorite roles of his was as Steve Martin's friend in The Lonely Guy.

Don't know if this is unfortunate or fortunate, but I've never seen a single Beethoven movie (the ones about the dog with Charles Grodin). Can anyone say if they are worth checking out?

I have a DVD set with either 4 or 5 of the Beethoven movies, but I haven't watched them yet. (I'll get around to them someday. )

Rules, going by the list of DeNiro films you've seen have you also seen:

The King of Comedy (1982) = which is as brilliant as it is quirky
Brazil (1985) = a somewhat strange role in a strangely wonderful movie
The Untouchables (1987) = he plays Al Capone
Awakenings (1990) = highly recommended true story!
Goodfellas (1990) = the classic "lighter" mob movie & alternative to the Godfather
A Bronx Tale (1993) = great movie with DeNiro as a concerned father trying to keep his son away from crime
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) = not necessarily recommended, but oddly cast as the monster
Flawless (1999) = as a conservative stroke victim who gets therapy from a flamboyant transvestite (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

And a couple other notable Grodin roles - he plays Dave's friend in the movie Dave (1993). Not an earthshaking film, but a memorable comedy about a Presidential impersonator who actually has to take the place of the real President (probably more poignant now if watched during the Trump administration).

And how could I forget that Grodin was one of the ghosts in Heart and Souls (1993)? A personal favorite!

Dave and Heart and Souls are both great movies. I also liked him in Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Red Rock West (awesome; best companion to UTurn I think), Bad Day at Black Rock, Highway to Hell (fantasy), Wake in Fright, and Fear & Loathing in LV if you haven't seen it. There's also Dust Devil, but that's a darker kind of quirk maybe. Clay Pigeons and Nature of the Beast sort of fit the bill, but they're just decent IMO.

Kill Me Again looks interesting, but I haven't watched it yet.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a fun watch
Walkabout is a great film too but not so fun.

If you want to see a beautifully understated performance from Grodin that still garners big laughs, check out the Steve Martin comedy The Lonely Guy.

LOVE Midnight Run....great action comedy with great re-watch appeal and a surprising chemistry between the stars.