What’s Aged the Best?
De Niro’s vulnerability; marriage; thunderbolt romance; Capra; refusing mob money; music; stickball; baseball; narration; cast; mob dialogue; interracial romance; persistent social codes
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:10Read transcript
- De Niro’s varied early-1990 s work is praised, especially Lorenzo’s unusually vulnerable ordinary-man presence.
- Lorenzo’s marriage is unusually functional for a De Niro character.
- The sudden romantic thunderbolt is linked with The Godfather and Goodfellas.
- Young C’s hair and Francis Capra’s performance are praised, with his Veronica Mars work recalled.
- Good guys refusing mob offers of $150 a week to drop off numbers are admired.
- The Sinatra and doo-wop soundtrack and stickball montage are praised.
- Baseball nostalgia and the scale of historic records before today’s crowded sports landscape are appreciated.
- The narration works, Zero is a good nickname, Hicks is compelling and the young cast is strong.
- Mobsters telling people to get out remain reliably funny.
- The interracial relationship is contrasted with more common modern depictions; racism and anti-snitching codes remain recognizable.