The panel explicitly lists ten darkly comic lessons about made men, post-heist spending, airports, mob ownership, cocaine, violence, loyalty, dating, crew executions, and divorce.
In the discussion (10)
- Do not kill a made man, because it will come back to hurt you.
- After a massive heist, do not buy anything fancy; lie low.
- When you need money, rob an airport.
- Do not make a mob boss your silent restaurant partner.
- If you sell cocaine, do not use it.
- If you truly hate someone, shoot them in the face so their mother cannot hold an open-casket funeral.
- Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.
- If a new boyfriend pistol-whips someone in front of you, reconsider ending up with him.
- If you are part of a crew, nobody tells you they are going to kill you.
- The bonus lesson is not to get divorced.
☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roger Ebert’s four-star, best-of-1990 review is discussed, including his claim that no finer organized-crime film had been made and his praise of Scorsese at his peak.
In the discussion (3)
- Ebert gave Goodfellas four stars and named it his best film of 1990.
- Ebert wrote that no finer film about organized crime had been made, including The Godfather.
- He described Scorsese as America’s finest filmmaker at the peak of his form.
Two audible final choices favor the Billy Batts sequence continuing into Tommy’s mother’s house; another final choice favors the funny-guy exchange, after a broad scene-by-scene field.
In the discussion (20)
- The opening trunk murder is nominated.
- Young Henry’s first arrest and celebration are nominated.
- The Bamboo Lounge introductions are nominated.
- The funny-guy exchange is nominated and receives one final choice.
- Sonny complaining to Paulie about the restaurant is nominated.
- The Copacabana tracking shot is nominated.
- Billy Batts insulting Tommy is nominated.
- The continuation at Tommy’s mother’s house is nominated; two final choices favor the combined sequence.
- Spider being shot and later killed is nominated.
- Henry lying to Paulie about Billy Batts is nominated as the moment the movie turns toward lies and horror.
- Karen holding a gun on Henry is nominated as a horror-like sequence.
- Henry learning of the Lufthansa heist in the shower is nominated, along with its Shining homage.
- The post-heist gaudy purchases are nominated.
- Jimmy sizing up Morrie in slow motion is nominated.
- Morrie’s murder is nominated.
- The Layla corpse montage is nominated and praised as operatic.
- Tommy’s execution and Jimmy’s phone-booth reaction are nominated.
- The cocaine-and-helicopter day is nominated for replicating the sensation of Henry’s paranoia.
- Karen’s assault and Henry’s pistol-whipping retaliation are nominated.
- The wives’ social scene is nominated for portraying a part of the mob world usually unseen.
The young Henry performance, freeze frames, Sopranos connections, narration, comedy, color, wigs, music, food, the unseen Lufthansa heist, and Henry and Karen’s fights lead a dense aged-best field.
In the discussion (17)
- The young Henry performer is praised.
- The freeze-frame device remains effective.
- Tommy asking Henry to go on the double date is praised.
- The extensive Sopranos casting connections reward later viewings.
- The narration is praised despite one host’s general dislike of narration.
- The corpse-excavation joke remains startling.
- Alec Baldwin’s De Niro impression gives the film added comic afterlife.
- The wedding’s repeated Italian names are praised.
- The pistol-whipping sequence remains forceful.
- Its bright-green suburban palette is contrasted with the film’s usual red, blue, and black.
- The high ratio of conspicuous wigs is praised as character detail.
- The soundtrack is praised.
- The movie’s food scenes make the panel hungry.
- The prison visit and children’s eagerness to see Uncle Paulie are singled out as a darkly funny family detail.
- Not showing the Lufthansa heist is praised as a budget-saving and story-centering choice.
- Henry and Karen’s fights are praised for their raw intimacy and continuing attraction.
- The music is praised as a seamless 25-year snapshot of American popular music.
Sopranos associations, Janice’s casting, two later Lufthansa adaptations, a BC-basketball reference, ketchup on pasta, Boogie Nights echoes, and pre-9/11 airline cocaine transport make up the explicit aged-worst field.
In the discussion (7)
- Michael Imperioli’s later identity as Christopher Moltisanti can overwhelm Spider.
- Janice is criticized as an underpowered choice for Henry’s girlfriend.
- Two later films about the Lufthansa heist are mentioned as apparently unsuccessful afterlives.
- A Boston College basketball reference prompts a dated personal association.
- Ketchup on pasta is condemned.
- Boogie Nights’ overt homage can make its Janice-apartment echo intrude on later Goodfellas viewings.
- Carrying cocaine on commercial airlines is judged far harder now than before 9/11.
De Niro’s choice of Jimmy, Malkovich and William Petersen alternatives, Liotta and Sean Penn possibilities, Sorvino’s self-discovery, and Cruise/Madonna rumors are discussed.
In the discussion (6)
- De Niro was offered Jimmy or Tommy, chose Jimmy, and his commitment secured financing.
- John Malkovich and William Petersen are discussed as reported Jimmy alternatives.
- Liotta’s Something Wild work helped establish him for Henry, and he reportedly turned down Harvey Dent in Batman.
- Sean Penn is discussed as a possible Henry.
- Paul Sorvino reportedly considered leaving until he saw a frightening expression in the mirror and found Paulie.
- Tom Cruise and Madonna are discussed as reported alternate star casting, though the panel questions how real the offers were.
Mike Starr wins a deep supporting-actor field.
In the discussion (10)
- Mike Starr is selected.
- Frank Sivero is nominated.
- Tony Darrow is nominated.
- Chuck Low is nominated.
- Welker White is nominated.
- Peter Onorati is nominated.
- Tobin Bell is nominated.
- Kevin Corrigan is nominated.
- Frank DiLeo is nominated.
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. is nominated.
Morrie and Liotta’s flushed-cocaine reaction are the eligible finalists; Liotta’s funny-guy laugh is raised but ruled ineligible, and the flushed-cocaine reaction is favored.
In the discussion (3)
- Liotta’s funny-guy laugh is raised but ruled ineligible.
- Morrie is nominated.
- Liotta’s reaction when Karen says she flushed the cocaine is favored.
Frank Vincent wins over Debi Mazar, Chuck Low, Paul Sorvino, and Michael Imperioli.
In the discussion (5)
- Frank Vincent is selected for Billy Batts.
- Debi Mazar is nominated.
- Chuck Low is nominated.
- Paul Sorvino is nominated.
- Michael Imperioli is nominated.
Linda Fiorentino is selected as a stronger Janice or gumar option, over Annabella Sciorra.
In the discussion (2)
- Linda Fiorentino is proposed and selected.
- Annabella Sciorra is proposed as an alternative.
The research pass covers the Scorsese–Pileggi call, Henry Hill payment, a pistol-whip accident, filmmakers’ relationships, Imperioli’s injury, the painting, Oscar-winning killer roles, the closing shot, music planning, made-man rules, ratings edits, and profanity.
In the discussion (13)
- Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi’s reciprocal “waiting for this” phone-call lines are recounted.
- Henry Hill was reportedly paid $480,000.
- The actor pistol-whipped by Henry describes Liotta maintaining rage between takes and accidentally getting too close.
- Scorsese dating Illeana Douglas and Lorraine Bracco’s marriage to Harvey Keitel are discussed.
- Michael Imperioli broke glass in his hand, and hospital staff initially thought it was a gunshot wound.
- Scorsese predicted Imperioli would tell the injury story on Jay Leno, which he later did.
- Tommy’s mother’s painting was reportedly based on a 1977 National Geographic image.
- Five actors said to have won Oscars for portraying real-life killers are counted.
- Pesci shooting at the camera is connected to The Great Train Robbery and Henry always looking over his shoulder.
- The music editor said Scorsese planned songs years before shooting and included them in the script.
- A 2000 change to made-man ancestry rules is described.
- Scorsese reportedly removed ten frames of blood to secure an R rating.
- The movie is reported to contain 321 uses or derivatives of “fuck.”
The panel runs apex judgments across Scorsese, gangster movies, a director rivalry, the Copacabana, gangster names, De Niro, garlic, Lufthansa, Pesci, mob codes, pistol-whipping, wigs, prison sauce, Bracco, Sorvino, profanity, Cutty Sark, and Pittsburgh drug dealers.
In the discussion (17)
- Scorsese is selected at his artistic apex, with The Departed raised as a later juice-based alternative.
- Goodfellas is called a capstone for gangster movies before the form moved to television.
- The Scorsese–De Palma rivalry is placed at its apex around November 1990.
- The Goodfellas Copacabana sequence is favored over Barry Manilow’s song for the name “Copacabana.”
- Movie-gangster names are called an unquestionable apex.
- De Niro’s apex is debated between his late-1970s/early-1980s run and 1990-era juice.
- Razor-blading garlic is called a one-of-one apex.
- Goodfellas is treated as the apex for the Lufthansa heist.
- Joe Pesci is placed in an apex run spanning Lethal Weapon 2 through Casino.
- “It is what it is” from The Irishman is favored among mob murder-code justifications.
- The film is selected as an apex for pistol-whipping on film.
- Mobster wigs and prison tomato sauce receive affirmative apex rulings.
- Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco receive affirmative apex rulings.
- Paul Sorvino’s apex remains unresolved against his long career.
- Henny Youngman is rejected, while the word “fucko” receives an affirmative apex ruling.
- Cutty Sark is discussed as a once-prominent drink rarely seen now.
- Pittsburgh drug dealers receive a final joking apex nomination.
Age mismatches, Sonny confronting Tommy publicly, absent strip clubs, prison meals, a mannequin-like assault victim, post-wedding housing, Billy Batts’s party, Lufthansa associates who fail to flee, Karen locating Henry, and payphones supply distinct nitpicks.
In the discussion (10)
- Liotta and Pesci are judged much too old for the early ages they portray.
- Sonny discussing the restaurant bill in front of Tommy’s friends is questioned.
- The absence of an obligatory strip-club scene is questioned.
- The elaborate prison meals are questioned but accepted as fun.
- The pistol-whipping victim stands like a mannequin.
- Henry and Karen living with her mother after receiving substantial wedding cash is questioned, then defended as living off-grid.
- Billy Batts’s sparsely attended party and friends leaving him with a rival crew are questioned; Jimmy may have kept him there and drunk.
- Lufthansa associates fail to flee despite participating in Jimmy’s other murders.
- How Karen knows Henry is at Morrie’s shop after Bruce assaults her is questioned.
- Mobsters repeatedly using the same supposedly untraceable payphone is questioned.
“Never rat on your friends; always keep your mouth shut” is favored from a list of Goodfellas lines proposed for senior-yearbook quotes.
The panel proposes a new category here.
In the discussion (3)
- Best Senior Yearbook Quote is explicitly introduced as a new category just for this episode.
- Multiple Goodfellas lines are offered as nominees.
- “Never rat on your friends; always keep your mouth shut” is favored as a very good yearbook quote.
A ten-episode series centered on Lufthansa or told from the police side is proposed, but the police-side version is judged potentially uninteresting because the gangsters were already widely known and protected by corruption.
In the discussion (3)
- A ten-episode series could center on the Lufthansa heist.
- A police-side version is proposed.
- The police-side idea is qualified because the mobsters were well known and protected through corruption until federal prosecution and RICO changed the system.
Liotta, Bracco, bodies, cocaine acting, and Jimmy’s plan for Karen anchor the questions.
In the discussion (5)
- Why did Ray Liotta’s career not produce more roles at this level?
- Why did Lorraine Bracco’s movie career not become larger?
- Did the smell of Billy Batts’s corpse ever leave Henry’s trunk?
- How much of Liotta’s cocaine performance was method or physical technique?
- Was Jimmy truly planning to kill Karen?
The Cadillac, living room, crucifix, painting, and bar fixtures are proposed.
In the discussion (5)
- A Cadillac is proposed.
- The living-room furniture is proposed.
- Karen’s crucifix is proposed.
- Tommy’s mother’s painting is proposed.
- Owning a bar like the Bamboo Lounge or Suite Lounge is proposed.
Martin Scorsese wins through three explicit choices; Pesci, De Niro, and Liotta are discussed as alternatives, followed by a debate over whether Scorsese’s Oscar loss helped his later stature.
In the discussion (3)
- Three audible choices explicitly select Martin Scorsese.
- Pesci, De Niro, and Liotta are discussed as plausible alternatives if the film were not itself one of the great American movies.
- The panel asks whether losing Best Director for Goodfellas helped build the later campaign to recognize Scorsese.
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Martin Scorsese
- Speaker not identified
- Martin Scorsese
- Speaker not identified
- Martin Scorsese
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson
