ccthemovieman-1 This movie reminded me of some foreign films I own, low-key films which feature nice storytelling. There are no good guys vs. bad guys, no action, no blood, no sex: just a story of a day back in the Depression era in South Philadelphia.The story centers around a young boy "Gennero" (Jerry Barone) trying to raise "two bits" (25 cents) to see a movie. It features his dying grandfather, played nicely by Al Pacino. Along the way the 12-year-old encounters interesting people and events. Pacino dishes out the usual grandfatherly advice and well meaning-but-on-Biblical theology ("God puts a brick on your house in heaven every time you do a good deed and he takes one away when you are bad.") Some have criticized Pacino for taking this role. I guess they want him to be a cop in every film. Well, he's a great actor and shows his diversified talents well in here. Whatever.....this film is loaded with charm and a nice story that's like a good book: hard to put down once you start. At 84 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, either. Even though there is little profanity, I would not recommend this as family fare because the film touches on a disturbing doctor and his wife.Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and glad to see it's out on DVD now, too.

MovieLuvaMatt I tend to be a sucker for coming-of-age dramas like these, and this is one of the good ones. The premise of a boy wanting to accumulate 25 cents to go to the movies is simple but engaging and effective. Modern day viewers might look at his quest as stupid and redundant, but that's easy to say when you have enough money to go the movies every weekend. To this little boy, it's his dream to go to the new local cinema on opening day. Plus, in the days of the depression, the cinema meant much more than it does now. Nowadays, people don't respect the institution. You see people put their feet up on the chairs in front of them, throw popcorn at the screen, shamelessly talk amongst themselves and to give a thoroughly modern example, let their cell phones ring. I think it was Gene Siskel, who said the most beautiful sight is seeing a movie audience as the screen shines over them and their eyes are glued to the screen. Cinema just had that magical feeling to people. So though I was born five decades later, I was still able to put myself in the main character's shoes. Joseph Stefano, known mostly for his screenplay for "Psycho," wrote this nice character-driven drama that took me on a journey. Of course, that's also thanks to the child actor who played the main character. He has a certain authenticity to him that not all child actors have. If a child actor can say his lines like he means them and deliver emotions without dialogue, he's doing a good-enough job. Not only that, but he holds his own opposite the brilliant Al Pacino. Like always, Pacino gives a powerful performance, and I felt the character he played was different and unique. This time he's not a gangster or a cop. Though he has a supporting role, he makes his screen time memorable. Mary Elizabeth (I'm not gonna attempt to say her last name) is great as well. The situations our protagonist gets into are sometimes funny, sometimes sad. As trivial as his quest to get 25 cents may seem, I wanted him to accomplish it. The ending is sad, though not unexpected. Mainly, it's the richly developed characters and their interactions that make this a solid film. My score: 8 (out of 10)

movieman_bg The Great Depression has been discussed in one too many movies and "Two Bits" makes almost no exception of the general rule for such a movie: a poor family(usually immigrants), a small child realizing the poverty around him, an older person to guide the child, a sudden understanding of the really important things in life, a little drama, a touching ending, nothing new, nothing bad, unfortunately nothing too good. The exception in the "nothing too good rule" is the usual amazing performance that Al Pacino gives in almost all of his roles. His character, Gitano Sabatoni, touches the viewer deeply, and might even bring a few twinkles in the eyes at the very end. However, one man does not make a team, and Al Pacino could do little to save this movie from mediocrity.James Foley("Twin Peaks", "Fear") tries to create a deep and touching stroy line, perhaps reaching to the roots of many movie fans. He is not successful, though. The metaphor with the "La Paloma" theater is not that strong and the end could've been made deeper if it had been for a few more words. Anyway, that's not Foley's main problem. The total lack of action in this movie makes it a bit too boring. "Two Bits" is simply too slow to leave a lasting impression. The somewhat strong scenes of grandfather-grandson bonding are immediately followed with aimless roaming around the streets of Philly. Perhaps one of the deepest scenes in the movie(the dancing people on the street) is somewhat lost because the viewer did not expect such a strong message at that time. Simple ideas can be misunderstood when not given in a right time to the viewer. Perhaps the same message "Two Bits" holds(even though much less complicated) is expressed in a brilliant way in "Citizen Kane". In the latter movie however, the viewer is "glued" to the seat at almost every time, whereas in "Two Bits" some people might slip out of their seats. Anyway, "Two Bits" is worth seeing even if only for Al Pacino's impact. The movie might not be that good as a whole, but it touches a soft spot in many dedicated viewers' hearts. James Foley succeeds in showing the "holyness" of a movie theater to a small kid(or even to an adult). The way "La Paloma" is described, it leaves an impression of something majestic, something sacred, something pure and beautiful. It's a shame that Foley went only so far as to evoke this one picture, for as beautiful as it is, it can't support a whole movie.

Jakeroo Not much action here, but a nice little drama in a big day for grandpa and grandson.