You Got Nothin'

Philip Angelotti and Steven Langa bring likable characters and beautifully executed comedy segments to their first rate debut effort. One memorable scene supports this comment nicely. Philip plays Joey, a not-so-bright debt collector for the mob. Joey is given an unpleasant assignment from his mob boss played by Joseph Cortese. The scene opens with a couple grieving over a deceased relative. The couple is in no hurry to pay their respects and move on. The camera catches the couple in the foreground of the frame and the viewing audience focuses on their performance. Seconds later, Joey's head pops up in the background of the frame as he waits impatiently to carry out his assignment. The timing is perfect and the subtle comedic element works very well.

The screenplay is better than many films that Hollywood cranks out. The story has sub plots that remain interesting and important throughout the entire run. They produced this film in digital high definition format. The DVD copy that I viewed was clear and the colors were bright and natural. It didn't appear that the lighting and cinematography were a challenge although there was no need to create stunning visuals to tell this story. Most of the scenes had a gritty urban setting.

I thought Brian McNamara was too handsome to be the bad guy in this film. His performance was good but I could not lose that pretty boy image when his character reached his lowest point in the third act. Rachel Langa stole this one. I believe she was only twelve when she played this role. This was her acting debut and she nailed it. Her father, Steven Langa, should be very proud.

I recommend this film highly. I viewed this film at the 2004 California Independent Film Festival in the beautiful Livermore wine country. Bravo to Philip, Steven, the entire cast and crew and all the staff at the festival.

I believe this movie has a high potential for finding an audience that will identify with the main character who "can't get out of his own way". The action and interaction between the characters is fresh and funny, and brings me back to an earlier time in my culture when kids with good hearts ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They inspire us to help one another find direction in life and remind us of the need for a good friend or a helping hand. The characters in this movie are extremely likable, and I came to care about them very much. I wanted them to succeed because I was able to identify with their innate goodness despite extraordinary circumstances they got themselves into. The dialogue was cute and funny and kept my interest, as did the twisting plot. I kept waiting for a "bomb to drop" on one of them and hoped things would "work out". They almost did in the end, but at the final moment, the twist was also very true to life and well done. I highly recommend this light-hearted "first effort" because I believe it will go far. I can't wait for the actor's next movie and I hope the public will give this film a chance to shine - as I know it will.

I caught this darlin' flick at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose and almost bust my gut laughing. For a low-budget indie, I thought the movie had big buck production values. The lead actors had great on screen chemistry. The story was nicely woven - a great urban "buddy" film. I enjoyed the use of music within the film. The use of color in the sets and costumes was also exceptional. The break-away star of the film was the little girl, Rachel. At the festival they announced this was her first acting gig --- it will probably not be her last. I hope to see more of all the actors in this film in the next few years.

I saw this excellent film at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose last year and thought it was the best film there. I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to see all the films at the festival in 2003 because I worked in the PR department. 'You Got Nothin' is subtly hilarious, the acting superb and the camera work is literally flawless. It has a very 'Reservoir Dogs' feel to it and the dark humor is pulled off by these darling actors brilliantly. I have to say, the scene between Joey (the main character) and Nickie (his girlfriend in the film and in real life) in the restaurant hallway is my favorite! Everyone I spoke with at the festival loved this film! If you get the chance, see this incredible film!

I just saw this film at Phoenix Film Festival. You Got Nothing certainly has something... It was definitely the funniest film that I have seen this year so far. The actors did a superb job at acting. This was a funny movie, that truly brought out true real characters.

The two main actors also both wrote the movie, which was very unique and Joey also directed it. After the film at the festival there was a Q and A and it was funny to see how well the two main actors got along and I think it really showed in their performances on screen. It reminded me some of Jon Faverau's MADE, but with a lot less blood and shall I say a little funnier.

The film looked great and it was so well edited and put together it truly looked like a high budget film, it was shot in High Definition and look superb. The score/soundtrack was great, I loved it! I certainly hope that this film can get released to more screens!