Yonkers Joe

I watch about 30 movies a week. And this is the one movie in the last year that I have felt compelled to rave about.

Yonkers Joe is expert in every way. From the procedural con-man story to the heartfelt family tale. There is not a wrong note in the entire script.

I generally hate films that use developmentally impaired characters -- they are usually a storytelling shortcut to the pulling of heartstrings. In this film, I expected only that the need to pay for an expensive group home for his son would be the incentive for Chazz Palminteri to take an extraordinary risk. But writer-director Robert Celestino proved me wrong. Way wrong.

A very satisfying film on all levels, with great performances, smart economical dialog, clever plot maneuvers, and not a saccharin moment in the entire flick.