FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- "The Deli", which serves up a thick and not particularly appetizing slice of New York life, is the kind of laid-back comedy that will leaves audiences hungry for more.
Presenting a colorful cast of New York actors in the ramshackle tale of a delicatessen owner struggling to pay his gambling debts while dealing with myriad eccentric friends, relatives and customers, its minor charms won't get it much attention in a commercial environment. Inexplicably given a recommendation by the National Board of Review, it was showcased recently at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
John Gallagher's feature does give a welcome opportunity for heavy-set chararcter actor Mike Starr to shine in a starring role. He plays Johnny Amico, a deli owner whose gambling habit has put him in jeopardy with the neighborhood mobsters. To make things worse, his mother's number has just come in, but Johnny, although he's taken her money, hasn't placed a bet on it in years.
A lot of familiar faces pass through the deli, including Iceas a meat delivery man; Chris Noth as a trash man; David Johanson as a rambunctious cabbie; and the model Iman (which could account for the inclusion of some David Bowie songs on the soundtrack) as a woman searching for an avocado, etc.
Also showing up in tiny roles are figures such as veteran rapper Heavy D, Heather Matarazzo ("Welcome to the Dollhouse"), Michael Imperioli, Debi Mazar, William McNamara, Jerry Stiller, Shirley Stoler and Burt Young as the neighborhood gangster. Clearly, the filmmakers were able to call in some debts of their own.
Gallagher and John Dorian's anecdotal screenplay is short on true wit or resonance and doesn't add up to very much, but it does offer the opportunity for the colorful cast to provide some amusing moments, and the film manages to present a vivid and authentic depiction of an Italian working-class neighborhood.
Further adding to the atmosphere is the canny use of music from Rome-based CAM Original Soundtracks, including classic themes from composers such as Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone.
THE DELI
Golden Monkey Pictures
Director: John Gallagher
Screenplay: John Dorian, John Gallagher
Producer: Sylvia Caminer
Executive producer: John Dorrian
Director of photography: Robert Lechterman
Editor: Sue Blainey
Original score: Ernie Mannix
Color/stereo
Cast:
Johnny: Mike Starr
Andy: Matt Keeslar
Mrs. Amico: Judith Malina
Pinky: Brian Vincent
Eric the Soda Man: Michael Badalucco
Bo: Heavy D
Phil the Meat Man: Ice
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Presenting a colorful cast of New York actors in the ramshackle tale of a delicatessen owner struggling to pay his gambling debts while dealing with myriad eccentric friends, relatives and customers, its minor charms won't get it much attention in a commercial environment. Inexplicably given a recommendation by the National Board of Review, it was showcased recently at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
John Gallagher's feature does give a welcome opportunity for heavy-set chararcter actor Mike Starr to shine in a starring role. He plays Johnny Amico, a deli owner whose gambling habit has put him in jeopardy with the neighborhood mobsters. To make things worse, his mother's number has just come in, but Johnny, although he's taken her money, hasn't placed a bet on it in years.
A lot of familiar faces pass through the deli, including Iceas a meat delivery man; Chris Noth as a trash man; David Johanson as a rambunctious cabbie; and the model Iman (which could account for the inclusion of some David Bowie songs on the soundtrack) as a woman searching for an avocado, etc.
Also showing up in tiny roles are figures such as veteran rapper Heavy D, Heather Matarazzo ("Welcome to the Dollhouse"), Michael Imperioli, Debi Mazar, William McNamara, Jerry Stiller, Shirley Stoler and Burt Young as the neighborhood gangster. Clearly, the filmmakers were able to call in some debts of their own.
Gallagher and John Dorian's anecdotal screenplay is short on true wit or resonance and doesn't add up to very much, but it does offer the opportunity for the colorful cast to provide some amusing moments, and the film manages to present a vivid and authentic depiction of an Italian working-class neighborhood.
Further adding to the atmosphere is the canny use of music from Rome-based CAM Original Soundtracks, including classic themes from composers such as Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone.
THE DELI
Golden Monkey Pictures
Director: John Gallagher
Screenplay: John Dorian, John Gallagher
Producer: Sylvia Caminer
Executive producer: John Dorrian
Director of photography: Robert Lechterman
Editor: Sue Blainey
Original score: Ernie Mannix
Color/stereo
Cast:
Johnny: Mike Starr
Andy: Matt Keeslar
Mrs. Amico: Judith Malina
Pinky: Brian Vincent
Eric the Soda Man: Michael Badalucco
Bo: Heavy D
Phil the Meat Man: Ice
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/19/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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