Sweet Nothing

Without Mira Sorvino, Paul Calderon and (most especially) Michael Imperioli, this would have been just the latest "Afterschool Special" edition of "Panic In Needle Park" crossed with "The Man With The Golden Arm" and a few of the seven naughty words the FCC so dislikes.

I can see why it took a couple of years (and probably Mira's Oscar) to get this movie released. The writing is uninspired. The directing is just okay. And the feel of the film is cheap, even for a low-budget indie from New York.

But the acting! Mira Sorvino shines as Monika. Paul Calderon makes Raymond's shift from good buddy to monster not only plausible but inevitable. And Michael Imperioli as Angel...he's got the chops, baby. I realize most everybody knows him as Christopher from "The Sopranos" (and he's good in that), but here he blinds us with Angel's hunger -- from needing to provide for his family right through to needing the rocky stuff.

Intended message -- "Stay away from drugs, children, or they'll ruin not only your life but the lives of those who love you."

Actual message -- "With fine actors, even leftover meatloaf can seem like prime rib."

One of the scariest movies I've ever seen, right up there with "Requiem for a Dream." Paul Calderon, a good actor, plays a small but key (and nasty) character that cannot have helped his career but makes the terror of the film work splendidly.

This is a film about crack addiction, and how it can suck in even a hard-working young man with a good wife and some ambition. We are given just enough backstory about the lead character to make his fall seem credible and terrifying.

Another reviewer referred to the Imperioli character as 'Angelo' and he could well be an Angelo. However the character's name is actually Angel, which makes me wonder. Was this really supposed to be about Puerto Ricans, but adapted to make them maybe Sicilian-Americans instead? It reminds me of those Frank Sinatra comedies (e.g., 'Hole in the Head') where the lead was originally Jewish, but made sort-of-Italian to fit the actor. This misfit casting makes the social context implausible--an Italian family that lives mostly among Puerto Ricans and blacks. Nevertheless the script still manages to ring true in certain details, particularly during the last third when Angel attempts to make a little money by getting back into low-level dealing and finds himself in ever-more-sordid situations.

Before she won an Oscar, Mira Sorvino starred in this small but powerful movie about a guy whose seemingly perfect world comes crashing down when he enters the drug trade. Michael Imperioli, who played Spider in "Goodfellas," has a leading role here and does an outstanding job of portraying down-and-out drug dealer and user Angel, but never allows us to dislike him. Throughout his struggle we are right by Angel's side.

Even the ending is not obvious: there is no happy finale, but somehow we know he is on the long road back.

I noticed, in the credits, that the script is adapted from a journal "found in a cupboard in Queens". I found this movie to be an accurate and, at times, wrenching portrayal of the downward slide of a crack cocaine addict. I can say this absolutely, because I've been there myself. Many of the characterizations and dramatic situations are right on the money, particularly the portrayal of the addict's wife (God, I love Mira Sorvino!), because addicts not only destroy their own lives, but the lives of their loved ones, as well. I empathized with the main character's (Angel's) denial of his problem (ie. "It's YOUR fault I'm in this mess, not mine - you don't understand me! You're trying to bring me down!"). I wish to emphasize that I like this movie, not only because it's accurate, but because it's also a very good movie. I's REAL. Highly recommended!

I caught this one on cable during a night of insomnia. I dialed it in so I could sleep, but it kept me completely awake. The story is small, simple, and familiar. What kept me watching were the wonderful, understated performances by just about everyone, which is usually a tribute to the director as well as the cast. This is not a big film, but it is quite memorable.