Robert Celestino's drama Yonkers Joe stars Chazz Palminteri as an aging gambler and professional cheat. Although Joe is quite good at his various unethical endeavors, he feels guilt about his chosen profession. He has a grown son (Tom Guiry) who suffers from Down syndrome, and the dad firmly believes that the ailment is some sort of punishment. When the difficult to control son leaves the institution that has cared for him, Yonkers Joe tries to reconnect with him, while also planning a big score
that will allow the son to live in comfort and safety. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
For all its attention to detail, Yonkers Joe isn't half as tough as it pretends to be. The real story of these bottom-feeders and the sad young man they exploit is a lot uglier than the movie even begins to let on.
Lahti burns through a thinly written role with a surprising level of warmth and humanity, and Guiry is at times repellently convincing as a kid genetically incapable of either nuance or fakery.
Mostly strong, that is, with the major exception of Tom Guiry's portrayal of Joe Jr. Painfully broad, Guiry practically sinks the film with garishly slack-jawed and over-the-top manchildishness.
Celestino's bid to wrap everything up in tidy fashion feels at odds with the grittiness of the film's first two-thirds, but in the end, the movie's glimpse into a seldom-seen slice of life sticks with you.
Palminteri helps the film earn very slight passing marks, if only mostly because it's interesting to see these old operators have to adapt their schemes for new times.
Yonkers Joe is like a so-so trip to Vegas, one where you lose as much as you gain gambling. In other words, it's not the trip you're most likely to tell your friends about.
[Director] Celestino steers clear of the can't-miss pulp thriller that Yonkers Joe could've been, and goes for broke by giving it big dollop of schmaltz. His horse doesn't come in, but it runs a respectable race.
If you can watch Yonkers Joe without thinking it's a mild Rain Man rip-off, you'll enjoy a film that could have been plagued with plot issues, but rises above it
Whatever atmosphere [director] Celestino milks from the seedy world of late-night poker games and whiskey-soaked mornings after is leached away once Tom Guiry's pantomime idiot savant shows up.
Middling drama about the trying for the big score. Not much really. Christine Lahti is far to fine an actress to be stuck in dreck like this.
October 5, 2009
jay nixon
Super Reviewer
Yonkers Joe succeeds very well as a family drama, with an authentic feel. The gambling aspects of the film were also interesting, though never fleshed out enough. But overall, I found Yonkers Joe to be pretty moving, with a lot of credit going to Chazz Palminteri with his spot on performance.
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