A Bronx Tale
Since 1990, GoodFellas has been my favorite Mob movie. It showed you the ins and outs of what it was like to be a gangster. It was almost like a handbook with a who’s who, rules, vocabulary, etc. I had seen Casino when that came out and I didn’t like it as much as GoodFellas. I know a lot of people are asking “what about The Godfather”? That’s in a class of its own. You can’t touch that so we won’t bother throwing that in here.
So, GoodFellas remained my favorite movie about the Mafia .....until I met my wife, Kelly. She told me I had to watch some movie with this guy Chazz Palminteri and Robert DeDiro. Like a lot of people, I had never heard of it. My wife sat down and watched it with a very skeptical version of me. I mean how can you beat GoodFellas right? I’ll admit that some of the acting in A Bronx Tale is not the best. However, the story, the morals and the life lessons that are taught throughout the film are things that stay with you forever.
When Kelly and I first got together, she told me I passed “The Door Test”. When I asked what that was, she said “Watch A Bronx Tale”. The more I heard it, the more wanted to see it. The more I saw it, the more I loved it. Let me tell you a little bit about it without giving any spoilers.
In the story, a little boy, who idolizes his father, grows up in a part of The Bronx that is surrounded by the Italian Mob. He grew up watching these guys and imitating them. As a little boy, he witnessed a Mob boss kill a man. He refused to tell anyone who held the gun and the boss was very grateful. So grateful in fact, that this boss takes this little boy under his wing and treats him as if he is his own son. The boy is torn between the lessons that his working-man father tries to instill in him and the street smarts that the Mob boss teaches him.
As it turns out, this based on a true story. Chazz Palminteri was a struggling actor and decided that if he had such a hard time getting jobs, that he would create one for himself. So, he began writing a one-man-show about the time he witnessed a murder when he was 9. “A Bronx Tale: The One Man Show” premiered in Los Angeles in 1989. It gained popularity amongst Hollywood. The night that one person in particular saw it, changed Chazz’s life. After a performance one night in 1990, Robert DeNiro met with Chazz in his dressing room and told him "This is one of the greatest one-man shows I've ever seen, if not the greatest... This is a movie, this is an incredible movie."
Chazz Palminteri and Robert DeNiro made a legendary deal that night on a handshake. DeNiro wanted to make it a movie and make it his directorial debut. The deal was that he would direct and star in it as Chazz’s father, Lorenzo. Chazz would write the screen play and star as The Mob Boss, Sonny.
The movie debuted in 1993. Chazz went on to make it into “A Bronx Tale: The Musical” in 2016. While his acting career continued to flourish, Chazz would still perform his one man show. My wife has always wished to see it and so did I.
We sat the kids down to watch the movie so they understood what it was and what it was about. We figured if they saw the movie, they would understand the play more. They were now just as excited to see the one man show. 33 years after its debut, Chazz is still performing it. We finally got to see it at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pa. It was the most amazing show I have ever seen. No props, no other actors, just Chazz and a chair.
In anticipation for the show, I began listening to The Chazz Palminteri Podcast. He tells stories of behind-the-scenes of A Bronx Tale, he brings in his old-school friends from the neighborhood and recounts memories, but most importantly, and the real reason I listen so intently, he gives advice and life lessons. It’s very inspirational.
When we sat down in the theater, we couldn’t believe we were going to see the man, the myth, the legend, on stage, doing the very show that started it all.
As the lights went down, no movement could be seen. All of a sudden, he just appeared on stage in a spot light and went right into the play. For the next hour and a half, Chazz went through every line from the movie, every character. At 70 years old, he moved around that stage better than I could have. In an hour and a half, not once did the man stop. In an hour and a half, not once did this man take a sip of water. He went from one character into the next with such smooth transitions, that you could actually visualize it as if you were watching a movie. I have never seen anything like it. It had laughs, it had morals, and it kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
At the end, it brought me to tears for many reasons. I refuse to give out spoilers. However, the fact that this man went from the streets of The Bronx, to standing on that stage that night, was so inspiring. I still can’t believe that I was in the same room with him. The way he wrote and performed this play was pure genius. Robert DeNiro told him, that this play WAS a movie. I now know why. I saw the play but I really SAW it. I could visualize everything he talked about.
After his standing ovation, Chazz Palminteri walked back out on stage. He thanked everyone for coming out to see his story. Then he told how he wrote it, performed it for the first time in 1989, how it was turned into a movie and how he then transformed it into a Broadway Musical. He thanked everyone for coming out and then he was gone again.
This was not only the best show I have ever seen, it was so good that we came home and bought tickets to see it again.
It was such a joy to see him in person perform the play that started it all. As an added bonus, my wife, Kelly, who has been wishing a long time to see this, finally got her wish. My daughters are 21 and 12 years old. To see THEM, get as excited as we were was an emotion I can’t explain. There are so many lines from this that will forever be a part of our lexicon.
I am telling you, the reader, do yourself a favor, GO SEE A Bronx Tale: The One Man Show! Whether you have seen the movie before or not, sit down and watch it before going to see the play. It will help bring the play to life.
For those of you who have kids, this is a coming-of-age story. If you have children that are old enough to comprehend it, watch this with your children. There is a bit of language and some violence. Nothing heavy and nothing they can’t handle. The values and the life lessons that are taught in this, will help shape who they are.
If you are an adult that loves to be inspired, listen to the Chazz Palminteri Podcast as well. He talks about a lot of topics that we deal with on a daily basis. He does not go into politics or religion. Just the stuff that goes on in our heads a lot, decisions we have to make every day. He even has segments called Neighborhood Logic where people email questions to him about how to deal with some of the things life has to offer. Chazz will tell you how they would have dealt with it in the old neighborhood.
A Bronx Tale has surpassed GoodFellas as my favorite Mob movie. It has had such an impact on my life as well as my family. Although, Goodfellas still ranks as a VERY close second.
Chazz’s father always told him “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent”. Chazz made sure he didn’t waste his. It shows here.
“But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they'll just tell you this is just another Bronx Tale.”
Until Next Time,
Thanks for reading!
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