Two Bits
1995 film
Two Bits is a 1995 American drama film directed by James Foley and starring Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Jerry Barone. It is written by Joseph Stefano, who considered the film a personal project, with a semi-biographical story. The title refers to the American slang term for a quarter dollar: "two bits".
01Plot
It is a hot summer day in 1933 in South Philadelphia, where 12-year-old Gennaro lives with his widowed mother and ailing grandfather. His grandfather sits outside holding on tight to his last quarter. He has promised the quarter to Gennaro so that the boy can buy a ticket to a plush new movie theater. However, grandpa is not ready to pass on the quarter, nor is he ready to die. He has some unfinished business with Guendolina, a woman from his past, and he enlists Gennaro to act as his emissary.
02Cast
- Jerry Barone as Gennaro
- Alec Baldwin as Narrator (Older Gennaro) (voice) (uncredited)
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Luisa Spirito
- Al Pacino as Grandpa
- Patrick Borriello as Tullio
- Andy Romano as Dr. Bruna
- Donna Mitchell as Mrs. Bruna
- Mary Lou Rosato as Aunt Carmela
- Joe Grifasi as Uncle Joe
- Rosemary De Angelis as Mrs. Conte
- Ron McLarty as Irish
- Charley Scalies as Ballyhoo Driver
- Joanna Merlin as Guendolina
- Geoff Pierson as Dr. Wilson
- Karen Shallo as Woman in Red
- Nick Discenza as Father of Deceased
03Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.
Awards
The film was nominated for two Young Artist Awards: Best Family Feature and Best Young Leading Actor (Jerry Barone) at the 17th Youth in Film Awards.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Two Bits”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Two bits poster.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
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