{"id":17475,"date":"2022-06-27T07:39:53","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T14:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=17475"},"modified":"2022-06-27T07:39:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T14:39:53","slug":"movie-review-the-many-saints-of-newark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2022\/06\/27\/movie-review-the-many-saints-of-newark\/","title":{"rendered":"Movie Review: The Many Saints of Newark"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Many Saints of Newark<\/em> is a movie that spoke to me on many levels.\u00a0 I’m from New Jersey, I’ve watched every episode of The Sopranos<\/em> probably four times or more, I’m a James Gandolfini fan, I grew up in New Jersey when the Newark race riots occurred (which figured prominently in The Many Saints of Newark<\/em>), and there are scenes in and around Bahr’s Landing, arguably the best seafood restaurant in the world.\u00a0 Ah, where to begin.<\/p>\n

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Michael and James Gandolfini, both playing Tony Soprano. James Gandolfini went to Rutgers, as did I and many of my friends in New Jersey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For starters, the movie is the story of Tony Soprano as a kid and then a teenager.\u00a0 The Many Saints of Newark<\/em> is a prequel.\u00a0 The young Tony Soprano is played by none other than Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini’s real son.\u00a0 Michael Gandolfini’s looks and his mannerisms make him completely believable as a younger version of the mob boss.\u00a0 I can’t imagine the pressure on this young man as an actor to play the role well.\u00a0 My compliments and thanks to you, Mr. Gandolfini.\u00a0 You succeeded and your father would be proud.<\/p>\n

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Tony’s mother, Livia Soprano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Corrado Soprano, aka Uncle Jun, then and now.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Silvio Dante. In the Sopranos, Steven Van Zandt played Silvio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Big Pussy, who turned turned FBI informant and was later whacked by Tony Soprano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Pauly Walnuts. In real life, the guy who played Pauly had been a real mobster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bahr’s Seafood Landing in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. I had dinner there just last month. In my opinion, it’s the best seafood restaurant on the planet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the characters in The Sopranos<\/em> are shown in their earlier years in The Many Saints of Newark<\/em>, including Silvio Dante, Pauly Walnuts, Tony’s mother, Tony’s sister Janice, Big Pussy, and others.\u00a0 \u00a0Whoever did the casting on this movie did a very good job; the actors in each role were completely believable as younger versions of themselves.\u00a0 They were superb.\u00a0 The actors must have spent considerable time studying The Sopranos<\/em>.\u00a0 Their accents, their mannerisms, their speech patterns, their expressions, even the way they walked brought back memories of The Sopranos<\/em> series.\u00a0 It was an incredible set of performances.<\/p>\n