Movie worth your time: Stand Up Guys

vigil617

vigil617

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Mrs. Vigil and I watched Stand Up Guys last night on Netflix, and I just wanted to pass along to my friends here on the Forum that I think many of you would really enjoy it -- as she and I did.

Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin are three elderly gangsters who reunite for a last fling that is at times funny, violent, touching, and ultimately left unresolved. It blends comedy and drama neatly, and the performances of these great actors keep you thoroughly intrigued throughout.

It's not a comedy, though there are funny scenes (Pacino's visit to a brothel, and the guys' rescue of wheelman Arkin from his nursing home for a night of excitement, are highlights). These are still serious, dangerous guys, and the storyline has a tension about it that made it hard for me to take my eyes off of Pacino throughout. I think you'll see what I mean.

I never saw this when it was in theaters last year, and don't remember hearing much about it, but it's one of those movies that you're glad you got a chance to see. Especially for those of us here on the Forum, who are of a certain age, Stand Up Guys lets us enjoy this fine trio of actors we've watched for a good part of our lives.

I highly recommend it. 8 or 9 on a scale of 10!
 
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Two good movies. And another that could fall into that category is Tough Guys with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as two old train robbers that get out of the pen after decades and decide to have one last go at it. Eli Wallach steal the show as a near sighted cop obsessed with their capture.

It has a lot of humor, a lot of schmaltz, a lot of human interest, and it is fraught with nostalgia and you can't help pulling for the boys to "git-er-done".
 
Hell of a cast. Nobody dominates the screen like Pacino, and Walken and Arkin--especially Arkin--are great character actors.

My sister keeps pestering me to see Pacino as Shylock in "The Merchant Of Venice." May have to do that. I thought he pretty much stole "Donnie Brasco".
 
Alrighty then!!! Just ordered Stand Up Guys from NetFlix. I also tried to order Tough Guys. This thread reminded me of that movie and I haven't seen it in years.

Looks like I'm out of luck on this'n though. I couldn't find it on NetFlix or Hulu. :rolleyes: Too bad. That was a very good movie!
 
I'll give it a view, thanks.
I've mentioned a few times on this board that people should see Dinner Rush. It is about a guy who owns an Italian restaurant in NYC. Stars Danny Aiello and the guy who used to play the DJ on Northern Exposure. I know the title sounds a bit innocuous but trust me. All the action happens during the dinner rush. The ending is a.......well, see for yourself. If you want to know more then look it up on Rotten Tomatoes.
 
Just watched this Excellent Movie!! Can't say how much I enjoyed it thanks for the heads up. The dialogue was awesome and of course Walken, Pacino and Arkin were great. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed a movie this much.

.....and I'm all out of chewing gum. :D
 
jimmyj said:
I viewed the "Stand Up Guys" movie and enjoyed it very much.
A line spoken by "Al Pacino" I liked was "A person dies twice. the first time when they stop breathing, and the second and last time is when the last person that knew them, forgets them".
Click to expand...

I liked that one too, Jimmy. It's just the kind of straightforward, yet yearning, observation that this movie really does well in its treatment of these three aging guys as they look to the ends of their lives.
 
Well here it is the day after and I STILL can't get this movie out of my mind. Along with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Lonesome Dove, Knock Around Guys, Tombstone and Quigley Down Under this may be one of my all time life time favorites. It's taking a while for the greatness of this one to sneak up on me. I was not prepared for it to be that good. I'm going to watch it again a couple of times more before I send it back.

And I'm STILL all out of chewing gum! ;)
 
Thanks for the info on Stand Up Guys, will check it out.:)

Referencing Donnie Brasco, Pacino great in his roll, Johnny Depp wasn't too bad in his roll. Great Movie.

And the introduction of the new phrases everyone began using "forget about it" and "It's a fugazi".
 
Last edited:
labworm said:
Thanks for the info on Stand Up Guys, will check it out.:)

Referencing Donnie Brasco, Pacino great in his roll, Johnny Depp wasn't too bad in his roll. Great Movie.

And the introduction of the new phrases everyone began using "forget about it" and "It's a fugazi".
Click to expand...

Lab, I've added Donnie Brasco to my Netflix queue already, as a result of the good press on here. Also added Dinner Rush. Lookiing forward to both, having never seen either one.....
 
Walkin' Jack said:
Well here it is the day after and I STILL can't get this movie out of my mind. Along with The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Lonesome Dove, Knock Around Guys, Tombstone and Quigley Down Under this may be one of my all time life time favorites. It's taking a while for the greatness of this one to sneak up on me. I was not prepared for it to be that good. I'm going to watch it again a couple of times more before I send it back.

And I'm STILL all out of chewing gum! ;)
Click to expand...

Jack, I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. I don't often recommend movies but now and then there's one that I am sure has escaped notice and is so worth watching. I just thoroughly enjoyed it and it seemed to be right in the wheelhouse for a lot of us on this particular Forum.

Gotta say that I laughed so hard at the scene in the hospital when Pacino is pitching a tent after taking all those little blue pills "to make sure they work." Hilarious!:D
 
RonJ,

Dinner Rush is wonderful.

A friend of mine was visiting N.Y. and he went to an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn where his daughter lives and the restroom was in the basement just like in the movie. I don't think the kitchen was though.
 
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