Every generation has it’s iconic actors. They are the actors that audiences clamor to see on screen and the actors that young performers look to for inspiration.
Robert De Niro is one of those actors.
Known for playing gangsters, he played against type in 1993’s A Bronx Tale.
Lorenzo (Robert De Niro) is a bus driver in Bronx in the 1960’s. When his son, Calogero (Lillo Brancato), becomes friendly with a local gangster, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), Lorenzo is concerned that his son is becoming too enamored of that life. While Calogero is spending his free time with Sonny, he is also falling for Jane (Taral Hicks), a young African-American woman.
Being a teenager is never easy, no matter what time period you are living in. Being a teenager means attempting to forge your own identity, even if that means disappointing the ones you love most.
In 2000, De Niro, once again played against type in Meet The Parents. Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is getting ready to propose to his girlfriend, Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo). But before he can pop the question, Greg learns that he must get approval from Pam’s over-protective, ex CIA father, Jack ( Robert De Niro). Attending the wedding of Pam’s sister, Greg does everything to impress his potential in laws. The problem is that everything that could go wrong, does.
While some audience members might be disturbed by the inter religious relationship between Pam and Greg and the almost cartoonish attempts by Greg to win over his girlfriend’s family, I find this movie to be very funny. Meeting the parents/family of your significant other is always nerve wracking. While the hijinks in this movie are over the top, the emotions and the nerves are real.
I recommend both.
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