THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130034
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
PEOPLE WHO LOVE movies will love ``Two Bits.''
It's all about childhood in a time when the local movie palace was still the most grandiose and magical place in town, a place where escape from the real world was entirely possible.
``Two Bits'' is a poignant tale of a 12-year-old boy who needs the two bits (a quarter) of the title in order to attend the all-important grand opening of South Philadelphia's newest movie palace, La Paloma.
It's not as easy as it might seem. The year is 1933, the heart of the Depression, and men compete to work a full day for no more pay than this sum.
Gennaro, the lad, tries singing in the streets, cleaning out cellars and running odd jobs, but the 25 cents evades him.
The day is also marked by the fact that his greatest pal, his grandpa, announces that he's chosen today to die. Since Grandpa never lies, Gennaro must take the announcement seriously, although it seems unthinkable to a boy his age.
The grandfather, a feisty man played by Al Pacino, tells the boy not to worry because he'll leave him a quarter in his will. ``It don't seem right that you should die just so I can go to the movies,'' the boy muses.
Thinking back to his youth, Grandpa remembers a woman he once hurt. Before his death, he wants to apologize to the woman - and sends the boy to do the job.
Director James Foley, who created the extremely different, cynical ``Glengarry Glen Ross,'' has elicited a tough, natural performance from 13-year-old Jerry Barone, the son of a construction worker who was plucked from nowhere to take this all-important role. Barone's childlike wonder and inquisitive nature seem totally natural.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who chose to be an actress rather than a movie star, is both tender and tough as a Depression-era mom.
Strangely, the weakest link in the chain is Pacino's performance as the grandfather. It's another of his flamboyant outings, and is always fun to watch, but the intrusion of prosthetic make-up often gets in the way. Most off-putting, perhaps, is that we never can forget he's superstar Al Pacino. An unknown character actor would have better served the film's smallish, gentle goal. Pacino often looks as if he's impersonating his once-screen-father, Marlon Brando in his more aged scenes from ``The Godfather.''
``Two Bits'' is based on the memoirs of screenwriter Joseph Stefano (the same man, remarkably, who wrote Hitchcock's ``Psycho'' and created the cult TV series ``The Outer Limits''). For a writer who often dealt with the bizarre, he clearly remembers a wonderfully colorful, if not idyllic, childhood.
The film aims for poignancy in a way that few current films will try. It is simplicity personified. In fact, it is so simple, and so heart-wrenching, that it will be tolerated only by those who are willing to surrender to it. One wonders if ``Two Bits'' is flamboyant or strong enough to convert nonbelievers who may wander into the theater.
For those who liked ``Cinema Paradiso,'' a more-publicized success about how movies once shaped childhood fantasies, this one is a fine companion piece.
For those who revere the past, and can accept that such grandfather-grandson relationships can still exist today, ``Two Bits'' is a little gem. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``Two Bits''
Cast: Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Jerry Barone, with
the voice of Alec Baldwin
Director: James Foley
Screenplay: Josef Stefano
Music: Carter Burwell
MPAA rating: PG-13 (some language, but suitable for the family in
spite of it)
Mal's rating: *** 1/2 stars
Locations: Naro in Norfolkts by CNB