A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Last updated

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Guide to recognizing your saints.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Dito Montiel
Screenplay byDito Montiel
Based onA Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
by Dito Montiel
Produced byClara Markowicz
Charlie Corwin
Trudie Styler
Travis Swords
Starring Robert Downey Jr.
Shia LaBeouf
Rosario Dawson
Melonie Diaz
Eric Roberts
Channing Tatum
Chazz Palminteri
Dianne Wiest
Cinematography Éric Gautier
Edited byJake Pushinsky
Christopher Tellefsen
Music by Jonathan Elias
Production
companies
Belladonna Productions
Original Media
Xingu Films
Distributed by First Look International
Release dates
  • January 20, 2006 (2006-01-20)(Sundance)
  • September 29, 2006 (2006-09-29)(United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Box office$2 million [1]

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a 2006 American drama film based on a 2001 memoir of the same name by author, director, and musician Dito Montiel, which describes his youth in Astoria, New York during the 1980s. Montiel wrote and directed the film adaptation, which was released in the United States in September 2006 and in Europe in March 2007. [2] The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Montiel with Shia LaBeouf as a younger Montiel.

Contents

The film's narrative jumps frequently between 2005 and flashbacks from 1986 (filmed largely with shaky camera with short shots) with characters occasionally addressing the viewer.

Plot

Present Day (2005):
Dito is a successful writer in Los Angeles. One day, after being urged by his mother, Flori, and his friend, Nerf, Dito visits his childhood home, Astoria, New York, because his father has suddenly become very ill. The film switches back and forth between the present and flashbacks with Dito's memories in the summer of 1986.

Dito meets Nerf, and talks with him in a parked car, where they can talk undisturbed, which would not have been possible at Nerf's house. Dito then visits Laurie, his childhood sweetheart, who is now a mother. They only talk through the open window; she does not let him in. Dito finally visits his overprotective father, Monty. Monty used to ignore Dito's feelings, and he didn't want Dito to travel. He is angry at Dito for leaving, and for not returning sooner to visit; he then sends Dito away. Laurie urges him to be a man and come to terms with his father, who was heartbroken when he left. Dito does leave, but returns later, to insist that he take his father to the hospital.

1986:
Antonio, an overconfident, volatile boy with an abusive father, eventually kills someone: the Puerto Rican gang member Reaper, as payback for an attack on young Dito.

Viewers are then introduced to Antonio's younger brother, Giuseppe - reckless, destructive, and possibly insane. Giuseppe lies on a subway track; in spite of urgent warnings from his brother Antonio and Nerf, that a train was coming, he failed to get back on the platform and was killed.

Mike O'Shea, another friend of Dito's, was a Scottish boy who dreamt of becoming a musician. Mike and Dito had planned to go to California on a bus. They worked for a gay drug addict, Frank, with a dog-walking business. They went to his house to collect the wages he was slow in paying. At first he did not listen to them, but then he gave them all the money he kept in the refrigerator, more than he owed them and told them to leave town. Shortly thereafter, Mike was murdered by a member of a Puerto Rican gang in retaliation for the murder of Reaper, after which Dito travelled alone to California.

Present Day:
Dito visits the adult Antonio in prison and sees him as a changed man of wisdom. The film concludes with the two of them sitting down in conversation.

Cast

Production

This film was Montiel's directorial debut.

Initially, Montiel refused to see LaBeouf for the part, having only seen him as the "Disney guy." Once he got to audition for the role, he "fucked his office up," putting a "hole through the wall" and went as "crazy" as he could in order to change the image Montiel had of him to land the part. [3]

Characters

Montiel states that all the characters in the film are a combination of at least three people and sometimes six or seven, [4] although some characters are given the names of people from real life. Listed below are some of the main differences between four characters and their real-life counterparts.

Laurie

Montiel said that he made the film because “I wanted to walk down those streets again and fall in love with Laurie again, [5] it would have been nice to have had that moment at the end of the film where Dito met Laurie, reconnecting as adults." [5] The real-life Laurie was white instead of Hispanic and died two years earlier from AIDS. [6]

Antonio

Montiel states that Antonio is a composite of three people. [4] The book mentions a kid named Antonio Ruggeria who was sent to prison for manslaughter, [7] escaped, and was later sent to prison again for things "that are even beyond putting in a movie that people might find redeemable." [4] In the book, a copy of a newspaper article describing Antonio's escape from Rikers Island has the crime he committed blanked out. [8]

Giuseppe

The film shows Giuseppe getting killed on a subway track. The inspiration for the scene was a kid named Billy who was "riding" trains when he was killed. [4] The real Giuseppe Ruggeria is a career criminal [6] who was deported to Milan. [4] Montiel describes the real Giuseppe as being like a cat. "The train would come and two seconds later he would pop up." [4]

Mike

The Scottish character Mike is a composite of a man named Mike O'Shea; [6] a kid named Ray, who used to go to the city with Dito, sniff amyl nitrite [5] and smoke hashish; [9] and Angelo Ruggeria (a younger brother of Antonio) who was later murdered. [10] [11] The real Mike O'Shea is Irish, alive, married, and living in Essex, England. [6] [11]

Reception

The film holds a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site’s critics consensus reads, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is a lively, powerful coming-of-age tale with winning performances and sharp direction from first-timer Dito Montiel." [12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 25 reviews.

Awards and nominations

Sundance Film Festival
YearGroupAwardWon?Notes
2006Director's Award [13] Dramatic, for Dito MontielYes
Special Jury Prize [13] Dramatic, for the ensemble castYesShared between Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Rosario Dawson, Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, and Channing Tatum
Grand Jury PrizeDramatic, for Dito MontielNo
Gijón International Film Festival
YearGroupAwardWon?Notes
2006Best ActorDramatic, for Adam ScarimboloYes
Independent Spirit Awards
YearGroupAwardWon?Notes
2006Best First Screenplay [14] for Dito MontielNoLost to Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Male [14] for Channing TatumNoLost to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Female [14] for Melonie DiazNoLost to Frances McDormand for Friends with Money

Home media

The DVD of the film was released on February 20, 2007 in the United States. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trudie Styler</span> English actress and producer (b. 1954)

Trudie Styler is an English actress, director, and film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shia LaBeouf</span> American actor (born 1986)

Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens, a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and 2002 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003. He made his film debut in The Christmas Path (1998). In 2004, he made his directorial debut with the short film Let's Love Hate and later directed a short film titled Maniac (2011), starring American rappers Cage and Kid Cudi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channing Tatum</span> American actor (born 1980)

Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor. Tatum is the recipient of several accolades, including an Independent Spirit Award and nominations for three Critics' Choice Awards. He was named People's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2012 and one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<i>Magic Mike</i> 2012 film by Steven Soderbergh

Magic Mike is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey. The plot revolves around Adam, a 19-year-old college dropout who enters the world of male stripping, guided by Mike Lane, who has been in the business for six years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dito Montiel</span> American/Nicaraguan author, filmmaker, musician ()

Orlandito Montiel is an American author, filmmaker, and musician.

"Trouble" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter and musician, Cat Stevens, during a period from 1969 to 1970.

Anthony DeSando, also known as Anthony Joseph De Santis, is an American actor. DeSando often portrays a joker or dapper villain in mob films such as New Jack City.

<i>Fighting</i> (2009 film) 2009 sports action drama film directed by Dito Montiel

Fighting is a 2009 American sports action film directed by Dito Montiel, with a screenplay by Robert Munic and Montiel, and starring Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard and Luis Guzmán. It was released on April 24, 2009 in the United States by Rogue Pictures.

Adam Mazer is an American screenwriter. He is the writer of HBO film’s biopic, You Don't Know Jack, about the life of assisted-suicide advocate, Jack Kevorkian.

<i>The Son of No One</i> 2011 film

The Son of No One is a 2011 American crime thriller film written and directed by Dito Montiel based on a book of the same name, written by Montiel. The film is Dito Montiel's third collaboration with actor Channing Tatum.

<i>Howard Cantour.com</i> 2012 American film

Howard Cantour.com is a 2012 American short film directed by actor Shia LaBeouf. The short was shown at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2012, followed by an online premiere on December 17, 2013. The short film follows the eponymous internet film critic Howard Cantour, who was played by Jim Gaffigan. Howard Cantour.com was plagiarized from Justin M. Damiano, a comic by Dan Clowes, as the premise and much of the dialog is identical, and LaBeouf took credit for the film but did not seek permission from Clowes or acknowledge Clowes in the film's credits.

<i>Man Down</i> (film) 2015 American film

Man Down is a 2015 American war thriller drama film directed by Dito Montiel, written by Adam G. Simon, and starring Shia LaBeouf, Jai Courtney, Gary Oldman, Kate Mara, and Clifton Collins Jr. The film follows a Marine who returns from Afghanistan to find his hometown devastated, and his wife and son missing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam G. Simon</span> American actor and screenwriter (born 1977)

Adam Gregory Simon is an American actor and screenwriter. Simon is the writer of Man Down, a post-apocalyptic thriller directed by Dito Montiel which stars Shia LaBeouf, Kate Mara, Gary Oldman, Jai Courtney and Clifton Collins, Jr.

<i>Maniac</i> (2011 film) 2011 American film by Shia LaBeouf

Maniac is an American short slasher film, directed by Shia LaBeouf. It was released for free on YouTube, on October 31, 2011. The short film stars American rappers Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi and Chris "Cage" Palko as French-speaking serial killers. Mescudi and Palko also co-wrote the film with LaBeouf.

Gambit is an unproduced American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was intended to be an installment of the X-Men film series. Before its cancellation, the film had been written by Josh Zetumer based on a story by the character's creator Chris Claremont. Channing Tatum was set to star in the title role.

<i>Honey Boy</i> (film) 2019 film directed by Alma Harel

Honey Boy is a 2019 American drama film directed by Alma Har'el with a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, loosely based on his childhood and his relationship with his father. The film stars LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe and FKA Twigs.

<i>The Tax Collector</i> 2020 American action thriller film

The Tax Collector is a 2020 American action thriller film written, directed, and produced by David Ayer. The film stars Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez, and Shia LaBeouf, and follows two enforcers working for a Los Angeles crime lord whose business becomes upended, resulting in one of them desperately protecting his family from an old rival.

Charlie Shotwell is an American actor. He started acting professionally at the age of six. His first notable role being the young Nai Cash in the 2016 comedy-drama film Captain Fantastic for which he received nominations for SAG Awards and Young Artist Awards. He was lead of the Netflix horror film Eli and the coming-of-age psychological thriller John and the Hole, and appeared in the comedy film Troop Zero.

<i>Padre Pio</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Abel Ferrara

Padre Pio is a 2022 biographical film co-written and directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan priest who received the stigmata. This historical event is shown in the film. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. During its production, as a result of his spiritual experiences, LaBeouf converted to Catholicism.

References

  1. ↑ "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ "NEWS FLASH: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Movie Release in Europe". ChanningTatumUnwrapped.com. January 13, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  3. ↑ Robinson, Tasha (April 11, 2007). "Shia LaBeouf". The A.V. Club . Onion Inc. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Interview with Dito Montiel, director of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". Nycmovieguru.com. September 29, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "First-time filmmaker Dito Montiel revisits the mean streets of his childhood in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". V . Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Dito Montiel - A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". Femail.com.au. September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ Montiel 2001, pp. 17–26.
  8. ↑ Montiel 2001, p. 25.
  9. ↑ Montiel 2001, pp. 81–83.
  10. ↑ Montiel 2001, pp. 89–91.
  11. 1 2 "Capone interviews A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS author/screenwriter/director Dito Montiel!!!". Ain't It Cool News . October 18, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  12. ↑ "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Sundance 2006 winners". RogerEbert.com. January 28, 2006. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 "AWARDS WATCH: "Half Nelson," "Little Miss Sunshine" Top Spirit Award Nominations". November 28, 2006. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  15. ↑ "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints DVD Release". ChanningTatumUnwrapped.com. January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.