Two Bits

Last updated
Two Bits
Two bits poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James Foley
Written by Joseph Stefano
Produced by Arthur Cohn
Starring
Cinematography Juan Ruiz Anchía
Edited byHoward E. Smith
Music by Carter Burwell
Production
company
Connexion Film
Distributed by Miramax Films (Domestic)
Capella International (Overseas)
Release date
  • November 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$26,282

Two Bits is a 1995 American drama film directed by James Foley and starring Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Jerry Barone. It is written by Joseph Stefano, who considered the film a personal project, with a semi-biographical story. The title refers to the American slang term for a quarter dollar: "two bits".

Contents

Plot

It is a hot summer day in 1933 in South Philadelphia, where 12-year-old Gennaro lives with his widowed mother and ailing grandfather. His grandfather sits outside holding on tight to his last quarter. He has promised the quarter to Gennaro so that the boy can buy a ticket to a plush new movie theater. However, grandpa is not ready to pass on the quarter, nor is he ready to die. He has some unfinished business with a woman from his past, and he enlists Gennaro to act as his emissary.

Cast

Production

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, Two Bits has 40% approval, based on 10 reviews. [1]

Awards

The film was nominated for two Young Artist Awards: Best Family Feature and Best Young Leading Actor (Jerry Barone).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Pacino</span> American actor (born 1940)

Alfredo James Pacino is an American actor. Considered one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century, Pacino has received many accolades including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, achieving the Triple Crown of Acting. He has also received four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.

<i>Scent of a Woman</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Martin Brest

Scent of a Woman is a 1992 American drama film produced and directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a short-term job near Thanksgiving as a companion and assistant to a retired Army lieutenant colonel who is blind, depressed and irritable.

<i>...And Justice for All</i> (film) 1979 film by Norman Jewison

...And Justice for All is a 1979 American legal comedy-drama film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Al Pacino, Jack Warden and John Forsythe. Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson, Thomas Waites and Sam Levene appear in supporting roles. The Oscar-nominated screenplay is written by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson. It was filmed in Baltimore, including the courthouse area. It received two Academy Award nominations: Best Actor (Pacino) and Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Nell</i> (film) 1994 American film

Nell is a 1994 American drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Jodie Foster as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy are featured in supporting roles. Based on Mark Handley's play Idioglossia, the script for Nell was developed by co-producer Renée Missel and was inspired by Handley's time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, twins who created their own language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio</span> American actress (born 1958)

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, and went on to appear in the 1983 film Scarface as Al Pacino's character's sister, Gina Montana, which proved to be her breakout role. For her role as Carmen in the 1986 film The Color of Money, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film roles include The Abyss (1989), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and The Perfect Storm (2000). In 2003, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the Broadway revival of Man of La Mancha.

<i>Class Action</i> (film) 1991 film by Michael Apted

Class Action is a 1991 American legal drama film directed by Michael Apted. Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio star; Larry Fishburne, Colin Friels, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Donald Moffat are also featured. The film was entered into the 17th Moscow International Film Festival.

<i>Donnie Brasco</i> (film) 1997 film by Mike Newell

Donnie Brasco is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, and Anne Heche appeared in supporting roles. The film, written by Paul Attanasio, is based on the 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.

<i>Scarecrow</i> (1973 film) 1973 film

Scarecrow is a 1973 American road comedy-drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino. The story involves the relationship between two men who travel from California seeking to start a business in Pittsburgh.

<i>Sea of Love</i> (film) 1989 film

Sea of Love is a 1989 American neo-noir thriller film directed by Harold Becker, written by Richard Price and starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin and John Goodman. The story concerns a New York City detective trying to catch a serial killer who finds victims through the singles column in a newspaper.

<i>Limbo</i> (1999 film) 1999 drama film by John Sayles

Limbo is a 1999 American adventure drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by John Sayles. It stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Strathairn, Vanessa Martinez, and Kris Kristofferson. It is the first theatrical film to be released and distributed by Screen Gems.

<i>My Life So Far</i> 1999 film directed by Hugh Hudson

My Life So Far is a 1999 film about a year in the life of a ten-year-old Scottish boy. It was directed by Hugh Hudson, with screenplay by Simon Donald. The film is set in 1927 and is based on Son of Adam, the memoirs of Denis Forman, a British television executive.

<i>Slam Dance</i> (film) 1987 film by Wayne Wang

Slam Dance is a 1987 neo-noir thriller directed by Wayne Wang and starring Tom Hulce, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Virginia Madsen and Harry Dean Stanton. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Tammy and the Bachelor</i> 1957 romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney

Tammy and the Bachelor is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Debbie Reynolds as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen as Peter Brent. It is the first of the four Tammy films. It was adapted from the 1948 novel Tammy Out of Time by Cid Ricketts Sumner.

<i>Fools of Fortune</i> 1990 film by Pat OConnor

Fools of Fortune is a 1990 Irish romantic drama film directed by Pat O'Connor and written by Michael Hirst based on the 1983 novel by Irish writer William Trevor. It depicts a Protestant family caught up in the conflict between the British Army and the IRA during the Irish War of Independence.

<i>Danny Collins</i> (film) 2015 film

Danny Collins is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Dan Fogelman in his feature directorial debut. Inspired by the true story of folk singer Steve Tilston, the film stars Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale and Christopher Plummer. The film was released in theaters on March 20, 2015.

<i>The Humbling</i> (film) 2014 film by Barry Levinson

The Humbling is a 2014 comedy-drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Buck Henry and Michal Zebede, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Philip Roth. The film stars Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Dianne Wiest, Nina Arianda, Dylan Baker, Charles Grodin, Dan Hedaya, Billy Porter, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mary Louise Wilson.

<i>The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight</i> 1971 film by James Goldstone

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is a 1971 American crime comedy film directed by James Goldstone and written by Waldo Salt, based on the 1969 novel of the same title by Jimmy Breslin, which in turn was based on the life of gangster Joe Gallo. The film stars Jerry Orbach, Leigh Taylor-Young, Jo Van Fleet, Lionel Stander, Robert De Niro and Irving Selbst. The film was released on December 22, 1971, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Misconduct</i> (film) 2016 film

Misconduct is a 2016 American thriller film directed by Shintaro Shimosawa in his directorial debut and written by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason. The film stars Josh Duhamel, Alice Eve, Malin Åkerman, Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles, Glen Powell, with Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on February 5, 2016, by Lionsgate Premiere.

<i>The War with Grandpa</i> 2020 American family-comedy-drama film directed by Tim Hill

The War with Grandpa is a 2020 American family comedy film directed by Tim Hill, from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based upon the novel of the same name by Robert Kimmel Smith. The film is about a young boy named Peter who fights in a prank war with his grandfather to get his grandfather to move out of his room after he moves in with his family. Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken also star.

<i>Paterno</i> (film) 2018 film

Paterno is a 2018 American television drama film directed by Barry Levinson. It stars Al Pacino as former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, and his career leading up to his dismissal following the university's child sex abuse scandal in 2011. Riley Keough, Kathy Baker, Greg Grunberg and Annie Parisse also star. The film premiered on HBO on April 7, 2018.

References

  1. "Two Bits | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.