Great Film overall

best movie i've ever seen.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Didn't expect a lot - after watching movies for many years and using IMDb for the last 5 years plus - this is the first movie I felt compelled to comment on! Watchit!!! The plot was engaging without being too complicated for younger children. There was enough action to make it appeal to my 11 year old son and my 40-something year old husband! The characters were really well developed and we all felt a real affinity to all the mains! There were tears and laughter from all of us, with some real nail biting moments in the 1st 1/2 hour-it was a complete gem and to discover that it was an independent on a low budget was a real surprise-give this a view you will not regret it!! ;o)

Its an OK movie, though I wouldn't encourage kids to watch it. It would make them delusional, thinking that some how dangerous situations can be escaped from that easily. Though the basic concept of standing up to wrong is morally good training for impressionable American kids.Good.Cliché cryptic nods in this direction is tiresome, though curiously observed. Indeed the MAFIA have taken over the USA, and YES Americans have a right royal fight in their hands to reclaim their country from the criminals, who treat Americans like stupid kids.The world hopes they succeed.A lot of the scenes seem improbable, but I suppose in a movie you can get away with such fantasy. In post 9/11 America carried out by the MAFIA, security is hot wired and the criminals in the movie wouldn't be able to wander around neighborhoods without the local law enforcement agents being in the scene more quickly......In terms of the characters, the villain wasn't villainous enough......he seemed more like a junkie than a harden criminal, who had stolen millions from his boss, and killed his partner in crime. The head MAFIA's performance was comical, playing with the kids like that, and crying like that. And its a bit of a cliché and racist to see yet another bunch of Italian Americans being portrayed as MAFIA. And Mr. Baldwin as Southern Italian? As a person who generally plays good guy roles I would have liked to have seen his role and character develop a lot longer into the film, even to the end. He has a certain screen presence.....good actor.Where are the true Tom Payne's to encourage and inspire Americans? Yes watch the movie but don't take the kids with you.

I saw this movie last night at the Daytona Beach Film Festival. I join with the scores of previous folks who are shocked that the Hollywood honchos passed on distributing this great movie! All I can really say is--it's their loss! This film was fun for all ages in attendance. The audience laughed, they cheered and they cried. I loved everything about it. The characters/actors, the plot, the stunts, everything! I won't say there weren't a few typical predictable lines or plot points but all in all it really was better than any movie i've seen in a long time.If you have the opportunity to see this film, jump on it...you won't regret it!

I sat down and watched this with my 2 young sons, at first i thought here we go another happy go lucky kids film. In fact it turned out that i enjoyed every moment of this film. From start to finsih you feel for the 2 boys in the film. The acting was great to say the least, for actors that are rather unknown they put there heart into this. For them doing this you forget you are watching a movie and feel you are living it instead.I came across this film by accident in my local video shop, lets just say i shall not be returning it at all.If you want a heart felt, and ready to experience the joys of being a kid all over again I would highly rate this movie as a must see.