Watch West of Brooklyn For Free

Good movie but grossly overrated

Beautiful, moving film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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.

The acting in the film is wildly variable. Marmo, and old warhorses like Torres and Costanzo do quite well in their parts. The scenes of Sebi handling his mother's death, and holding her, then nothing, in that bed, from an overhead shot, is quite emotionally revealing, and shows Marmo and Cistone at their best, and one just wishes that all of the emotions and direction of the film had been as stellar. There are some good supporting performances, starting with the few brief scenes of Cavalieri's Joey, whose warmth, charisma, and good looks make him a presence on screen. How this actor has not made it in a bigger way is beyond me. The same could be said for Fioravanti's Donna, who goes from a smartass bitch to a grieving friend and woman of some insight. And it's not because the role is written that way, but the looks and glances that Fioravanti imbues her character with. The third unexpectedly good performance comes from Pupello's emotionally desperate Grace, who appears in only two brief scenes, but nails an archetype while also putting real pity into her character. The rest of the cast is quite mediocre, to be generous- with the worst offenders being Madio's stale Jimmy Boy, and Jackson as Maddy's father, giving absolutely no life to his curmudgeon. The film score, by Michael Sherwood and Carl Saunders, is top notch, and not too schmaltzy nor too obvious in giving away emotional cues, and well scored by Marmo's wife, Wendy. The cinematography, by Florian Stadler and Daniel Stilling is good throughout, with a few moments of high quality, starting right from the fire at Papo's, which plays under the credits, and economically propels the characters' diaspora westward. The film also suffers from, especially in its first half, too much narration. Sebi is not Woody Allenesque in his powers of observation, and more annoying Daniel Stern from The Wonder Years, and cutting this by 30-40% would have helped, but the overall screenplay, by Marmo, ranges from solid to good.West Of Brooklyn is not a film that will change one's life. It lacks the artistry to be great, and too much of it follows the banal paths of yore. But, at its best, the film subverts many expectations, and showcases Marmo as a genuinely multitalented artist: actor, producer, screenwriter….but NOT poet! It is the sort of work that I, on a personal level, like stumbling upon, as I have with a number of self published books I've reviewed. It is also a film that aptly shows the seeds for later potential, and on that basis, as well the others mentioned, it's worth viewing.

Saw this flick in Feb at it's premiere in LA and I have to say it was unbelievably funny, sad, and just an overall kick*ss flick. I loved Ronnie. He was funny and sweet as Sebi. Natalia was also terrific and sweet as Matty. This chick has great screen presence. And Joe well what can anyone say about him. He is fabulous all the time. I am shocked that this movie has not been released yet. It has all the ingredients to be successful.One last thing, the love scene with Ronnie and Natalia was hot. And lots of other interesting and funny characters that made this flick so entertaining. Great job to the entire cast and crew on this movie. It's a winner guys!

I had the opportunity to catch a screening of WoB and wow, Ronnie was fantastic. Hopefully it will get distributed or available to an audience soon. I think people will absolutely love the film. It has comedy, warmth, heart, friendship, great dialogue, and some great actors including the always fabulous Joe Mantegna. I thought the actress who played Matty, Natalia Livingston, was very sweet and gorgeous, although I'd never seen her in anything before, she and Sebi/Ronnie made a great team. I last saw Ronnie in his one man Lenny Bruce show and he was terrific. This movie just continues to showcase how talented he is. Loved the film and good luck to all involved.

I saw a screening of this film a couple of years ago in Jersey. The film was not 100% complete at that time but what I saw I have to say I really thought was great. Ronnie Marmo rocks and I am happy to see this guy who is humble get some attention for a change. This movie has it all, laughs, tears, and all that feel good stuff. You might think this was a chick flick but no way. Guys and gals would love this film equally. Great story, wonderful performances, top notch dialogue. I really believed that these people were all friends and family in real life the chemistry was just that good.Ronnie best on this film. Glad to see it is done and has been premiered. You are a talented guy and deserve success with all the other *hit coming out of Hollywood. I really hope this movie catches fire.