C | A mid-century New Jersey mobster influences the life of his impressionable teenage nephew. Directed by Alan Taylor Starring Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, and Vera Farmiga Review by Jon Kissel |
The trend of monumental TV shows following up their runs with a long-gestating movie continues with The Sopranos, the show least likely to indulge its fanbase. Friends and Parks and Rec, sure. Breaking Bad turned itself over to fan service with its series finale so why not a feature length epilogue to answer lingering questions about Jesse Pinkman’s fate. Deadwood had a famously abrupt ending and a creator withering away from Alzheimer’s, so a last hurrah provided a sentimental reunion for him more than for the show’s adherents. With the exception of Friends, which I can’t and never will speak to, all of these reunion specials and follow-up films have been acceptable, at best. None improve on or significantly add to the body of work from television. David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos, is perhaps the most misanthropic brain behind any of the Golden Age of TV shows, and should therefore be the most likely to turn this trend around. His immunity to giving the audience anything that they might want should distill any follow-up movies into the essence of whatever idea he wants to pursue. The problem with The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to the events of The Sopranos, is that Chase gets too caught up with future events and loses the thread on the present. Such and such anecdote was mentioned in the series, and therefore it must show up in the prequel. The Many Saints of Newark has its fan-flattering moments, and I’m a Sopranos fan so I was flattered, but I don’t love Chase’s masterpiece TV show because it patted me on the head. I loved it for its prickliness and its adherence to its vision and theme. Chase has done so little since the Sopranos ended, and the rust is apparent.
There’s two main plot threads in The Many Saints of Newark, and each sits awkwardly next to the other. The one that makes sense as a standalone movie within the recognizable world established by the series is the tale of Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola). Dickie was a character never seen in flashback during the series, as Tony’s dad often was, but his shadow loomed large as an absent father to perpetually troubled Christopher and as a mentor to Tony. His story is thematically resonant with the themes of the Sopranos, specifically the inability to reckon with the consequences of one’s actions when there’s no intention to change or improve. Dickie regrets the most monstrous of his deeds, like the murder of his brutish father Dick (Ray Liotta) and his mistress Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi), but can’t fathom how all the tiny transgressions that he commits every day culminate in the large ones. Dickie’s interaction with the Black community in Newark during a time of upheaval adds a racial component that the Sopranos always kept at arm’s length, and it does the historical film thing of pairing individual events within a broader context.
The Dickie story couldn’t exist without the Sopranos influence, as no self-respecting writer in 2021 would make a film anywhere near 60’s riots that wasn’t about a Black character. I suspect Chase knows this, and includes the specific-to-the-movie character of Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr). The Black experience has to be present for this specific setting, but the vile racism of the Italian characters makes that a difficult proposition. Harold is introduced working for Dickie, and then attempts to build his own racket under the Mafia’s noses. Sadly, Chase can’t square these rival ethnic groups and their war for power and control, and Harold becomes a red herring in Dickie’s eventual murder and a plot device in Dickie’s murder of Giuseppina. Both instances come from earned character traits (more from Dickie and less from Giuseppina, who sleeps with Harold because the films needs her to) but they mark Harold as not a true part of the story.
Chase made one strong coming-of-age film already with Not Fade Away, and he makes part of another in the mismatched other half of Many Saints. If events had proceeded differently since the series finale, I wonder if this part wouldn’t be so prominent. James Gandolfini’s 2013 death makes any subsequent Sopranos entries into a bittersweet experience. Combined with his son Michael being open to portraying his father’s iconic character at an earlier stage, the role that Tony has to play in a prequel grows to an unsustainable point, and then grows further still when it becomes apparent that Michael Gandolfini’s a compelling actor himself. Young Tony of 10 or 11 (William Ludwig) occupies the right amount of the screen, such that he’s an observer who doesn’t drive any action or have scenes of his own. Teenage Tony takes a greater role, and while his dedicated scenes are the best of the film, they simply don’t synch up with Dickie’s A plot. They simultaneously make the film better and worse. It’s easy to imagine the events of Many Saints shifted to a year in the future, where Tony’s away for his semester and a half of college, and the film builds out Dickie and Giuseppina and Dickie’s imprisoned uncle Sally (also Liotta). Instead, Tony pulls focus from a film that should belong to Dickie.
However, there’s the part of me that understands Tony’s scenes are cutting-room-floor material and the other part that loves them, specifically the ones involving Tony’s mother Livia (Vera Farmiga). The series began with Tony’s father Johnny (portrayed here by Jon Bernthal) dead, leaving only his emotionally abusive mother to hint at the foundation of Tony’s neuroses. The Livia of the show was, at best, a challenge, but as the series went on, she was portrayed more sympathetically and Johnny became the true monster, contrary to Tony’s insistence about how good a guy he was. The Johnny and Livia of Many Saints continues this trend. Tony shares no significant time with him, and clearly prefers the company of Dickie. Livia, on the other hand, is given something close to grace in her scene with Tony’s guidance counselor and later with Tony. She seems capable of parental love in a way that Johnny isn’t, and she’s depicted as depressed and mentally ill as opposed to Johnny, who alternates between apathetic and psychotic. Tony’s desire to keep her in a good mood is contrasted with his wholesale avoidance of his father, and at this stage in his life, that impulse doesn’t seem futile.
I just can’t rationalize any way these scenes between Tony and Livia relate to Dickie. He’s perhaps another flawed mentor figure for Tony, but I don’t think Chase ever bought into destiny or fate, such that Tony never had a chance to be anyone other than he became by being born into this milieu. Even though the film is written like a TV show with its A and B and C plots, at least the meat of each is worthy of the series that preceded it. All previously mentioned actors are excellent, from the newcomers like young Gandolfini and De Rossi to established pros like Farmiga and Nivola. Liotta is initially giving a loud Ray Liotta performance as Dick, but he’s great as zen convict Sally.
I’m more mixed on the supporting cast, especially those characters who later show up in the series. Before even mentioning the actors, there’s a recurring impulse to get the physical comparisons right, and what that means over and over again is subpar prosthetics. It’s simply not important that these actors look like younger versions of fictional characters. The one outlier is Billy Magnussen as Paulie Walnuts. He doesn’t get the physical bearing right, but, more importantly, the intellectual comparison is spot on. Lauren DiMario’s one scene as Carmela is unnecessary, especially because the film’s not interested in Tony as a teenage horndog. If a blond character from the series had to show up, I would’ve preferred young Ralphie. John Magaro as Silvio is a complete mystery. He’s doing an impression, and not a good one. Also, the series hinted that Tony and Silvio were peers, as Silvio was present at Tony’s and Jackie Aprile’s name-making card game robbery. The Silvio of Many Saints is not a peer of a teenager. Magaro has been great in several things, and it’s a shame to see him saddled with hairpieces and slouches.
The Many Saints of Newark works best for me as an extension of the series, but that’s barely a compliment. I’ll watch anything in this universe, as The Sopranos was integral to my cultural education, and it remains one of my two or three favorite drama series. Wanting is different from needing, and while I enjoyed seeing Farmiga’s Livia buckle a tiny bit under the possibility of being a better mother, I don’t need it. Like all the other TV shows that have added on since ending, none of them have fully justified their existence beyond the banal pleasure of seeing the gang back together. The chances of improving on something so great are essentially nil, so the best outcome becomes no broader impact or worse, a diminishment. The Many Saints of Newark doesn’t cheapen the Sopranos, but it doesn’t retroactively improve it either. It’s just more. B-
The Dickie story couldn’t exist without the Sopranos influence, as no self-respecting writer in 2021 would make a film anywhere near 60’s riots that wasn’t about a Black character. I suspect Chase knows this, and includes the specific-to-the-movie character of Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr). The Black experience has to be present for this specific setting, but the vile racism of the Italian characters makes that a difficult proposition. Harold is introduced working for Dickie, and then attempts to build his own racket under the Mafia’s noses. Sadly, Chase can’t square these rival ethnic groups and their war for power and control, and Harold becomes a red herring in Dickie’s eventual murder and a plot device in Dickie’s murder of Giuseppina. Both instances come from earned character traits (more from Dickie and less from Giuseppina, who sleeps with Harold because the films needs her to) but they mark Harold as not a true part of the story.
Chase made one strong coming-of-age film already with Not Fade Away, and he makes part of another in the mismatched other half of Many Saints. If events had proceeded differently since the series finale, I wonder if this part wouldn’t be so prominent. James Gandolfini’s 2013 death makes any subsequent Sopranos entries into a bittersweet experience. Combined with his son Michael being open to portraying his father’s iconic character at an earlier stage, the role that Tony has to play in a prequel grows to an unsustainable point, and then grows further still when it becomes apparent that Michael Gandolfini’s a compelling actor himself. Young Tony of 10 or 11 (William Ludwig) occupies the right amount of the screen, such that he’s an observer who doesn’t drive any action or have scenes of his own. Teenage Tony takes a greater role, and while his dedicated scenes are the best of the film, they simply don’t synch up with Dickie’s A plot. They simultaneously make the film better and worse. It’s easy to imagine the events of Many Saints shifted to a year in the future, where Tony’s away for his semester and a half of college, and the film builds out Dickie and Giuseppina and Dickie’s imprisoned uncle Sally (also Liotta). Instead, Tony pulls focus from a film that should belong to Dickie.
However, there’s the part of me that understands Tony’s scenes are cutting-room-floor material and the other part that loves them, specifically the ones involving Tony’s mother Livia (Vera Farmiga). The series began with Tony’s father Johnny (portrayed here by Jon Bernthal) dead, leaving only his emotionally abusive mother to hint at the foundation of Tony’s neuroses. The Livia of the show was, at best, a challenge, but as the series went on, she was portrayed more sympathetically and Johnny became the true monster, contrary to Tony’s insistence about how good a guy he was. The Johnny and Livia of Many Saints continues this trend. Tony shares no significant time with him, and clearly prefers the company of Dickie. Livia, on the other hand, is given something close to grace in her scene with Tony’s guidance counselor and later with Tony. She seems capable of parental love in a way that Johnny isn’t, and she’s depicted as depressed and mentally ill as opposed to Johnny, who alternates between apathetic and psychotic. Tony’s desire to keep her in a good mood is contrasted with his wholesale avoidance of his father, and at this stage in his life, that impulse doesn’t seem futile.
I just can’t rationalize any way these scenes between Tony and Livia relate to Dickie. He’s perhaps another flawed mentor figure for Tony, but I don’t think Chase ever bought into destiny or fate, such that Tony never had a chance to be anyone other than he became by being born into this milieu. Even though the film is written like a TV show with its A and B and C plots, at least the meat of each is worthy of the series that preceded it. All previously mentioned actors are excellent, from the newcomers like young Gandolfini and De Rossi to established pros like Farmiga and Nivola. Liotta is initially giving a loud Ray Liotta performance as Dick, but he’s great as zen convict Sally.
I’m more mixed on the supporting cast, especially those characters who later show up in the series. Before even mentioning the actors, there’s a recurring impulse to get the physical comparisons right, and what that means over and over again is subpar prosthetics. It’s simply not important that these actors look like younger versions of fictional characters. The one outlier is Billy Magnussen as Paulie Walnuts. He doesn’t get the physical bearing right, but, more importantly, the intellectual comparison is spot on. Lauren DiMario’s one scene as Carmela is unnecessary, especially because the film’s not interested in Tony as a teenage horndog. If a blond character from the series had to show up, I would’ve preferred young Ralphie. John Magaro as Silvio is a complete mystery. He’s doing an impression, and not a good one. Also, the series hinted that Tony and Silvio were peers, as Silvio was present at Tony’s and Jackie Aprile’s name-making card game robbery. The Silvio of Many Saints is not a peer of a teenager. Magaro has been great in several things, and it’s a shame to see him saddled with hairpieces and slouches.
The Many Saints of Newark works best for me as an extension of the series, but that’s barely a compliment. I’ll watch anything in this universe, as The Sopranos was integral to my cultural education, and it remains one of my two or three favorite drama series. Wanting is different from needing, and while I enjoyed seeing Farmiga’s Livia buckle a tiny bit under the possibility of being a better mother, I don’t need it. Like all the other TV shows that have added on since ending, none of them have fully justified their existence beyond the banal pleasure of seeing the gang back together. The chances of improving on something so great are essentially nil, so the best outcome becomes no broader impact or worse, a diminishment. The Many Saints of Newark doesn’t cheapen the Sopranos, but it doesn’t retroactively improve it either. It’s just more. B-
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