The Sopranos - Superb performances!
Written: Jan 29 '00 (Updated Jan 29 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very entertaining moments.... Superb performance by James Gandolfini.
Cons: Violence, language, etc etc etc., they make New Jersey look pretty gritty!
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| borghese's Full Review: HBO |
The Sopranos on HBO has been in the news a lot this season, mainly because it has won all those awards for last Season. I see why they can't have this show on regular cable...it's a little violent, a little language, and a little of every other evil known to man.
So why do I like it? In the Shakespearean sense, this story truly is a tragedy.. The main character Tony Soprano (played superbly by James Gandolfini) is a likeable enough guy, but he clearly is up to no good.
If you haven't read the cover of TV Guide or any other entertainment magazine lately, it's the story of Italian American Anthony Soprano,(mafioso capo) his family and his gumbas living in New Jersey.
He tells people that he's in "Waste Management"
Tony is not your typical "Hollywood" mob boss. Like most, it's true, he is overweight, has a quick temper, and a tendency to solve his problems by eliminating them. That's where the similarities end.
Tony's worst enemy would seem to be his 70 something year old mother, (a mob boss with a mother?) who last season tried to have him killed. Now that'll give anybody a complex. As a result of this strained relationship Tony is depressed. And now he's seeing a psychiatrist, oh yeah, and he's on prozac.
The best moments of this story seem to take place around the Soprano dinner table. Here we see the true irony of this man's life. Sometimes Tony's mother comes for dinner, at others the "puppet" boss , Tony's elderly Uncle, Junior comes for dinner. his wife is there, his two kids, Anthony junior and daughter Meadow, and now his Vegeterian sister is visiting from California. (she's up to no good as well)
(Minus all the mob stuff) This family portrayal reminds me of a lot of Italian families I knew back home. It sorta makes you wonder.. hey, wasn't so and so in waste management ? The Soprano's are all such intriguing characters... you sorta wish they weren't mixed up in all that stuff - all the more tragic I suppose.
Junior with his big Coke bottle glasses, worried about how he looked on the TV news, (maybe he'll get new rims) his jokes... I'd like to tell some here, but they aren't very politically correct. I don't know if I'd run out and get HBO for this, but... it is a very original and well written story with superb performances by all.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
borghese
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Location: Canada
Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 137 members
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