29th Street (1991) Movie Script
Dear God in heaven,
it's me Frankie.
Look, I know I probably ain't one
your favorite people down here.
I've done some bad things here
and there.
And I know I've been asking
a lot of favors too.
So maybe I used most of mine up.
I know you probably tried to
help me out with this...
...lottery tonight.
But the way things are going,
it doesn't look as it's...
...going to work out.
So I'm asking one more favor.
Please, don't add
insult to injury here, God.
Please. I'm begging you.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win.
Hi. Name please?
I'm Frank Pesce.
- P-E-S-C-E.
- C-E.
Okay, here you are Frank.
I'm Julie.
Welcome to the Empire Stakes.
Follow me.
I have you down for six.
Where's the rest of the family?
- What?
- Where's the rest of the family?
It's only me.
So, what are you going to do
if you win?
I really don't know.
Come on tell me the truth,
do you feel lucky tonight?
You have no idea.
Good luck, Mr. Pesce.
How you doing.
Good luck to you, man.
You, too.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Memory Lane himself...
...Joe Franklin.
Okay. Thank you very much,
ladies and gentlemen.
The big moment has arrived
at long last.
The very first
New York State Lottery.
The Empire Stakes, with some...
...lucky, person receiving
6 million 200 thousand dollars.
The very first in New York State.
I know the excitement has been,
mounting...
...and generating and mushrooming,
and snowballing...
...and escalating and skyrocketing.
And the,
contestants out there, the...
...audience,
you're kind of palpitating...
...and drooling, and salivating
and getting ready for the moment.
The moment has arrived.
And the lucky, lucky person is...
...Mr. Frank Pesce.
Are you happy now?
Are you happy, God?
You had to do this to me.
You weren't happy leaving me alone,
were you?
Were you?
I'll kill you.
I never wanted the damn ticket.
Why did you give it to me?
I get up every morning.
I'm fine.
I'm a nice guy.
I know I do some things wrong.
I was perfectly happy in my life
without it.
You couldn't leave me alone,
could you?
What the hell is your problem?
Frank, is that you?
And you!
What the hell do you want?
Get back in there, Lowrey.
That's the matter I didn't put
enough Money...
...in the collection plate?
- Don't you know that...
...it's Christmas Eve?
- Ever did me you priest.
You shouldn't.
A lot of good you ever did me.
I'm gonna call the cops
on you, Frank.
I'm Catholic.
I can do whatever the hell I want.
Sgt. Tartaglia,
the atheist is here.
Bring him in.
Honey, I've gotta go.
Merry Christmas.
Yeah, I love you, too.
Say hello to the kids for me.
Look, Sergeant,
you gotta let me go.
I don't have a lot of time.
This priest wants to press charges.
You messed up his manger.
Father Lowrey, I'm sorry.
All right?
Oh, all right.
All right.
But why did you do it, Frankie?
Just let me go, all right?
Look, I just can't sit here
and bulls..t with you guys.
Uncuff him.
Great.
You know, Frank.
I checked on what you said.
Your brother is a cop
with the one-eight.
You got no prior record.
- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
- You look like a nice Italian kid.
What the hell are you doing
throwing snowballs and...
...scaring the priest?
It's Christmas Eve.
Don't you belong somewhere?
And the winner tonight;
Frank Pesce of Queens, New York.
What will take home
6.2 million dollars.
When his name was called and
he failed to come forward...
...Ushers discovered that Mr. Pesce
apparently had left the drawing...
...Ceremony.
At any rate, congratulations...
...to Frank Pesce of Queens,
New York, wherever you are.
- Turn it off, will you?
- New Yorkers are crying over...
...more bad economic news today.
Some say our city is going down.
That's you?
Same guy?
Yeah.
And you're breaking windows
in your church?
What are you,
some kind of mamaluke?
Yeah, well...
It's long story, ain't it?
You're not going anywhere.
Neither am I.
Not until you make some kind of
sense out of this.
I swear to God, the only way
I know how to tell this story...
...is from beginning.
I got all night.
You see, I got this...
I got this curse.
I've been lucky since the day
I was born.
Just like my mother.
She used to work
at Lincoln Hospital...
...so that's where I was supposed
to be born.
But she went into labor at a Bingo
parlar a couple of blocks...
...from where we lived.
So they had to rush her to Bellevue
Hospital on 29th Street instead.
Now actually, that was my first
stroke of luck, because on that...
...very night, Lincoln Hospital
ended up having a huge fire and...
...the place nearly
burn to the ground.
In the seventh...Vito, where you...
I like savage
6-0-3 is the combination.
60 cents.
10 cents away.
Now, the others are straight
action, Shadow. Straight...
7-1-7 for 1.20 dollar.
- Mr. Pesce?
Shadow,
I'll get right back to you.
Would you like to see your son?
Come on Mady, come on.
Let's go.
My mom said he always cried.
When he saw us for the first time.
My brother, my sister, me.
Come on.
- We're going to be late.
- I'm coming.
I'm coming.
- 20 minutes from here to Radio City.
Here's the hot dog and
French fries.
You don't want nothing?
- No, thank you.
Come on, let's walk.
It's such a beautiful day.
It's eight blocks, right?
Yeah, but we're going to see
student prince, come on.
When I was young, my dad used to
always seem like this giant to me.
This, this guy who knew everything
about everything.
What are you looking at?
That.
What's that?
What's that say?
That's says " Today is President
Eisenhower's birthday".
I want to get my name up there.
Well, I wouldn't want to any other
way Frankie, but...
...only great people
get their names up there.
How can I get my name up there?
You gotta do something big,
Frankie. Big.
- How big?
- Well, very, very big.
You got to...
- How big?
- Well...
This big?
I guess every son wants to make
his father proud of him.
You know so he doesn't feel
like a j..k for having you.
And I figured, if I could get
my name up on that building...
...at least I could have left some
kind of mark on the World.
Now in my neighborhood,
there are two ways to make it.
One's the right way.
And the other ways' the fast way.
And I gotta tell you, the fast way
looked pretty attractive to me...
...as a kid.
- Wow. Look at that.
That's Louie Tucci. The biggest
wise guy in the neighborhood.
He's poison.
Don't even look at him.
Yeah, but I still like his car.
You'd be better off walking,
Frankie. Come on.
My dad could always talk circles
around everybody.
I swear to God he should have run
for Office and been a politician.
There's this, odd thing going on
between him and Louie Tucci.
I know my father couldn't stand
him but they spent a lot of time...
...together. Especially when my
dad lost his trucking company...
...which he get to later.
Hi, Frankie.
Dad, you say, "Don't look at the
guy because he's no good"...
...then you hang around with them.
- You mean Tucci?
- Yeah.
Come on, Frankie.
It's business.
You're in business with that guy?
Never.
You see, Frankie.
I don't want to be in
business with him.
I don't want to spend any time
with a guy like that.
That's why you're with him?
Yeah.
Because you don't want to be?
That's right.
You mean, you spend time with him
because you don't want to...
...spend time with him.
- That's exactly right.
If I spent less time with him...
...I'd have to spend
even more time with him.
So, if you spend no time with him.
Then I'd be with him constantly.
I can't wait until I grew up, Pop.
So I can know
what the hell you're talking about.
Get outta here, wise guy.
Frankie!
Don't be late.
Momma's cooking pasta.
Yeah, Dad.
Growing up didn't help.
I still don't know what the hell
he's talking about.
Now, this luck think kept on
happening time after time.
Like, I remember I was hanging
out with my friend Jimmy Vitello...
...whose father was
also in the mob.
In fact, he was the biggest
Mobster in the tri-state area.
Come on, let's go.
I'll give you five dollars.
- Five dollars?
- Yeah.
Are you nuts? They must be worth
a couple of hundred bucks.
Yeah, Irv don't be a f..g stiff.
What a mouth you got.
You kiss your mother
with that mouth?
Where did you get this? Huh?
God left it for me.
Oh, well I don't want him coming
around here looking for it.
Get it out of here, huh?
Irv, do you know who my father is?
We don't want to have a little
misunderstanding now, do we?
Excuse me?
You're something else,
you know that? Here...
...10 bucks. That's it.
Now get outta here little b..ds.
Go ahead.
Now, to a kid, this seemed
very impressive.
All you had to do was mention
Jimmy Vitello's father and boom.
You got whatever
the hell you wanted.
So, no matter how far out of line
Jimmy got,...
...the cops never showed up
at his house.
However, a member of
New York's finest...
...did end up in our house.
My brother, Vito
decided to become a cop.
Personally, I think it was like
getting the wolf to watch...
...the chickens.
But at least somebody was doing
something for the family name.
Meanwhile, I hang around
with a bunch of guys...
...who were doing absolutely
nothing with their lives.
There was Lenny Nipton.
You know,
We called him "Needle Nose".
This guy was the definition of
post-nasal drip.
Hey, Frank!
You know something, Frank?
Girls love poetry.
Dig this.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
Creeps, baby in, t's steady
pace from day to day.
Then there was "Dom the Bomb".
Hello, Frankie, how are you today?
This guy actually thought
he could sing.
What am I going to do?
I gotta lose some weight.
I got a gland problem.
Rocky Sav had a gland problem
ever since the day he was born.
Poor Sal Las Benas,...
...he spit on everything in sight
whenever he talked.
And then there was Jimmy Vitello.
Frankie boy, how you doin'?
Wanna make some Money?
Ten thousand dollars cash.
Tax free. Just carry a package.
- We had some pizza the other night.
And if you promise
not to run away
It had extra cheese,
sausage, pepperoni...
What cop?
Forget about it.
When I was hanging around
in the street bulls..tin'...
...with my friends all day long,
my dad was out breaking his a..s.
Ever since he lost his own company,
he had been working as a driver...
...for some other outfit.
So every day he had to take
a subway to Penn Station.
Then he would catch a connecting
train all the way to Union City...
...to drive a truck five days
a week through city traffic.
Yankees are gonna win. Get it
outta here. Yankees, alright?
No wonder the guy
had problems relaxing.
This city's goin' to
the frigging dogs.
We've gonna get out of here.
- Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that.
We need a house out of Manhattan.
A nice house with our own lawn.
That's what we need.
You know Pop, It's funny that
you're saying that because of...
...what I've been thinking.
Well I can't wait to hear this.
The way I got it figured, right
is that future is in outer space.
Maybe I could become an astronaut.
It's the last frontier, Pop.
An astronaut?
Well think about it.
Look Pop,...
...I could become the first
Italian on the moon.
Don't... Don't laugh.
I wanna do things that
I've never done before.
Oh, I see.
Well, why don't you try
going inside and...
...cleanin' up your messy room.
Come on, Pop. I'm serious.
I got longings and
desires like everybody.
Are you alright?
Is there little people running
around in your head or what?
Are you putting me on?
- No.
Well then you see,...
...because I'm talking about
reality here, Frankie.
Reality, you get it? I'm trying to
move us to Queens and...
...you're talking about
picking up to moon rocks.
Alright.
You know what your problem is, Pop?
What's my problem?
- Your dreams are too small.
- Yeah.
Yeah. My dreams are too small.
Anyway, when I was 18,
my father got his dream and...
...moved us to Queens.
He got his other dream, too.
His own lawn.
Every afternoon, he would come home
and set up the sprinkler.
So, what are we eating tonight?
Stupid ordered a couple of pizzas.
Could you watch
your language please?
Where did he go, Yonkers?
Men, did you stop liking pizza?
It's waste of money.
But gambling
not a waste of money, huh?
Who's gambling?
You see me gambling?
Yeah, I heard you took your son
Frankie to the track yesterday.
You couldn't buy him a miserable
hot dog for a buck.
But I bet you spent 400 dollars
on a horse that came in dead-last.
Go ahead tell me I'm wrong.
Huh?
You see my name on these?
You see my name anywhere
on these stubs, huh?
I'm so sorry.
That must've been some other
guy wearing your pants.
How much did all these cost?
Seven bucks.
Seven bucks.
You know it probably costs
25 cents to make?
- So?
- So? So?
I'm a man of principle.
And I ain't paying
27 times what it's worth.
That so!
Not for nothing Pop.
But did you pay for this?
You making a joke, Frankie?
My family could start a fight
over absolutely anything.
What's the weather for tomorrow?
I heard it's gonna rain.
That isn't what I heard.
- What the hell did you hear?
- Never mind, Frankie.
Where, where did you hear rain?
Madeline, I heard it on the radio.
The weatherman said
it's going to rain tomorrow.
Typical, Vito!
You listen to the radio.
They're always wrong.
Do me a favor with
the goddamn weather.
With the weather,
with rain, with Mars.
Who be interested in rain?
I do Pop. You don't pay 10 dollars
to have your hair done.
And who says it's going to rain?
Listen witch! Leave your broom
at home, don't go out,...
...and your hair won't get wet.
- Vito, that was a good one.
You know Vito,
I've got a two-seater,...
...so you can just jump
right on with me.
F..g s..t.
Who's gonna marry you with
a mouth like that?
Two months later she married
a Sicilian guy named Tony.
And Tony didn't make
a hit with the family.
Now, the Vietnam war was
raging full-force.
Guys from the neighborhood were
coming home in boxes every week.
We all got letters in the mail
and had to get the Draft Board...
...to sign up.
So we were about to do what
was right for our country.
You know I just developed
a theory on life.
Yeah? What's that?
Okay, listen, because
it's very complicated.
First, you're born.
Then you're a baby, a child.
And then you start to mature until
you hit the adolescence...
...then you grow old.
And then you grow older.
And then you die.
And that's it.
Rocky, son, no offense but that's
the stupidest f..g thing...
...never heard.
All right, laugh.
But if you think about it,
it makes a lot of sense.
Nearly a thousand 18 year olds from
every part of the city were there.
Getting a load of these guys
I figured we could win...
...the Vietnam war
in about 15 minutes.
Quiet down.
Quiet down in here.
Hey, Rocky! Wooh!
When are you going to grow up?
Quiet down, you s..theads,
Street-trash, motherf..kers!
Madonna! This guy looks tough, man.
Yeah, he looks real tough,
don't he, Frank?
Yeah.
Alright.
As of this minute
all of you here...
...is now the property of the
United States Government!
Now if anybody here...
...has been in jail
who is out on bail...
...please move to the right side
of the auditorium.
The whole f..g room got up.
You've got to be s..ttin' me.
Excuse me, sir.
Excuse me.
I really don't think it's fair that
we have to take a test...
...that we didn't study for.
It's Goddamn
urine examination, boy!
I'm sorry. I misunderstood.
I thought it was something else.
What's your name, boy?
Frank Pesce, sir.
You know,
"pesce" means fish in Italian.
I don't give a goddamn
what it means.
Sorry, sir.
Is there something wrong
with you, boy?
No.
Not, not, not,
not that I'm aware of, sir.
You got a high school diploma?
No, sir.
You ain't got
no high school diploma?
No, sir. No diploma.
No, sir.
I think he likes you.
Okay, cover your left eye and
read line seven on the chart.
Taglethorp.
Get outta here.
Alright.
Pesce. Frank Pesce!
Where the hell is Frank Pesce?
Frank Pesce get over here.
Yes, sir?
Didn't I ask you if you had
a high school diploma?
Yes, sir you asked me that.
I remember you asked me that.
And what did you tell me?
That I didn't have one.
According to my files,
you have a high school diploma.
Yeah, I've got one.
I just not on me.
You get the hell up there
and see the psychiatrist.
Move it boy.
Get the hell up there.
You got four cards
in your hand, just...
I didn't know whether
I should built or not.
It's too early in the game.
- I'm picking them up, okay?
I didn't want to built
right off the bat.
Then you wind up in trouble.
- So, you want to tell me?
Here comes General Custer.
Come here, Frankie.
I want to talk to you.
Ten million guys are trying to
beat the draft and...
...only you can get away with it.
- What do you mean?
You see this letter?
It says
the United States Government...
...thinks that you are
calculated risk.
Is that good or bad?
It means that they
think you are nuts.
So now the army knows what everyone
else knows, you're f..g crazy.
Oh, I'm sorry I'm letting you down
by not stepping on a land mine.
What's so funny? I'm supposed to go
and tell all my friends and...
...neighbors to say that my son's
a nut-job, that's why he's not...
...in the army, huh? You've gotta
have mental illness, huh?
And I tell you something else.
You're ruined.
You're never get a city job!
Oh, excuse me.
I just get a rope and hang myself.
Mentally disqualified.
This reflects on the whole family.
So I got out of the war,
but I knew it was no accident.
It was my lucky star.
Alright! Wait a minute! I'm trying
to figure out what I got here.
What do you have to figure out?
My dad was wrong.
I did end up getting a city job.
And it ended up being the luckiest
thing to happen to me yet.
And luck would show itself
in the face of Maria Rios.
The 07:10 train can't
leave at 6:30.
Madam, they call it 07:10 train
because it leaves at 7:10.
Oh, you thought that was
the number of the train.
I see.
What an idiot.
No, no, no, not 07:45.
Madam trust me.
On my mother's eyes, the train
to Pelham leaves at 08:30.
Well, I don't care.
I don't care.
Alright. Alright.
I'll tell you what.
Why don't you came down
here at 7:45, and...
...if the f..g thing starts
moving, jump on it.
A j..k.
Frankie, you're bad.
You know,
you got the most beautiful eyes?
Stop Frankie.
We're gonna get caught.
No, we won't.
Don't worry about it.
I own this place.
Alright look.
I wanna make a family announcement.
I want to congratulate
my youngest son, Frankie Jr.,...
...who bears my name for
having been fired today.
What are you kidding?
No, you had that job
for what eight months?
That's record for you.
I'm pointing out your progress.
Dad, I didn't like that job.
Besides,
I got a new angle on my life.
I can't wait to hear this.
Yeah, me too.
Shut up.
You know, while I was working
there I was thinking you know...
...I never had to look
at the chart.
I always knew
which trains went where.
You know,
I know every Schedule by heart.
You know what that means, right?
You got a natural talent
for useless information.
No, it means I got a good
head for numbers.
You know, maybe I could be
an accountant or something.
You know, that's a terrific idea,
Frankie.
Can't do that an account of.
- On account of what?
- On account of you're maroon.
Stop it.
If they made you a detective,
anything is possible, you homo.
Hey, don't curse.
Can I shoot him for saying that?
- Now, hold it, hold it.
I got something
very serious to say here.
I've been thinking about
that lawn out there.
Now, Bluegrass of Kentucky,
what do you think?
I've got relatives in Kentucky,
Pop.
Shut up.
What the hell is it?
That's the best grass there is.
You know, grass is grass, Pop.
You know, you don't know
a damn thing about anything do you?
Madonna, enough with this lawn.
Yeah. You're driving everybody
crazy with the lawn.
Oh, yeah?
What happened, Tony?
Got dressed in a hurry tonight?
You left your shirt home?
Why don't you ask her?
She hasn't done the wash in a week.
- What?
- What do you mean "her".
Her name is Madeline.
And what is she, your servant?
Oh yeah, like I'm not your servant.
That's different.
How's it different.
It's different. That's all.
Pop, could you just not start
tonight please?
Mom thanks for the spaghetti.
It was great.
What is this, eat and run?
Where you going?
- I'm going out.
- Where are you going?
I got a date.
With who?
With a girl.
- What girl?
- Maria.
Who's Maria?
Remember the Spanish
girl from Spanish Harlem.
The one you told him
to stay away from?
Three months he's been a detective,
and already...
...he's knocking on everybody.
- Hey, he's right.
Ma, you know where my gun is?
- Frankie.
Frankie I told you
to stay away from her.
But dad, she's a nice girl.
Did you see my service
revolver around? I'm late.
Now, look I don't care
how nice she is.
She's Spanish.
She's a Puerto Rican!
And historically,
Puerto Rican's hate Italians.
Now, you go up to Spanish Harlem,
you're gonna get hurt.
- Where's my gun?
- Enough with the gun! Jesus!
Look, I get to do
everything around here.
I've got to find your gun. Maybe
I should ride in the car with you.
Dad, her brother, Jesus,
loves me like a brother, alright.
Do what you want.
Bye.
Hey, Jesus how you doing?
This is for f..g with my sister.
Help me. Help me.
Help me.
Help me.
Is this Catholic hospital?
I'm a Catholic.
If I'm going to die, I want to
die in a Catholic hospital.
Dr. Puccini simply
wants to talk to you.
It's nothing serious.
It's just a little problem.
He just wants to talk to you just
for a minute, all right?
Looks good, huh?
Hello, Frank.
What is it? I'm going to be
okay, aren't I?
God was with you on this one.
If you hadn't been injured,...
...we would have never caught
this other problem in time.
What? What is it?
I'm going to be okay, aren't I?
X-rays show that you have a tumor
right below your stab wound.
A tumor.
That's cancer.
I'm going to have to go
in there and remove it.
What's with his eyes?
It's a little condition
or something.
Condition?
It's funny.
No, it's not funny.
This guy's going to cut me open
and look inside of me?
One minute he's looking at the
air conditioner and...
...next minute he's looking at me.
Frankie, Frankie
you've got to calm down.
Take it easy.
This surgeon is one of the
finest in New York.
He operated
on cousin Ernie's lungs.
Cousn Ernie's dead.
But that couldn't be helped.
He died of a heart attack.
His lungs were clean.
The Neptune Society, a simple,
dignified, alternative to the...
...high-prices funeral wants you
to spend your money...
...on the living
not the undertaker.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look at that.
That's one of a Dr. Puccini's
patients up the right now.
What are you laughing about?
It ain't funny, Dad.
Now, I'm out of my mind
with depression.
So I go see this nun for spiritual
advise to help me...
...through all of this.
You know what she says?
Whatever is God's will
is God's will, my son.
The will is that, it was cancer.
But I end up beating it because
they caught it in time.
Needless to say,
I recovered quickly.
And even though we lives in Queens.
I was always on 29th Street.
Because that's where
the action was.
The Club was run by Philly the Nap,
the local bookmaker...
...who smelled like he was
constantly sucking on a...
...clove of garlic.
- Where the f..k.
And you didn't f..g bet?
How can you get such a great cards
like this and be so f..g stupid?
God protects the dumb.
You got lifetime protection.
How about this one, huh?
How does a guy get stabbed up
in Spanish Harlem and have it...
...turn into the thing that
saves his life?
You know what the problem is?
You got the luck.
You were born with it.
The pitiful part is you don't know
what the hell to do with it.
Some people are born with it and
they know what to do with it.
Dozing off.
Philly the Nap a Narcoleptic.
He would not out without warning
and a second later he'd snap...
...out of it.
How long was I out?
Three and a half weeks.
You're a wise guy, right? Huh?
And you learn what to do
with the luck. You got it.
Jesus, Philly,
take it downwind will you?
Oh, yeah.
What's up baby? How you doin'?
Remember what I told you
about the right way...
...to make it and the fast way?
Well, the right way wasn't
working out too well for me...
...so I decided to try the
fast way.
There heavy-weight wise guys
came up from Mulberry Street...
...to set up a gambling operation.
They chose the bakery next door
after talking to Billy the Loaf...
...the guy who owned it.
Still being j..k, I went to look
for a job as the guy...
...in the front door instead of
looking for honest employment.
So I talked to Jimmy
about getting a job there.
Look my name's Frank.
I was told to talk to you.
Yeah? And by who?
I can't say.
You know somebody?
Yeah, but I can't say.
Who do you know?
I told you, I can't say.
What the f..k in his name?
Jimmy Vitello.
You know? Never mention no names.
You should never mention names
like that in this joint.
That's a bad thing to do.
Never, never, never say names.
You asked me.
Am I nuts or did he ask me?
- You're wrong there. You're wrong.
- Anyway I got the job.
And I had enough money saved
to go in with Vito on a car.
Who's gonna talk with the guy?
I'm talking to him.
This is bulls..t.
You know what, I'm gonna order
this car before it goes out...
...of date, alright?
Okay, go ahead. Go ahead.
Wait a minute.
- Let him talk to the guy.
Don't forget.
White with a White vinyl top,...
...a rear defroster,
AM-FM Stereo,...
...tinted Windows,
and a steel Wheel.
Vito, shut up.
For the two hundred time,
I know how to order a car.
Just relax.
- White with a... White vinyl top!
What's this? This is not-
this is not our car, is it?
- Yeah, this is the car.
- What are you talking about?
I told you. You're an idiot.
White with a white vinyl top.
Well, the guy said Ivory gold.
I don't care what the guy said.
He said ivory gold and
I thought it was White.
We are partner on this.
I don't want this.
I'm not going to pay for it,
either I'm talkin to you.
- What's wrong with it.
- Come here. Come here.
Come here.
- You stay there.
- Come here for one minute.
- You stay right there.
Look, don't f..k around.
White with a white vinyl top.
Just come...
- No. Stay there.
Dad.
Tell him to stay there.
- What is that?
This is our car.
Come here.
Hey, Mr. Pesce, how you doin'?
Everything all right?
- Punk.
- Pop!
You know, a man is judged by
the company he keeps, Frankie.
Well, that don't bode
to well for you, Pop.
You're our here keeping
company with the crickets.
You're smarta..s, huh?
You know, I'm still very capable of
smacking the s..t out of you.
I'll have to.
I mean, today you're
watching the door.
What are you going to do tomorrow?
You going to hold some guy down
while he hits him?
Dad, it's temporary.
I'm saving the money up so
I can do bigger things.
Yeah, like what?
I don't know.
Frankie, this is it.
This is all there is.
You get a job, you make living,
you meet a girl,...
...you get married
and you have kids.
There is nothing else to it.
Pop, this can't be it, alright?
I mean, what if I want to do
something else?
Like what?
I don't know.
You quit asking me?
Look how miserable.
You're miserable.
You are. You're miserable.
You know what you have to do?
Find yourself a hobby.
- Hobby?
- That's right.
You got to fit something that's
going to give you pleasure.
Like me and my lawn.
Get out here.
Get out.
- Pop, stop.
Are you going completely nuts?
Don't hit the cat.
The heat from his body is
burning a hole in my lawn.
Isn't it a big difference?
- What?
- The Bluegrass of Kentucky.
Not for nothing Pop.
I don't notice any difference.
You don't notice no difference?
- No.
- That's because you don't have...
...the eye Frankie.
The eye?
What eye?
- The eye! The eye!
What eye?
If you had the eye, you'd know
what I was talking about.
But, obviously, you don't have
the eye Frankie.
Well Pop, I tell you I wish
I had this eye because...
...then I would know what the hell
you were talking about.
Yeah, well, I'm just, listening
to a different drum, Frankie.
So now you're hearing drums.
Pop, there's a lot of s..t
happening around here.
That's right. Lottery comes to
New York. Take a look.
Yeah, yeah. You and 20 million
other people seen that today.
There's always hope, kid.
Not for you, Pop.
There's no hope.
Bulls..t.
- Hi, mom.
- How you doing?
- Perfect timing.
- Get out of here.
What's the matter with you?
Go wash your hands.
You come in bringing them germs
and sticking them in the...
...sauce like that.
Hey, out of my chair, bub.
Come on.
- Who died and made you king?
- Just get out.
I have to go to work.
I have a job.
Not like some people I know.
Yeah? What are you doing,
staking out a slumber party?
Hey, where's your father?
He's outside with
the Bluegrass of Kentucky,...
...and the eye,
and the drums, and...
Frankie,
don't give him a hard time today.
Why not?
He got laid-off from work.
- He got laid-off?
- You heard her.
Would you go get your father, huh?
Get off your a..s and go get him.
All right. I'm going.
That was serious.
We were just getting by as it was,
and I knew we were in for...
...some hard times.
Now, at the same time,
the neighborhood was going nuts.
Everybody had lotto fever.
Me? I wouldn't have anything
to do with it.
Hey, Rocky what are you going to do
with your millions?
You don't play,
you don't win Frank.
Well, that's original.
You could turn into f..g
Rockefeller, Rocky.
My father could have probably
spooned the New York State...
...lottery commission
all by himself.
He was going for the big one.
I know it ain't right but I'd been
collecting unemployment checks...
...while I was working at the Club.
And it was a lucky thing too.
Because I picked Labor day
to cash that check.
The banks were all closed.
Irv's Pawn Shop was the only joint
on the block that was open.
Hey, Frankie! How are you?
How are you? Everything okay?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- How's the family?
- Good.
Your mother, your father,
your beautiful sister Madeline?
- Everybody's fine Irv.
- Yeah?
Look,
I got to cash to check all right?
You got an ID?
Irv.
How's my sister? How's my mother?
And you're asking me for Id?
- Frank, I'm sorry.
That's the way it is.
You gotta have two forms of
identification. What can I do?
Irv, you know
who my father is right?
I mean we don't want to have
a misunderstanding, do we?
Well, all right, okay?
For you, Frankie.
I'll make an exception.
Geez, thanks Irv.
But you got to buy something
for a minimum of 10 bucks.
- I got to buy something.
- Yeah.
What am I going to buy
in this place? What?
What? A f..g ukulele?
- I'm not chase Manhattan, Frank.
Minimum of 10 bucks.
Irv, I swear to God.
This looks like the same s..t
you had here 20 years ago.
All right, all right, all right.
Give me, give me that piece of
s..t binoculars over there.
Oh, yeah.
Frank these are beautiful.
Beautiful.
Everything is beautiful.
He wants to sell it,
what do you think?
Nine bucks?
- Come on.
- I got to charge you 10.
No. No.
Make up the difference.
Give me one of them
lottery tickets.
You got it Frankie.
You got it.
Everything is chaos with this guy.
You got a beautiful
pair of binoculars.
- Yeah, beautiful.
- There, there you are.
All right.
One, two, three, four, five.
- Today Irv. Come on!
- Come on, Irv.
Come on, Irv.
Don't forget your binoculars.
Don't worry,
I won't forget the binoculars.
- These are beautiful, Frank.
- Cost me nine bucks.
What about that?
- Could've put it lay-away.
- And that was it.
I thought
it was such a waste of Money.
I never even told my father
I had bought it.
And then it happened.
I was on a subway sometime
in November.
Holy s..t.
Holy s..t. I don't believe it.
I don't believe it.
I'm a finalist in the lottery.
Right here.
I'm a finalist in the lottery.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding.
Wait, wait, wait,
wait look at this.
Here. Here's the ticket.
I got a shot at
6.2 million dollars.
Six million to win!
Mom! Vito! You won't believe
what happened.
Mom! Vito! Dad! Mom!
- What's the matter?
I'm a finalist
in New York State Lottery.
- Are you serious?
- Yes.
- You're not joking?
- It's right here.
They laughed at
Christopher Columbus.
They laughed at the
Wright Brothers.
They laughed at Einstein.
Mama, they even laughed at me.
But nobody's gonna taught at me
after Christmas Eve.
Because I'm a finalist in the
New York State Lottery and...
...I'm gonna win that 6.2 million
dollars and I'm gonna spend it.
Honey, honey I'm going to buy you
a beautiful home with a big...
...lawn for me. Frankie,
don't worry about a career.
Not that you ever
gonna got on anyway.
Read it, it's in there.
Who is on the phone?
- It's Madeline.
Madeline. Madeline.
I'm gonna buy you a washer,
a drier, every appliance...
...you ever hoped for.
It's daddy.
She must have fainted.
Celebration.
Wine?
What about you Detective Pesce.
What can I buy for you?
- Dad, can I talk to you a minute?
- Not now, son.
I'm busy spending
my money over here.
Honey, just listen to Frankie, huh?
Yes my baby boy who bears my name.
- That's exactly the point, Dad.
- Yeah? So? So?
We both have the same name.
I know we got the same name.
It's my name.
I gave it to you.
Yeah,
but it's my name in the paper.
What are you trying to
tell me Frankie?
Pop it's my ticket.
Come on, what do you mean
your ticket? Oh. I know, I know.
You don't think I'm going to
share with you, right?
Is that it? You greedy b..d.
It's my ticket.
I'll buy you whatever you want.
You're riot, kid.
You are absolutely a riot.
For a minute there,
you had me going.
Salud.
What's going on?
Honey, it's Frankie's ticket.
Yeah, Pop.
I went over to Irv's
to cash a check because...
...the banks were closed, and
he made me buy something, you know?
So, so I bought
binoculars and a ticket.
You're telling me
you bought one ticket?
I eight million tickets sitting
in a shoebox upstairs and...
...you bought one ticket.
Yeah, well Pop, you know I'm lucky.
Can I see the ticket, Frankie?
Yeah.
You're going to win
this miserable f..g thing.
You know that, don't you?
Yeah, Pop.
You know, what's mine is yours.
Yeah, likewise, Frankie.
I got nothing.
Suddenly, everyone was
my best friend.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you very much.
He's the finalist in the
New York State Lottery.
Frank Pesce's a finalist
in the lottery.
He's lucky b..d.
You know Frankie Pesce is a
finalist in the State lottery?
I mean, it was really ridiculous.
I was one of 50 finalists and
everybody was acting like...
...I had already one the thing.
Would you bet on a horse going off
at 50 to 1 I wouldn't.
But my friends were betting on me.
Zippers was convinced that
I could do anything.
So he took us down to
Mulberry Street on this real big...
...gambling joint to see
if I could throw some dice.
Come on Frankie.
Shoot a nine, baby.
A nine.
How you feeling?
- I feel kinetic.
- Kinetic?
Kinetic. I love that word.
I love that word.
Come on.
- Count me in. Sure.
Two coming up.
Place your bets.
A hundred says you don't make
that nine.
A four.
Four more hundred, no nine.
Come on, Frankie boy! Take their
money, baby! Take their money.
Come on, come on, come on.
Isn't that Louie Tucci?
Don't f..k with him, Frankie.
He's got his own
graveyard in Jersey.
He is cut your throat and
go out to dinner afterwards.
He don't give a s..t, man.
Yeah, f..k him.
I got friends, too.
Hey, how you doing?
Throw the f..g dice, will you?
- You got f..g palsy or what?
- Come on.
What are you j..g off? Let's go.
- Relax, baby.
- Do it for me.
- Come on nine.
- Let's go.
A nine!
Then it happened.
I made history.
I was about to do something
nobody had ever seen. Ever.
Anywhere.
Incredible. See this?
Come on, Frankie.
Get that f..g kid out of there.
Give me an axe and I'll chop your
f..g hands off.
Come on, it's just a game.
He was really upset.
What are you looking at? What
do you think this is a f..g joke?
I'm just playing some dice here.
Come on!
Come here, you c..r.
Say good morning to Vinnie, Dad.
You think it's a big joke,
don't you?
What?
Hanging out with the mob guys,
shooting dice, huh?
What the hell you talking about?
Oh, you're a legend on
Mulberry Street now,...
...Frankie Fish's kid,
the man with the golden arm.
The man with the golden arm
and head up his a..s.
You keep it up and
watch what happens.
Just relax, alright?
I'm having fun. Just recreational.
Recreational! Oh, okay.
Just don't get yourself killed,
alright, before the drawing.
Then you can do whatever
the hell you want.
Oh, great. Thank you.
What the hell a that smell in here?
I smells like old gym sneakers
or something.
It's pizza.
That don't look liken o pizza
I've ever seen, Pop.
Just shut up and have a slice.
Did you make that?
Did I make it?
You see your mother here?
Yeah, I made it, right?
And it cost me a dollar to make.
One dollar.
You know the s..t your buy?
Seven bucks.
Have a piece.
Come on.
Have a piece.
The dough's a little hard, but...
What's the matter?
- Pop. Pop.
You get better pizza in Korea.
Who the hell made that Michellin?
Why don't you put it in the trunk
and use it as a spare?
I'm going back to bed.
That's the worst pizza
I ever had in my life.
The only member of our family to
appreciate my father's pizza...
...was Vinnie.
Now obviously,
my father's not the kind of guy...
...just to sit around the house
like a normal person.
The boredom was driving him crazy.
And remember the idle mind is the
devil's playground.
And in my father's case...
...it was about to become
and amusement park.
Hey! Where the hell are you
three going, huh?
We're going bowling.
That's right. Bowling.
Bowling, huh?
You haven't been bowling
since Christ left Chicago.
Well, maybe we'll go bowling and
maybe we won't go bowling.
Or maybe we'll do something else.
But I figured...
...it would be nice for a father
to spend an evening with his sons.
You got a problem with that?
You are so full of s..t.
- O, faccia tua!
- What's with her.
I don't know.
With Dad being out of work...
...our money situation was
getting worse and worse.
The three of us decided to get
rid of the T-bird for the...
...insurance money.
Frankie. Frankie.
- What?
- Wait a minute.
- What?
- Stand over there.
- What are you talking about?
- Stand over there.
Turn around. Turn around.
Turn around.
Let's go home.
They found the car completely
untouched except for the damage...
...my father had done,
just where we left in the Bronx.
You see there were times
you don't want to be lucky,...
...but that lucky star keeps
shinning no matter what.
Bowling, huh?
To make matters worse, we had
a 500 dollar deductible on the car.
Our broken windshield cost
380 bucks and 40 for the tow.
So now we had to pay 420 bucks
just to get the car back in the...
...shape that it was.
Look, we don't, we don't...
We don't have 420 dollars.
Yeah? Well, insurance companies
are not in business...
...to be taken by idiots.
Stupid idiots like you guys.
Oh, yeah? Yeah? Idiots, uh?
Well the car really did get
stolen in the bowling alley.
And I don't want
to get into it again.
Yeah?
Like I'm five foot two and blonde!
I know why the car
can't get stolen.
Because it's under his name.
And you know him
with that lucky curse.
They'll find it no matter
where we hide it.
This is all your fault.
- Yeah and you know what?
You're full of s..t, Vito.
- I'm full of s..t?
- Yeah, you're full of s..t.
- Where you going now.
I got something
I gotto do, all right?
I paid my cousin Leo a visit
in Budlake, New Jersey and...
...together we figured out
a way to dump the car.
Leo, you stinking crook!
Get over here! Leo!
What's the matter with you?
Hey, you know, this stuff really
works, you know that?
Forget that s..t. Come here.
Come here.
Get in there.
30 days later we were
told to go down to the...
...insurance company and
pick up the check.
The month had come and gone and
no one had found the car,...
...as I was sure would be the case.
Let's not look like three cavoons
going in there, all right?
Who says we look like cavoons?
Yeah, we look like a family
going to pick up a check.
Like a pack of f..g wild dogs,
that's what we look like.
I'm going in by myself.
You guys wait out here.
- Why?
- You don't want us to come in?
Frankie, tell him what I said.
I'm sorry Mr. Pesce.
But it seems that nobody
has found your son's car.
Oh, that's too bad.
You know, my son Frankie,
he's been sick for the whole month.
You know what he says
to me Miss Sills?
He says, " Daddy, you know,
losing my car is like...
... losing my brother".
I mean, the kid's heartbroken.
Gee.
You know I feel terrible
about this.
Listen...
Let me make one more phone call.
- Oh, no!
- Maybe we get lucky.
Yeah, hi, this is Lucy Sills.
I was wondering if there was
anything new with case,...
...10-21-69?
Thanks.
They're checking.
Yeah.
What?
Ivory Gold Mist?
No, no Aqua velvet.
No. No. The car is Ivory Gold Mist
Ford Thunderbird license plate...
..."MY WAY".
Yes, that's it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, it seems that they found your
son's car over the weekend...
...in Budlake, New Jersey.
Isn't that wonderful.
I'm so glad I checked.
Budlake, New Jersey?
Budlake.
Budlake, New Jersey.
Are you f..g crazy?
- What are you talking about?
- They found the car.
- Where?
- Bud-f..g-lake, New Jersey.
What a coincidence, huh?
We got family there.
I don't think the insurance company
is going to put that...
...together, do you? Who do you
go with, your cousin Leo?
That f..g moron!
You, cop, drive the car.
Drive the car.
Shut the f..k up, okay?
- Get in the car.
- Get in the car.
So I ended up setting the car
to my cousin Leo.
Two days after the sale it
got stolen.
But that moment didn't last long.
Now we were hitting rock bottom.
Frankie, give me the keys.
Come on. Car keys.
Give me the keys.
- Dad, I gotta go out.
- C'mon give me the keys to the car.
I need them.
I'm going to the Garden.
Come on, come on. I need them.
Keys. Come, come, come.
Got any money?
- What?
Money. You got some money?
I need some money.
- Dad, not now.
- Frankie, I'm way behind here.
What do you got?
- I got 400 dollars.
- Come on, go get it.
No, Dad. What for?
Frankie, I got a feeing tonight.
I have a feeling...
...that I can't lose on
a fight tonight. Please.
Come one, you're my partner.
- We'll be partners?
- We'll be partners.
- Not again Dad.
Jesus Christ, is this
the first time I ask you for money?
All right,
I'm gonna get the money, all right?
All right. All right.
- Hurry up.
Come on.
Of course, I got him the money.
Frankie, it's in the blue sock.
On the left side of the drawer.
Believe it or not, my father
actually won on the fight,...
...so I went down to the Club to
stop him before he could do...
...any more damage.
But Philly said my father doubled
his money, took the 800 bucks,...
...put it on a horse, got up
1100 and took off like a bat...
...out of hell with Johnny Cake and
Joe Numbers, saying something...
...about going to Yonkers Raceway.
What are you doing?
I'm waiting for you.
Is your mother up?
Yeah, she's up.
- Christ. I'm getting outta here.
- Hey, what happened?
I lost 400.
Good.
Good.
I was really worried there.
Listen, Pop.
Why don't you let me
hold the rest of the money?
There's no money, Frank.
I thought you said you lost 400.
Right, I lost the 400 bucks.
But you had 1100
when you left the Club.
Yeah, I did.
So that means you got
700 on you now, right?
No, no I don't have s..t on me now.
How can you lose 400 out of 1100
and not have anything on you now?
I lost the 400 bucks you gave me.
- You lost 1100 dollars?
- No, no.
I lost the 400 you gave me.
- Then where is the other 700?
- It's gone.
You lost it all.
No.
Yeah.
Technically.
Technically? What technically?
You had 1100 and
now you don't have s..t.
That means that you lost 1100!
- I don't count the other 700.
- Oh, you don't count it.
- No, I don't.
- That money ain't real?
It's no good? It doesn't pay the
mortgage, the gas, the electric.
Look, I don't count
it because it's their money.
You see, I gamble with their money.
I lost your 400 but
their money is their money!
Well, you had "their" money
in your pocket, didn't you?
Frankie.
I'm out of f..g work!
Now, what the hell
do you want from me?
And, besides what the hell are
you worried about?
You're gonna win the lottery and
you can hang out on the street...
...and be a j..f for
the rest of your life!
How the hell do you know
if I'm gonna win the lottery?
And even if I do, it's not included
in my plans that I'm gonna...
...hang out in some street corner.
I'm gonna do
something with my life.
- Oh, yeah? Yeah, like what?
- I don't know.
But I'm gonna get a real life.
And what am I,
f..g cartoon character?
Oh, s..t.
Frank.
Frank.
I'm sorry about what I did to you.
You listen to me, Frank Pesce.
Listen to me good, huh?
I don't want to hear this s..t.
Just don't you die on me,
you b..d. That's all.
Not now.
Ma, relax.
You're not going nowhere.
You're gonna get well.
You're gonna come home.
I want the house to stink of them,
rotten pizzas you've been making.
I want you to see your son
Frankie...
...just, just make
something out of his life.
You think I'm gonna live to 105?
I'm not kidding Frank.
I'm not kidding.
You and I made a deal.
We made a promise to each other.
To live
together happily ever after.
Until death...
God.
Come here.
Come here.
What did he say, Mom?
Keep the cat off the lawn.
Hey, Pops!
You all right?
He looks good, doesn't he?
He said we ruined
his lawn while he was gone.
That's when I knew he was alright.
He was back to terrorizing
everybody.
I went for the first available
job I could find, and I got one.
Over at Sheldon Toys
as a sales representative.
I'm from Sheldon Toy Company,
I got the greatest little...
...electric cars that
you'll ever see.
These electric cars,
they're incredible.
The kids will go nuts.
You should order maybe 20,...
...30 because in the first day,
Bang. They're out the door.
I'm serious.
I'm not kidding you.
How many would you like?
It was the best job I had yet.
They even let me order
a company car.
- What's this?
- It's my new car.
I know.
White with a white vinyl top.
It's a company car.
You order a car for yourself,
you get the right color.
Me and you go partners,
you get ivory gold f..g-mist.
Why don't you take it to Budlake
and show it to your cousin Leo?
So why you didn't get
the first time.
This car better not be under
my f..g name in the insurance...
...I'm warning you.
- Hey, Vito.
Looks good, don't it?
Come here and say that you f..k.
Looks good.
I'll give you " looks good".
Come here.
Then about a week ago,
Jimmy Vitello said there was...
...a guy who was real interested
in meeting me.
All Jimmy would tell me is that
it had something to do...
...with my lottery ticket.
Hey, Fish.
Get in the car.
I'm going. I'm going.
Get in.
You?
Yeah, why? What's wrong with me?
Well, nothing. I mean...
...last time you saw me it
looked like you wanted to kill me.
Well, that was just that night.
A lot of guys get killed because
people are in bad moods.
You're a legend down
in Mulberry Street, you know that?
What you did that night with them
dice and everything else...
...lucky that's happening to you.
Get the lottery ticket on you?
Yeah? Why?
I might be interested in buying it.
Well, it ain't for sale you know?
For ten thousand?
You wanna give me ten grand?
Ain't that what I just said?
The Word is you got a shot at
this thing, with your luck and all.
Maybe you do and maybe you don't.
But if you want to sell it,
then do the right thing kid...
...and keep it in the family.
Remember, I'm with you and
you're with me.
And everybody's with us capisce?
Hey, two minutes I know you
guys and already I'm in the family.
Well, you just think about it.
These things
have a way of working out.
And I'm easy to find.
I'm hungry.
Are you hungry?
Yeah, I'm hungry.
Are you hungry?
Absolutely, I'm hungry.
Yeah, me too.
I'm really hungry.
Get the f..k outta here.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Frankie, c'mon wake up.
Frankie.
- Come on. Wake up.
What?
What?
I really think
I nailed it this time.
Oh, no! Get that outta here.
Dad, not this morning.
Isn't better
what you're doing here?
Staying at home away from these
mob guys and all those hangouts?
Watch now, you're gonna
amount to something.
Now, you keep your nose
to the grindstone and...
...you're gonna do better
than the cop upstairs.
I never heard you talk
like this before, Pop.
Well, sometimes it takes something
like this to open your eyes,...
...you know?
Frankie, tell me,
I want to ask you a question.
When you win the lottery.
You're not gonna use that
as an excuse to...
...sit on your a..s, are you?
Tell you what I want to do.
What?
Don't laugh, all right?
I'm not going to laugh.
I think I wanna go to college.
How about that?
A college graduate in the family.
Maybe you could be a doctor.
Why don't you put the
cigarette out, huh?
She worries about me.
No not doctor. What about a lawyer?
You'll be a lawyer.
Your brother can throw
everybody in jail, and...
...you can get 'em all back out
in the street.
I mean, keep everybody busy.
Very funny. C'mon.
First he's got to arrest someone.
If he can find his gun.
That's culture.
I forgot to tell you.
Jimmy Vitello called.
- What did he want?
- Go down and see him.
It's make him feel
better all right?
I got you Pop. I got you.
I'll see you kid.
Have a good one.
All right Pop.
- Get outta here.
- Madonna, you can still sing.
You look good.
May I say something dear.
What is it?
Well, you know I got a bad heart.
I know you got a bad heart.
Well, uh...
You don't want to break it, do you?
Oh, Frank.
Wait, wait a minute now.
Wait a minute. Wait, wait.
Excuse me.
You're crazy.
You know you're crazy.
Can I have this dance?
It'd be my pleasure.
I went to the Club to kill
sometime before the drawing.
It was here that everything
started to fall apart.
Oh, come all ya faithful.
Joyful and triumphant.
Come, oh come ye to Bethlehem.
Well, in a couple of more hours
you're going to find out...
...if you're a millionaire.
You know I wish you nothing
but the best of luck...
...you lucky son-of a b..h, you.
- Thanks, Philly.
Hey, Richie.
Where's my hot cider?
It's not hot, yet.
You let me know before I die, huh?
Where's Frank Pesce?
Right here.
Not you, scumbag! Your father!
Hey, hey, hey.
Not in the Club.
Your old man owes my uncle
a lot of money.
Yeah, I'm talking to you.
What are you, deaf?
What the hell are you
talking about? What money?
- What money?
- Hey!
Hey! Hey!
What do you take us for j..s?
Your father's been ducking
us for three f..g weeks.
Not here! Not in the Club.
It's bad.
You're f..g with him.
You're f..g with me.
You don't have anything to do
with this Jimmy!
- Bulls..t, man.
- Bulls..t?
You know why we're here, Philly.
What are you gonna do,
start war over this? Huh?
You come in my Club
on Christmas Eve and...
...you start this s..t?
Get outta here.
We're coming to your house tonight.
We're gonna give your father
a Christmas present...
...he'll never forget.
- Get the f..k outta my Club now.
Remember who you work for,
you fat f..k.
Get outta here before cut your
frigging nuts off...
...and have them with my Calamari.
- F..k you.
What are you looking at you
potato-nosed s..r?
Call me a fat f..k, huh?
Guys, go sit down. Have fun.
It's Christmas Eve.
Dom, sing a song.
Do you know anything about this?
Your old man's
into Tucci for ten grand.
- Ten grand?
- And he's three weeks behind...
...all right?
What is he out of his f..g mind?
How could he be three weeks behind?
Hey, I don't sleep with your
father. How the hell do I know?
He's got a mortgage, he's got
bills, he's losing his a..s here.
I don't know.
Talk to your old man.
Philly, you gotta help me.
I ain't getting frigging
involved in this.
I'll kill that son of a-b..h.
Jimmy, come on.
You're gonna help me right?
- Hey, I can't Frank.
- Why not?
I can't man.
Forget it, all right?
- Frankie. Frankie. Frankie!
- Forget it.
F..k.
Oh Thank God, Frankie.
What happened to you?
Come on, we're almost late.
We got an hour and a half to get
to the Garden.
You know I was scared stiff?
I thought you was
hurt or something.
I'm just fine, Mom.
Where's Dad?
He's upstairs getting dressed.
Something wrong?
No. Look, I've been thinking...
I think that I should
go to the drawing alone.
- What?
- Are you crazy? He...
Dad will go nuts?
Frankie, we've been locking
forward to tonight.
I know, Ma.
I bought a new dress,
for Christ sakes.
Frankie, what is wrong?
No, Ma.
I told you, everything is okay.
All right?
I just been thinking about it,...
...and I think I should got
the drawing alone. That's it.
All right?
- Wait a minute!
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
- Hey!
This is the biggest night
of your life.
You're gonna screw it up?
- Shut the f..k up.
Don't tell me to shut up.
Don't you guys ever stop?
What's going on?
Frankie don't want us
to go with him.
You don't want us to go?
Just I thought I had, Pop.
Well, it's bad thought. Get it
out of your head and let's go.
It's getting late.
- No, Pop. Forget about it.
I'm going by myself.
- Come on, Frankie.
What is it?
We're putting too much pressure
on you am I right?
I mean, you're afraid if you don't
win we're going to be...
...disappointed in you?
Well, forget that s..t.
Let's just go and enjoy ourselves.
Whatever happens, happens.
No, Pop.
This is what's going to happen.
I'm going up to my room,...
...I'm getting my ticket and
I'm going by myself.
Now, please get out of my way.
What the hell is wrong with you?
What are you doing?
You know what this means to us.
This is the most important moment
of our lives, for Christ sakes.
No, Pop, it's not your moment.
It's my moment.
You leave this house without us,
win or lose.
Don't come back.
Yeah? Well,
with you setting the example,...
...I stand a good chance of losing.
- What the f..k did you say?
- You heard.
- Frank, no!
- Are you calling me a loser?
I'm not a loser.
- Have it your way Dad.
You're not a loser.
- I'm not a loser.
All right, you're a winner.
Is that what you wanna hear?
You're a winner?
What the hell did you do that
it was so great, huh?
Except gamble away everything
you ever owned, including...
...your won f..g business!
- I stayed.
That's what I did.
I stayed for 35 years.
I stayed and raised a family
for 35 years.
I did anything I had to do keep
a roof over our heads.
That's what the f..k I did.
You stayed, huh? Big f..g deal.
You stayed.
That's what you're supposed to do.
You'd better if you'd left,...
...wouldn't have to put up with
your s..t my whole life.
You scorched every dream ever had.
It's not enough you gotta
piss your own dreams against...
...the f..g wall,
you took me down with you.
You don't know s..t
about my dreams.
Not a f..g thing about my dreams.
You think I gambled
my business away?
You don't know what the f..k
you're talking about.
I loves my business.
It was the only think
that I f..g owned.
I didn't gamble it away
they took it away.
That's your f..g big explanation?
It's the same old s..t, Dad.
You know something son?
We were doing pretty damn good
until you came along.
You know, I didn't want you.
Your mother did.
And she nearly died having you,
you sorry son of a b..h.
And I borrowed the money to keep
you and your mother alive.
Get your f..g hands off me.
I got down on my f..g knees and
I begged Louie Tucci to give me...
...the money to pay off
the hospital bills.
And when I couldn't pay it back,...
...he took control of my
company and my life.
You get this straight,
you ungrateful son of a b..h.
I am not a loser.
You get your f..g hands off me.
I'm not a loser.
I'm not a loser.
I'm not a loser.
Oh, Frankie.
- This ain't right, Frank.
- I'm not a loser.
I'm not a f..g loser.
J..k!
Thanks.
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
What do you want?
I'm looking for Louie Tucci.
Do you know where he is?
- No, he ain't here.
- Well, who the hell are you?
I work for him. Do you want to see
my f..g resume?
Look, I haven't got time
for screwing around.
Where the hell is he?
- What do you want?
Who the hell are you?
Come over here.
Look, my name is Frank Pesce,
all right?
Tucci wants to buy
a lottery ticket that I have.
Couple of weeks ago he offered me
ten grand for it.
Yeah, yeah, I know all about that.
Come on, hurry up.
I'm freezing my b..s off.
I want to exchange the ticket
for what my father owes him.
But he's got to promise me.
He's got to promise me that
he won't hurt him.
All right, you wait here.
You wait right here.
All right, it sounds fair.
You got the ticket on you?
Yeah, I got it.
Let's have it.
Buona Natale, kid.
So that's that.
I guess Tucci's a very happy guy
tonight because he won...
...6.2 million bucks.
Bu I saved my father.
Hey.
I had to do what I had to do,
you know what I mean?
Then I went down to the garden,
checked the results.
Lucky me, huh?
The rest you know.
I went crazy down at the church,
you guys picked me up,...
...and you brought me here.
You know, do what you want with me.
I just want to go home and make
sure that my father's all right.
Go on home, boy.
Just forget it ever happened.
- Tollen?
- Yes, sir.
Give him a hand. Take him home.
Anything else he needs.
Thanks, guys.
Frank, you're no mameluke.
Thank, Sarge.
God bless you, Father Lowery.
Hey, Frank,
you want us to walk you up?
No, I'll be all right.
Hey, Frank.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
Hey, Frankie! Congratulations!
- We heard about you on TV!
- Hey, Frank.
This is my girlfriend Sheila.
She's been dying to meet you,
Frankie.
This is so great.
Oh, God bless you, Frankie.
Mom. Mom, listen to me.
Ma, we got problems.
I gotta talk to Dad.
Where is he?
He's in the kitchen makin a pizza.
Come on, we're having a party.
Everybody's here.
I knew you were going to win it.
The man of the hour finally
comes home.
Congratulations, son.
Yeah! All right.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
What the hell are you doing here?
I though we straightened this out.
I don't know what the f..k you're
talking about!
- What the hell!
- Excuse me. Excuse me.
Cut it out.
Can I say something here, Louie?
- Yeah.
I want everybody to hear this.
Tucci, I can't borrow money
from you anymore.
You wanna know why?
- Yeah.
Our son Frankie's a millionaire
and he's choosy...
...who I borrow money from.
- Pop, stop, all right?
There's something I gotta tell you.
Now, Frankie you're not going to
ruin my moment, are you?
I've been waiting my whole life
for this.
I'd like to say something.
I said some bad things.
To my son,
Frankie, earlier tonight.
Things that I'm sorry I said.
You know, me and my kid
we're big dreamers.
But my problem is that...
...most of my dreams
didn't work out.
And I think I stepped on
a lot of Frankie's dreams.
You know, you get a little older
and you get harder and...
...you get harder.
Sometimes
you forget what's important.
But today...
...one of my dreams came true.
I found out why my son
Frankie was born.
What is this, a f..g christening?
Where's my money?
Tucci...
...you know what's in here?
Ten thousand dollars.
That's what I owe you.
Vito give it to Tucci.
- No. No.
- Give it to him. Come on.
No you don't owe him anything.
Merry Christmas, fish.
Likewise Louie.
What are you doing? Hey! Hey!
You can't take that.
Frankie, I owe it to him.
He can't take that money.
He can't take that money Dad.
He loaned me the money.
I owed it to him. I paid him.
Dad...
...I heard that
you were in trouble...
...so I gave Tucci the ticket.
You gave Tucci the ticket?
I gave Tucci the ticket.
You gave him the ticket.
I gave him the ticket.
You didn't give him the ticket.
Did you give him the ticket?
Pop, for Christ's sake!
Will you don't do one of these
in front of everybody, all right?
I gave the ticket away.
I was at the restaurant!
I gave it to one of this goons.
I got a call from Philly Nap.
He told me what happened
at the Club tonight.
Now, you're my son.
I'm your father.
So I figured out
what you were going to do.
The guy you gave the ticket to?
Big friend of mine.
Frankie,...
...you gave the ticket
back to yourself.
What?
We got it.
We got it!
- You got the ticket?
- We got it!
You got the ticket?
You got the ticket?
We got the ticket.
We got the ticket.
Where, where did you get the money?
- Where did I get the money?
- Yeah.
- The ten grands? Jimmy V!
- Yeah.
Am I good for the ten grands?
You got it Mr. Pesce.
This one you're going to love!
Oh, no! I can't eat that.
Frankie, God bless you.
Buona Natale, kid.
You b..d.
What the hell did you say
to those guys in the car?
I wished them a Merry Christmas.
Thank you!
Frankie?
Hi, Pop.
This is yours.
Frankie...
...did you know the first time
I saw you, you made me cry?
What you did tonight was great.
I want to thank you for it.
Hey, just a good thing that
you're smarter than me.
No, Frank.
I'm not smarter than you.
I'm just older.
You know, you said some beautiful
things in there tonight.
But would you finish saying
what you started saying in there?
What?
You know about why I was born.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Why don't you go out there and
find out for yourself.
From time to time I think back on
Rocky Sav's theory on life.
You know, you're born,
you grow old ad you die.
Maybe that's all there is to it.
And we just keep making it more
complicated than we need to.
My father's gone now...
...but I remember
how years later...
...when we were up at the
new house on Glen Cove...
...overlooking his new lawn of
Kentucky Bluegrass about...
...half the size of a football
field, I said to him...
..."I guess there's happy ending
for us after all".
"Happy ending" he said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
it's me Frankie.
Look, I know I probably ain't one
your favorite people down here.
I've done some bad things here
and there.
And I know I've been asking
a lot of favors too.
So maybe I used most of mine up.
I know you probably tried to
help me out with this...
...lottery tonight.
But the way things are going,
it doesn't look as it's...
...going to work out.
So I'm asking one more favor.
Please, don't add
insult to injury here, God.
Please. I'm begging you.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win the lottery.
I don't want to win.
Hi. Name please?
I'm Frank Pesce.
- P-E-S-C-E.
- C-E.
Okay, here you are Frank.
I'm Julie.
Welcome to the Empire Stakes.
Follow me.
I have you down for six.
Where's the rest of the family?
- What?
- Where's the rest of the family?
It's only me.
So, what are you going to do
if you win?
I really don't know.
Come on tell me the truth,
do you feel lucky tonight?
You have no idea.
Good luck, Mr. Pesce.
How you doing.
Good luck to you, man.
You, too.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Memory Lane himself...
...Joe Franklin.
Okay. Thank you very much,
ladies and gentlemen.
The big moment has arrived
at long last.
The very first
New York State Lottery.
The Empire Stakes, with some...
...lucky, person receiving
6 million 200 thousand dollars.
The very first in New York State.
I know the excitement has been,
mounting...
...and generating and mushrooming,
and snowballing...
...and escalating and skyrocketing.
And the,
contestants out there, the...
...audience,
you're kind of palpitating...
...and drooling, and salivating
and getting ready for the moment.
The moment has arrived.
And the lucky, lucky person is...
...Mr. Frank Pesce.
Are you happy now?
Are you happy, God?
You had to do this to me.
You weren't happy leaving me alone,
were you?
Were you?
I'll kill you.
I never wanted the damn ticket.
Why did you give it to me?
I get up every morning.
I'm fine.
I'm a nice guy.
I know I do some things wrong.
I was perfectly happy in my life
without it.
You couldn't leave me alone,
could you?
What the hell is your problem?
Frank, is that you?
And you!
What the hell do you want?
Get back in there, Lowrey.
That's the matter I didn't put
enough Money...
...in the collection plate?
- Don't you know that...
...it's Christmas Eve?
- Ever did me you priest.
You shouldn't.
A lot of good you ever did me.
I'm gonna call the cops
on you, Frank.
I'm Catholic.
I can do whatever the hell I want.
Sgt. Tartaglia,
the atheist is here.
Bring him in.
Honey, I've gotta go.
Merry Christmas.
Yeah, I love you, too.
Say hello to the kids for me.
Look, Sergeant,
you gotta let me go.
I don't have a lot of time.
This priest wants to press charges.
You messed up his manger.
Father Lowrey, I'm sorry.
All right?
Oh, all right.
All right.
But why did you do it, Frankie?
Just let me go, all right?
Look, I just can't sit here
and bulls..t with you guys.
Uncuff him.
Great.
You know, Frank.
I checked on what you said.
Your brother is a cop
with the one-eight.
You got no prior record.
- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
- You look like a nice Italian kid.
What the hell are you doing
throwing snowballs and...
...scaring the priest?
It's Christmas Eve.
Don't you belong somewhere?
And the winner tonight;
Frank Pesce of Queens, New York.
What will take home
6.2 million dollars.
When his name was called and
he failed to come forward...
...Ushers discovered that Mr. Pesce
apparently had left the drawing...
...Ceremony.
At any rate, congratulations...
...to Frank Pesce of Queens,
New York, wherever you are.
- Turn it off, will you?
- New Yorkers are crying over...
...more bad economic news today.
Some say our city is going down.
That's you?
Same guy?
Yeah.
And you're breaking windows
in your church?
What are you,
some kind of mamaluke?
Yeah, well...
It's long story, ain't it?
You're not going anywhere.
Neither am I.
Not until you make some kind of
sense out of this.
I swear to God, the only way
I know how to tell this story...
...is from beginning.
I got all night.
You see, I got this...
I got this curse.
I've been lucky since the day
I was born.
Just like my mother.
She used to work
at Lincoln Hospital...
...so that's where I was supposed
to be born.
But she went into labor at a Bingo
parlar a couple of blocks...
...from where we lived.
So they had to rush her to Bellevue
Hospital on 29th Street instead.
Now actually, that was my first
stroke of luck, because on that...
...very night, Lincoln Hospital
ended up having a huge fire and...
...the place nearly
burn to the ground.
In the seventh...Vito, where you...
I like savage
6-0-3 is the combination.
60 cents.
10 cents away.
Now, the others are straight
action, Shadow. Straight...
7-1-7 for 1.20 dollar.
- Mr. Pesce?
Shadow,
I'll get right back to you.
Would you like to see your son?
Come on Mady, come on.
Let's go.
My mom said he always cried.
When he saw us for the first time.
My brother, my sister, me.
Come on.
- We're going to be late.
- I'm coming.
I'm coming.
- 20 minutes from here to Radio City.
Here's the hot dog and
French fries.
You don't want nothing?
- No, thank you.
Come on, let's walk.
It's such a beautiful day.
It's eight blocks, right?
Yeah, but we're going to see
student prince, come on.
When I was young, my dad used to
always seem like this giant to me.
This, this guy who knew everything
about everything.
What are you looking at?
That.
What's that?
What's that say?
That's says " Today is President
Eisenhower's birthday".
I want to get my name up there.
Well, I wouldn't want to any other
way Frankie, but...
...only great people
get their names up there.
How can I get my name up there?
You gotta do something big,
Frankie. Big.
- How big?
- Well, very, very big.
You got to...
- How big?
- Well...
This big?
I guess every son wants to make
his father proud of him.
You know so he doesn't feel
like a j..k for having you.
And I figured, if I could get
my name up on that building...
...at least I could have left some
kind of mark on the World.
Now in my neighborhood,
there are two ways to make it.
One's the right way.
And the other ways' the fast way.
And I gotta tell you, the fast way
looked pretty attractive to me...
...as a kid.
- Wow. Look at that.
That's Louie Tucci. The biggest
wise guy in the neighborhood.
He's poison.
Don't even look at him.
Yeah, but I still like his car.
You'd be better off walking,
Frankie. Come on.
My dad could always talk circles
around everybody.
I swear to God he should have run
for Office and been a politician.
There's this, odd thing going on
between him and Louie Tucci.
I know my father couldn't stand
him but they spent a lot of time...
...together. Especially when my
dad lost his trucking company...
...which he get to later.
Hi, Frankie.
Dad, you say, "Don't look at the
guy because he's no good"...
...then you hang around with them.
- You mean Tucci?
- Yeah.
Come on, Frankie.
It's business.
You're in business with that guy?
Never.
You see, Frankie.
I don't want to be in
business with him.
I don't want to spend any time
with a guy like that.
That's why you're with him?
Yeah.
Because you don't want to be?
That's right.
You mean, you spend time with him
because you don't want to...
...spend time with him.
- That's exactly right.
If I spent less time with him...
...I'd have to spend
even more time with him.
So, if you spend no time with him.
Then I'd be with him constantly.
I can't wait until I grew up, Pop.
So I can know
what the hell you're talking about.
Get outta here, wise guy.
Frankie!
Don't be late.
Momma's cooking pasta.
Yeah, Dad.
Growing up didn't help.
I still don't know what the hell
he's talking about.
Now, this luck think kept on
happening time after time.
Like, I remember I was hanging
out with my friend Jimmy Vitello...
...whose father was
also in the mob.
In fact, he was the biggest
Mobster in the tri-state area.
Come on, let's go.
I'll give you five dollars.
- Five dollars?
- Yeah.
Are you nuts? They must be worth
a couple of hundred bucks.
Yeah, Irv don't be a f..g stiff.
What a mouth you got.
You kiss your mother
with that mouth?
Where did you get this? Huh?
God left it for me.
Oh, well I don't want him coming
around here looking for it.
Get it out of here, huh?
Irv, do you know who my father is?
We don't want to have a little
misunderstanding now, do we?
Excuse me?
You're something else,
you know that? Here...
...10 bucks. That's it.
Now get outta here little b..ds.
Go ahead.
Now, to a kid, this seemed
very impressive.
All you had to do was mention
Jimmy Vitello's father and boom.
You got whatever
the hell you wanted.
So, no matter how far out of line
Jimmy got,...
...the cops never showed up
at his house.
However, a member of
New York's finest...
...did end up in our house.
My brother, Vito
decided to become a cop.
Personally, I think it was like
getting the wolf to watch...
...the chickens.
But at least somebody was doing
something for the family name.
Meanwhile, I hang around
with a bunch of guys...
...who were doing absolutely
nothing with their lives.
There was Lenny Nipton.
You know,
We called him "Needle Nose".
This guy was the definition of
post-nasal drip.
Hey, Frank!
You know something, Frank?
Girls love poetry.
Dig this.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
Creeps, baby in, t's steady
pace from day to day.
Then there was "Dom the Bomb".
Hello, Frankie, how are you today?
This guy actually thought
he could sing.
What am I going to do?
I gotta lose some weight.
I got a gland problem.
Rocky Sav had a gland problem
ever since the day he was born.
Poor Sal Las Benas,...
...he spit on everything in sight
whenever he talked.
And then there was Jimmy Vitello.
Frankie boy, how you doin'?
Wanna make some Money?
Ten thousand dollars cash.
Tax free. Just carry a package.
- We had some pizza the other night.
And if you promise
not to run away
It had extra cheese,
sausage, pepperoni...
What cop?
Forget about it.
When I was hanging around
in the street bulls..tin'...
...with my friends all day long,
my dad was out breaking his a..s.
Ever since he lost his own company,
he had been working as a driver...
...for some other outfit.
So every day he had to take
a subway to Penn Station.
Then he would catch a connecting
train all the way to Union City...
...to drive a truck five days
a week through city traffic.
Yankees are gonna win. Get it
outta here. Yankees, alright?
No wonder the guy
had problems relaxing.
This city's goin' to
the frigging dogs.
We've gonna get out of here.
- Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that.
We need a house out of Manhattan.
A nice house with our own lawn.
That's what we need.
You know Pop, It's funny that
you're saying that because of...
...what I've been thinking.
Well I can't wait to hear this.
The way I got it figured, right
is that future is in outer space.
Maybe I could become an astronaut.
It's the last frontier, Pop.
An astronaut?
Well think about it.
Look Pop,...
...I could become the first
Italian on the moon.
Don't... Don't laugh.
I wanna do things that
I've never done before.
Oh, I see.
Well, why don't you try
going inside and...
...cleanin' up your messy room.
Come on, Pop. I'm serious.
I got longings and
desires like everybody.
Are you alright?
Is there little people running
around in your head or what?
Are you putting me on?
- No.
Well then you see,...
...because I'm talking about
reality here, Frankie.
Reality, you get it? I'm trying to
move us to Queens and...
...you're talking about
picking up to moon rocks.
Alright.
You know what your problem is, Pop?
What's my problem?
- Your dreams are too small.
- Yeah.
Yeah. My dreams are too small.
Anyway, when I was 18,
my father got his dream and...
...moved us to Queens.
He got his other dream, too.
His own lawn.
Every afternoon, he would come home
and set up the sprinkler.
So, what are we eating tonight?
Stupid ordered a couple of pizzas.
Could you watch
your language please?
Where did he go, Yonkers?
Men, did you stop liking pizza?
It's waste of money.
But gambling
not a waste of money, huh?
Who's gambling?
You see me gambling?
Yeah, I heard you took your son
Frankie to the track yesterday.
You couldn't buy him a miserable
hot dog for a buck.
But I bet you spent 400 dollars
on a horse that came in dead-last.
Go ahead tell me I'm wrong.
Huh?
You see my name on these?
You see my name anywhere
on these stubs, huh?
I'm so sorry.
That must've been some other
guy wearing your pants.
How much did all these cost?
Seven bucks.
Seven bucks.
You know it probably costs
25 cents to make?
- So?
- So? So?
I'm a man of principle.
And I ain't paying
27 times what it's worth.
That so!
Not for nothing Pop.
But did you pay for this?
You making a joke, Frankie?
My family could start a fight
over absolutely anything.
What's the weather for tomorrow?
I heard it's gonna rain.
That isn't what I heard.
- What the hell did you hear?
- Never mind, Frankie.
Where, where did you hear rain?
Madeline, I heard it on the radio.
The weatherman said
it's going to rain tomorrow.
Typical, Vito!
You listen to the radio.
They're always wrong.
Do me a favor with
the goddamn weather.
With the weather,
with rain, with Mars.
Who be interested in rain?
I do Pop. You don't pay 10 dollars
to have your hair done.
And who says it's going to rain?
Listen witch! Leave your broom
at home, don't go out,...
...and your hair won't get wet.
- Vito, that was a good one.
You know Vito,
I've got a two-seater,...
...so you can just jump
right on with me.
F..g s..t.
Who's gonna marry you with
a mouth like that?
Two months later she married
a Sicilian guy named Tony.
And Tony didn't make
a hit with the family.
Now, the Vietnam war was
raging full-force.
Guys from the neighborhood were
coming home in boxes every week.
We all got letters in the mail
and had to get the Draft Board...
...to sign up.
So we were about to do what
was right for our country.
You know I just developed
a theory on life.
Yeah? What's that?
Okay, listen, because
it's very complicated.
First, you're born.
Then you're a baby, a child.
And then you start to mature until
you hit the adolescence...
...then you grow old.
And then you grow older.
And then you die.
And that's it.
Rocky, son, no offense but that's
the stupidest f..g thing...
...never heard.
All right, laugh.
But if you think about it,
it makes a lot of sense.
Nearly a thousand 18 year olds from
every part of the city were there.
Getting a load of these guys
I figured we could win...
...the Vietnam war
in about 15 minutes.
Quiet down.
Quiet down in here.
Hey, Rocky! Wooh!
When are you going to grow up?
Quiet down, you s..theads,
Street-trash, motherf..kers!
Madonna! This guy looks tough, man.
Yeah, he looks real tough,
don't he, Frank?
Yeah.
Alright.
As of this minute
all of you here...
...is now the property of the
United States Government!
Now if anybody here...
...has been in jail
who is out on bail...
...please move to the right side
of the auditorium.
The whole f..g room got up.
You've got to be s..ttin' me.
Excuse me, sir.
Excuse me.
I really don't think it's fair that
we have to take a test...
...that we didn't study for.
It's Goddamn
urine examination, boy!
I'm sorry. I misunderstood.
I thought it was something else.
What's your name, boy?
Frank Pesce, sir.
You know,
"pesce" means fish in Italian.
I don't give a goddamn
what it means.
Sorry, sir.
Is there something wrong
with you, boy?
No.
Not, not, not,
not that I'm aware of, sir.
You got a high school diploma?
No, sir.
You ain't got
no high school diploma?
No, sir. No diploma.
No, sir.
I think he likes you.
Okay, cover your left eye and
read line seven on the chart.
Taglethorp.
Get outta here.
Alright.
Pesce. Frank Pesce!
Where the hell is Frank Pesce?
Frank Pesce get over here.
Yes, sir?
Didn't I ask you if you had
a high school diploma?
Yes, sir you asked me that.
I remember you asked me that.
And what did you tell me?
That I didn't have one.
According to my files,
you have a high school diploma.
Yeah, I've got one.
I just not on me.
You get the hell up there
and see the psychiatrist.
Move it boy.
Get the hell up there.
You got four cards
in your hand, just...
I didn't know whether
I should built or not.
It's too early in the game.
- I'm picking them up, okay?
I didn't want to built
right off the bat.
Then you wind up in trouble.
- So, you want to tell me?
Here comes General Custer.
Come here, Frankie.
I want to talk to you.
Ten million guys are trying to
beat the draft and...
...only you can get away with it.
- What do you mean?
You see this letter?
It says
the United States Government...
...thinks that you are
calculated risk.
Is that good or bad?
It means that they
think you are nuts.
So now the army knows what everyone
else knows, you're f..g crazy.
Oh, I'm sorry I'm letting you down
by not stepping on a land mine.
What's so funny? I'm supposed to go
and tell all my friends and...
...neighbors to say that my son's
a nut-job, that's why he's not...
...in the army, huh? You've gotta
have mental illness, huh?
And I tell you something else.
You're ruined.
You're never get a city job!
Oh, excuse me.
I just get a rope and hang myself.
Mentally disqualified.
This reflects on the whole family.
So I got out of the war,
but I knew it was no accident.
It was my lucky star.
Alright! Wait a minute! I'm trying
to figure out what I got here.
What do you have to figure out?
My dad was wrong.
I did end up getting a city job.
And it ended up being the luckiest
thing to happen to me yet.
And luck would show itself
in the face of Maria Rios.
The 07:10 train can't
leave at 6:30.
Madam, they call it 07:10 train
because it leaves at 7:10.
Oh, you thought that was
the number of the train.
I see.
What an idiot.
No, no, no, not 07:45.
Madam trust me.
On my mother's eyes, the train
to Pelham leaves at 08:30.
Well, I don't care.
I don't care.
Alright. Alright.
I'll tell you what.
Why don't you came down
here at 7:45, and...
...if the f..g thing starts
moving, jump on it.
A j..k.
Frankie, you're bad.
You know,
you got the most beautiful eyes?
Stop Frankie.
We're gonna get caught.
No, we won't.
Don't worry about it.
I own this place.
Alright look.
I wanna make a family announcement.
I want to congratulate
my youngest son, Frankie Jr.,...
...who bears my name for
having been fired today.
What are you kidding?
No, you had that job
for what eight months?
That's record for you.
I'm pointing out your progress.
Dad, I didn't like that job.
Besides,
I got a new angle on my life.
I can't wait to hear this.
Yeah, me too.
Shut up.
You know, while I was working
there I was thinking you know...
...I never had to look
at the chart.
I always knew
which trains went where.
You know,
I know every Schedule by heart.
You know what that means, right?
You got a natural talent
for useless information.
No, it means I got a good
head for numbers.
You know, maybe I could be
an accountant or something.
You know, that's a terrific idea,
Frankie.
Can't do that an account of.
- On account of what?
- On account of you're maroon.
Stop it.
If they made you a detective,
anything is possible, you homo.
Hey, don't curse.
Can I shoot him for saying that?
- Now, hold it, hold it.
I got something
very serious to say here.
I've been thinking about
that lawn out there.
Now, Bluegrass of Kentucky,
what do you think?
I've got relatives in Kentucky,
Pop.
Shut up.
What the hell is it?
That's the best grass there is.
You know, grass is grass, Pop.
You know, you don't know
a damn thing about anything do you?
Madonna, enough with this lawn.
Yeah. You're driving everybody
crazy with the lawn.
Oh, yeah?
What happened, Tony?
Got dressed in a hurry tonight?
You left your shirt home?
Why don't you ask her?
She hasn't done the wash in a week.
- What?
- What do you mean "her".
Her name is Madeline.
And what is she, your servant?
Oh yeah, like I'm not your servant.
That's different.
How's it different.
It's different. That's all.
Pop, could you just not start
tonight please?
Mom thanks for the spaghetti.
It was great.
What is this, eat and run?
Where you going?
- I'm going out.
- Where are you going?
I got a date.
With who?
With a girl.
- What girl?
- Maria.
Who's Maria?
Remember the Spanish
girl from Spanish Harlem.
The one you told him
to stay away from?
Three months he's been a detective,
and already...
...he's knocking on everybody.
- Hey, he's right.
Ma, you know where my gun is?
- Frankie.
Frankie I told you
to stay away from her.
But dad, she's a nice girl.
Did you see my service
revolver around? I'm late.
Now, look I don't care
how nice she is.
She's Spanish.
She's a Puerto Rican!
And historically,
Puerto Rican's hate Italians.
Now, you go up to Spanish Harlem,
you're gonna get hurt.
- Where's my gun?
- Enough with the gun! Jesus!
Look, I get to do
everything around here.
I've got to find your gun. Maybe
I should ride in the car with you.
Dad, her brother, Jesus,
loves me like a brother, alright.
Do what you want.
Bye.
Hey, Jesus how you doing?
This is for f..g with my sister.
Help me. Help me.
Help me.
Help me.
Is this Catholic hospital?
I'm a Catholic.
If I'm going to die, I want to
die in a Catholic hospital.
Dr. Puccini simply
wants to talk to you.
It's nothing serious.
It's just a little problem.
He just wants to talk to you just
for a minute, all right?
Looks good, huh?
Hello, Frank.
What is it? I'm going to be
okay, aren't I?
God was with you on this one.
If you hadn't been injured,...
...we would have never caught
this other problem in time.
What? What is it?
I'm going to be okay, aren't I?
X-rays show that you have a tumor
right below your stab wound.
A tumor.
That's cancer.
I'm going to have to go
in there and remove it.
What's with his eyes?
It's a little condition
or something.
Condition?
It's funny.
No, it's not funny.
This guy's going to cut me open
and look inside of me?
One minute he's looking at the
air conditioner and...
...next minute he's looking at me.
Frankie, Frankie
you've got to calm down.
Take it easy.
This surgeon is one of the
finest in New York.
He operated
on cousin Ernie's lungs.
Cousn Ernie's dead.
But that couldn't be helped.
He died of a heart attack.
His lungs were clean.
The Neptune Society, a simple,
dignified, alternative to the...
...high-prices funeral wants you
to spend your money...
...on the living
not the undertaker.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look at that.
That's one of a Dr. Puccini's
patients up the right now.
What are you laughing about?
It ain't funny, Dad.
Now, I'm out of my mind
with depression.
So I go see this nun for spiritual
advise to help me...
...through all of this.
You know what she says?
Whatever is God's will
is God's will, my son.
The will is that, it was cancer.
But I end up beating it because
they caught it in time.
Needless to say,
I recovered quickly.
And even though we lives in Queens.
I was always on 29th Street.
Because that's where
the action was.
The Club was run by Philly the Nap,
the local bookmaker...
...who smelled like he was
constantly sucking on a...
...clove of garlic.
- Where the f..k.
And you didn't f..g bet?
How can you get such a great cards
like this and be so f..g stupid?
God protects the dumb.
You got lifetime protection.
How about this one, huh?
How does a guy get stabbed up
in Spanish Harlem and have it...
...turn into the thing that
saves his life?
You know what the problem is?
You got the luck.
You were born with it.
The pitiful part is you don't know
what the hell to do with it.
Some people are born with it and
they know what to do with it.
Dozing off.
Philly the Nap a Narcoleptic.
He would not out without warning
and a second later he'd snap...
...out of it.
How long was I out?
Three and a half weeks.
You're a wise guy, right? Huh?
And you learn what to do
with the luck. You got it.
Jesus, Philly,
take it downwind will you?
Oh, yeah.
What's up baby? How you doin'?
Remember what I told you
about the right way...
...to make it and the fast way?
Well, the right way wasn't
working out too well for me...
...so I decided to try the
fast way.
There heavy-weight wise guys
came up from Mulberry Street...
...to set up a gambling operation.
They chose the bakery next door
after talking to Billy the Loaf...
...the guy who owned it.
Still being j..k, I went to look
for a job as the guy...
...in the front door instead of
looking for honest employment.
So I talked to Jimmy
about getting a job there.
Look my name's Frank.
I was told to talk to you.
Yeah? And by who?
I can't say.
You know somebody?
Yeah, but I can't say.
Who do you know?
I told you, I can't say.
What the f..k in his name?
Jimmy Vitello.
You know? Never mention no names.
You should never mention names
like that in this joint.
That's a bad thing to do.
Never, never, never say names.
You asked me.
Am I nuts or did he ask me?
- You're wrong there. You're wrong.
- Anyway I got the job.
And I had enough money saved
to go in with Vito on a car.
Who's gonna talk with the guy?
I'm talking to him.
This is bulls..t.
You know what, I'm gonna order
this car before it goes out...
...of date, alright?
Okay, go ahead. Go ahead.
Wait a minute.
- Let him talk to the guy.
Don't forget.
White with a White vinyl top,...
...a rear defroster,
AM-FM Stereo,...
...tinted Windows,
and a steel Wheel.
Vito, shut up.
For the two hundred time,
I know how to order a car.
Just relax.
- White with a... White vinyl top!
What's this? This is not-
this is not our car, is it?
- Yeah, this is the car.
- What are you talking about?
I told you. You're an idiot.
White with a white vinyl top.
Well, the guy said Ivory gold.
I don't care what the guy said.
He said ivory gold and
I thought it was White.
We are partner on this.
I don't want this.
I'm not going to pay for it,
either I'm talkin to you.
- What's wrong with it.
- Come here. Come here.
Come here.
- You stay there.
- Come here for one minute.
- You stay right there.
Look, don't f..k around.
White with a white vinyl top.
Just come...
- No. Stay there.
Dad.
Tell him to stay there.
- What is that?
This is our car.
Come here.
Hey, Mr. Pesce, how you doin'?
Everything all right?
- Punk.
- Pop!
You know, a man is judged by
the company he keeps, Frankie.
Well, that don't bode
to well for you, Pop.
You're our here keeping
company with the crickets.
You're smarta..s, huh?
You know, I'm still very capable of
smacking the s..t out of you.
I'll have to.
I mean, today you're
watching the door.
What are you going to do tomorrow?
You going to hold some guy down
while he hits him?
Dad, it's temporary.
I'm saving the money up so
I can do bigger things.
Yeah, like what?
I don't know.
Frankie, this is it.
This is all there is.
You get a job, you make living,
you meet a girl,...
...you get married
and you have kids.
There is nothing else to it.
Pop, this can't be it, alright?
I mean, what if I want to do
something else?
Like what?
I don't know.
You quit asking me?
Look how miserable.
You're miserable.
You are. You're miserable.
You know what you have to do?
Find yourself a hobby.
- Hobby?
- That's right.
You got to fit something that's
going to give you pleasure.
Like me and my lawn.
Get out here.
Get out.
- Pop, stop.
Are you going completely nuts?
Don't hit the cat.
The heat from his body is
burning a hole in my lawn.
Isn't it a big difference?
- What?
- The Bluegrass of Kentucky.
Not for nothing Pop.
I don't notice any difference.
You don't notice no difference?
- No.
- That's because you don't have...
...the eye Frankie.
The eye?
What eye?
- The eye! The eye!
What eye?
If you had the eye, you'd know
what I was talking about.
But, obviously, you don't have
the eye Frankie.
Well Pop, I tell you I wish
I had this eye because...
...then I would know what the hell
you were talking about.
Yeah, well, I'm just, listening
to a different drum, Frankie.
So now you're hearing drums.
Pop, there's a lot of s..t
happening around here.
That's right. Lottery comes to
New York. Take a look.
Yeah, yeah. You and 20 million
other people seen that today.
There's always hope, kid.
Not for you, Pop.
There's no hope.
Bulls..t.
- Hi, mom.
- How you doing?
- Perfect timing.
- Get out of here.
What's the matter with you?
Go wash your hands.
You come in bringing them germs
and sticking them in the...
...sauce like that.
Hey, out of my chair, bub.
Come on.
- Who died and made you king?
- Just get out.
I have to go to work.
I have a job.
Not like some people I know.
Yeah? What are you doing,
staking out a slumber party?
Hey, where's your father?
He's outside with
the Bluegrass of Kentucky,...
...and the eye,
and the drums, and...
Frankie,
don't give him a hard time today.
Why not?
He got laid-off from work.
- He got laid-off?
- You heard her.
Would you go get your father, huh?
Get off your a..s and go get him.
All right. I'm going.
That was serious.
We were just getting by as it was,
and I knew we were in for...
...some hard times.
Now, at the same time,
the neighborhood was going nuts.
Everybody had lotto fever.
Me? I wouldn't have anything
to do with it.
Hey, Rocky what are you going to do
with your millions?
You don't play,
you don't win Frank.
Well, that's original.
You could turn into f..g
Rockefeller, Rocky.
My father could have probably
spooned the New York State...
...lottery commission
all by himself.
He was going for the big one.
I know it ain't right but I'd been
collecting unemployment checks...
...while I was working at the Club.
And it was a lucky thing too.
Because I picked Labor day
to cash that check.
The banks were all closed.
Irv's Pawn Shop was the only joint
on the block that was open.
Hey, Frankie! How are you?
How are you? Everything okay?
- Yeah. Yeah.
- How's the family?
- Good.
Your mother, your father,
your beautiful sister Madeline?
- Everybody's fine Irv.
- Yeah?
Look,
I got to cash to check all right?
You got an ID?
Irv.
How's my sister? How's my mother?
And you're asking me for Id?
- Frank, I'm sorry.
That's the way it is.
You gotta have two forms of
identification. What can I do?
Irv, you know
who my father is right?
I mean we don't want to have
a misunderstanding, do we?
Well, all right, okay?
For you, Frankie.
I'll make an exception.
Geez, thanks Irv.
But you got to buy something
for a minimum of 10 bucks.
- I got to buy something.
- Yeah.
What am I going to buy
in this place? What?
What? A f..g ukulele?
- I'm not chase Manhattan, Frank.
Minimum of 10 bucks.
Irv, I swear to God.
This looks like the same s..t
you had here 20 years ago.
All right, all right, all right.
Give me, give me that piece of
s..t binoculars over there.
Oh, yeah.
Frank these are beautiful.
Beautiful.
Everything is beautiful.
He wants to sell it,
what do you think?
Nine bucks?
- Come on.
- I got to charge you 10.
No. No.
Make up the difference.
Give me one of them
lottery tickets.
You got it Frankie.
You got it.
Everything is chaos with this guy.
You got a beautiful
pair of binoculars.
- Yeah, beautiful.
- There, there you are.
All right.
One, two, three, four, five.
- Today Irv. Come on!
- Come on, Irv.
Come on, Irv.
Don't forget your binoculars.
Don't worry,
I won't forget the binoculars.
- These are beautiful, Frank.
- Cost me nine bucks.
What about that?
- Could've put it lay-away.
- And that was it.
I thought
it was such a waste of Money.
I never even told my father
I had bought it.
And then it happened.
I was on a subway sometime
in November.
Holy s..t.
Holy s..t. I don't believe it.
I don't believe it.
I'm a finalist in the lottery.
Right here.
I'm a finalist in the lottery.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding.
Wait, wait, wait,
wait look at this.
Here. Here's the ticket.
I got a shot at
6.2 million dollars.
Six million to win!
Mom! Vito! You won't believe
what happened.
Mom! Vito! Dad! Mom!
- What's the matter?
I'm a finalist
in New York State Lottery.
- Are you serious?
- Yes.
- You're not joking?
- It's right here.
They laughed at
Christopher Columbus.
They laughed at the
Wright Brothers.
They laughed at Einstein.
Mama, they even laughed at me.
But nobody's gonna taught at me
after Christmas Eve.
Because I'm a finalist in the
New York State Lottery and...
...I'm gonna win that 6.2 million
dollars and I'm gonna spend it.
Honey, honey I'm going to buy you
a beautiful home with a big...
...lawn for me. Frankie,
don't worry about a career.
Not that you ever
gonna got on anyway.
Read it, it's in there.
Who is on the phone?
- It's Madeline.
Madeline. Madeline.
I'm gonna buy you a washer,
a drier, every appliance...
...you ever hoped for.
It's daddy.
She must have fainted.
Celebration.
Wine?
What about you Detective Pesce.
What can I buy for you?
- Dad, can I talk to you a minute?
- Not now, son.
I'm busy spending
my money over here.
Honey, just listen to Frankie, huh?
Yes my baby boy who bears my name.
- That's exactly the point, Dad.
- Yeah? So? So?
We both have the same name.
I know we got the same name.
It's my name.
I gave it to you.
Yeah,
but it's my name in the paper.
What are you trying to
tell me Frankie?
Pop it's my ticket.
Come on, what do you mean
your ticket? Oh. I know, I know.
You don't think I'm going to
share with you, right?
Is that it? You greedy b..d.
It's my ticket.
I'll buy you whatever you want.
You're riot, kid.
You are absolutely a riot.
For a minute there,
you had me going.
Salud.
What's going on?
Honey, it's Frankie's ticket.
Yeah, Pop.
I went over to Irv's
to cash a check because...
...the banks were closed, and
he made me buy something, you know?
So, so I bought
binoculars and a ticket.
You're telling me
you bought one ticket?
I eight million tickets sitting
in a shoebox upstairs and...
...you bought one ticket.
Yeah, well Pop, you know I'm lucky.
Can I see the ticket, Frankie?
Yeah.
You're going to win
this miserable f..g thing.
You know that, don't you?
Yeah, Pop.
You know, what's mine is yours.
Yeah, likewise, Frankie.
I got nothing.
Suddenly, everyone was
my best friend.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you very much.
He's the finalist in the
New York State Lottery.
Frank Pesce's a finalist
in the lottery.
He's lucky b..d.
You know Frankie Pesce is a
finalist in the State lottery?
I mean, it was really ridiculous.
I was one of 50 finalists and
everybody was acting like...
...I had already one the thing.
Would you bet on a horse going off
at 50 to 1 I wouldn't.
But my friends were betting on me.
Zippers was convinced that
I could do anything.
So he took us down to
Mulberry Street on this real big...
...gambling joint to see
if I could throw some dice.
Come on Frankie.
Shoot a nine, baby.
A nine.
How you feeling?
- I feel kinetic.
- Kinetic?
Kinetic. I love that word.
I love that word.
Come on.
- Count me in. Sure.
Two coming up.
Place your bets.
A hundred says you don't make
that nine.
A four.
Four more hundred, no nine.
Come on, Frankie boy! Take their
money, baby! Take their money.
Come on, come on, come on.
Isn't that Louie Tucci?
Don't f..k with him, Frankie.
He's got his own
graveyard in Jersey.
He is cut your throat and
go out to dinner afterwards.
He don't give a s..t, man.
Yeah, f..k him.
I got friends, too.
Hey, how you doing?
Throw the f..g dice, will you?
- You got f..g palsy or what?
- Come on.
What are you j..g off? Let's go.
- Relax, baby.
- Do it for me.
- Come on nine.
- Let's go.
A nine!
Then it happened.
I made history.
I was about to do something
nobody had ever seen. Ever.
Anywhere.
Incredible. See this?
Come on, Frankie.
Get that f..g kid out of there.
Give me an axe and I'll chop your
f..g hands off.
Come on, it's just a game.
He was really upset.
What are you looking at? What
do you think this is a f..g joke?
I'm just playing some dice here.
Come on!
Come here, you c..r.
Say good morning to Vinnie, Dad.
You think it's a big joke,
don't you?
What?
Hanging out with the mob guys,
shooting dice, huh?
What the hell you talking about?
Oh, you're a legend on
Mulberry Street now,...
...Frankie Fish's kid,
the man with the golden arm.
The man with the golden arm
and head up his a..s.
You keep it up and
watch what happens.
Just relax, alright?
I'm having fun. Just recreational.
Recreational! Oh, okay.
Just don't get yourself killed,
alright, before the drawing.
Then you can do whatever
the hell you want.
Oh, great. Thank you.
What the hell a that smell in here?
I smells like old gym sneakers
or something.
It's pizza.
That don't look liken o pizza
I've ever seen, Pop.
Just shut up and have a slice.
Did you make that?
Did I make it?
You see your mother here?
Yeah, I made it, right?
And it cost me a dollar to make.
One dollar.
You know the s..t your buy?
Seven bucks.
Have a piece.
Come on.
Have a piece.
The dough's a little hard, but...
What's the matter?
- Pop. Pop.
You get better pizza in Korea.
Who the hell made that Michellin?
Why don't you put it in the trunk
and use it as a spare?
I'm going back to bed.
That's the worst pizza
I ever had in my life.
The only member of our family to
appreciate my father's pizza...
...was Vinnie.
Now obviously,
my father's not the kind of guy...
...just to sit around the house
like a normal person.
The boredom was driving him crazy.
And remember the idle mind is the
devil's playground.
And in my father's case...
...it was about to become
and amusement park.
Hey! Where the hell are you
three going, huh?
We're going bowling.
That's right. Bowling.
Bowling, huh?
You haven't been bowling
since Christ left Chicago.
Well, maybe we'll go bowling and
maybe we won't go bowling.
Or maybe we'll do something else.
But I figured...
...it would be nice for a father
to spend an evening with his sons.
You got a problem with that?
You are so full of s..t.
- O, faccia tua!
- What's with her.
I don't know.
With Dad being out of work...
...our money situation was
getting worse and worse.
The three of us decided to get
rid of the T-bird for the...
...insurance money.
Frankie. Frankie.
- What?
- Wait a minute.
- What?
- Stand over there.
- What are you talking about?
- Stand over there.
Turn around. Turn around.
Turn around.
Let's go home.
They found the car completely
untouched except for the damage...
...my father had done,
just where we left in the Bronx.
You see there were times
you don't want to be lucky,...
...but that lucky star keeps
shinning no matter what.
Bowling, huh?
To make matters worse, we had
a 500 dollar deductible on the car.
Our broken windshield cost
380 bucks and 40 for the tow.
So now we had to pay 420 bucks
just to get the car back in the...
...shape that it was.
Look, we don't, we don't...
We don't have 420 dollars.
Yeah? Well, insurance companies
are not in business...
...to be taken by idiots.
Stupid idiots like you guys.
Oh, yeah? Yeah? Idiots, uh?
Well the car really did get
stolen in the bowling alley.
And I don't want
to get into it again.
Yeah?
Like I'm five foot two and blonde!
I know why the car
can't get stolen.
Because it's under his name.
And you know him
with that lucky curse.
They'll find it no matter
where we hide it.
This is all your fault.
- Yeah and you know what?
You're full of s..t, Vito.
- I'm full of s..t?
- Yeah, you're full of s..t.
- Where you going now.
I got something
I gotto do, all right?
I paid my cousin Leo a visit
in Budlake, New Jersey and...
...together we figured out
a way to dump the car.
Leo, you stinking crook!
Get over here! Leo!
What's the matter with you?
Hey, you know, this stuff really
works, you know that?
Forget that s..t. Come here.
Come here.
Get in there.
30 days later we were
told to go down to the...
...insurance company and
pick up the check.
The month had come and gone and
no one had found the car,...
...as I was sure would be the case.
Let's not look like three cavoons
going in there, all right?
Who says we look like cavoons?
Yeah, we look like a family
going to pick up a check.
Like a pack of f..g wild dogs,
that's what we look like.
I'm going in by myself.
You guys wait out here.
- Why?
- You don't want us to come in?
Frankie, tell him what I said.
I'm sorry Mr. Pesce.
But it seems that nobody
has found your son's car.
Oh, that's too bad.
You know, my son Frankie,
he's been sick for the whole month.
You know what he says
to me Miss Sills?
He says, " Daddy, you know,
losing my car is like...
... losing my brother".
I mean, the kid's heartbroken.
Gee.
You know I feel terrible
about this.
Listen...
Let me make one more phone call.
- Oh, no!
- Maybe we get lucky.
Yeah, hi, this is Lucy Sills.
I was wondering if there was
anything new with case,...
...10-21-69?
Thanks.
They're checking.
Yeah.
What?
Ivory Gold Mist?
No, no Aqua velvet.
No. No. The car is Ivory Gold Mist
Ford Thunderbird license plate...
..."MY WAY".
Yes, that's it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, it seems that they found your
son's car over the weekend...
...in Budlake, New Jersey.
Isn't that wonderful.
I'm so glad I checked.
Budlake, New Jersey?
Budlake.
Budlake, New Jersey.
Are you f..g crazy?
- What are you talking about?
- They found the car.
- Where?
- Bud-f..g-lake, New Jersey.
What a coincidence, huh?
We got family there.
I don't think the insurance company
is going to put that...
...together, do you? Who do you
go with, your cousin Leo?
That f..g moron!
You, cop, drive the car.
Drive the car.
Shut the f..k up, okay?
- Get in the car.
- Get in the car.
So I ended up setting the car
to my cousin Leo.
Two days after the sale it
got stolen.
But that moment didn't last long.
Now we were hitting rock bottom.
Frankie, give me the keys.
Come on. Car keys.
Give me the keys.
- Dad, I gotta go out.
- C'mon give me the keys to the car.
I need them.
I'm going to the Garden.
Come on, come on. I need them.
Keys. Come, come, come.
Got any money?
- What?
Money. You got some money?
I need some money.
- Dad, not now.
- Frankie, I'm way behind here.
What do you got?
- I got 400 dollars.
- Come on, go get it.
No, Dad. What for?
Frankie, I got a feeing tonight.
I have a feeling...
...that I can't lose on
a fight tonight. Please.
Come one, you're my partner.
- We'll be partners?
- We'll be partners.
- Not again Dad.
Jesus Christ, is this
the first time I ask you for money?
All right,
I'm gonna get the money, all right?
All right. All right.
- Hurry up.
Come on.
Of course, I got him the money.
Frankie, it's in the blue sock.
On the left side of the drawer.
Believe it or not, my father
actually won on the fight,...
...so I went down to the Club to
stop him before he could do...
...any more damage.
But Philly said my father doubled
his money, took the 800 bucks,...
...put it on a horse, got up
1100 and took off like a bat...
...out of hell with Johnny Cake and
Joe Numbers, saying something...
...about going to Yonkers Raceway.
What are you doing?
I'm waiting for you.
Is your mother up?
Yeah, she's up.
- Christ. I'm getting outta here.
- Hey, what happened?
I lost 400.
Good.
Good.
I was really worried there.
Listen, Pop.
Why don't you let me
hold the rest of the money?
There's no money, Frank.
I thought you said you lost 400.
Right, I lost the 400 bucks.
But you had 1100
when you left the Club.
Yeah, I did.
So that means you got
700 on you now, right?
No, no I don't have s..t on me now.
How can you lose 400 out of 1100
and not have anything on you now?
I lost the 400 bucks you gave me.
- You lost 1100 dollars?
- No, no.
I lost the 400 you gave me.
- Then where is the other 700?
- It's gone.
You lost it all.
No.
Yeah.
Technically.
Technically? What technically?
You had 1100 and
now you don't have s..t.
That means that you lost 1100!
- I don't count the other 700.
- Oh, you don't count it.
- No, I don't.
- That money ain't real?
It's no good? It doesn't pay the
mortgage, the gas, the electric.
Look, I don't count
it because it's their money.
You see, I gamble with their money.
I lost your 400 but
their money is their money!
Well, you had "their" money
in your pocket, didn't you?
Frankie.
I'm out of f..g work!
Now, what the hell
do you want from me?
And, besides what the hell are
you worried about?
You're gonna win the lottery and
you can hang out on the street...
...and be a j..f for
the rest of your life!
How the hell do you know
if I'm gonna win the lottery?
And even if I do, it's not included
in my plans that I'm gonna...
...hang out in some street corner.
I'm gonna do
something with my life.
- Oh, yeah? Yeah, like what?
- I don't know.
But I'm gonna get a real life.
And what am I,
f..g cartoon character?
Oh, s..t.
Frank.
Frank.
I'm sorry about what I did to you.
You listen to me, Frank Pesce.
Listen to me good, huh?
I don't want to hear this s..t.
Just don't you die on me,
you b..d. That's all.
Not now.
Ma, relax.
You're not going nowhere.
You're gonna get well.
You're gonna come home.
I want the house to stink of them,
rotten pizzas you've been making.
I want you to see your son
Frankie...
...just, just make
something out of his life.
You think I'm gonna live to 105?
I'm not kidding Frank.
I'm not kidding.
You and I made a deal.
We made a promise to each other.
To live
together happily ever after.
Until death...
God.
Come here.
Come here.
What did he say, Mom?
Keep the cat off the lawn.
Hey, Pops!
You all right?
He looks good, doesn't he?
He said we ruined
his lawn while he was gone.
That's when I knew he was alright.
He was back to terrorizing
everybody.
I went for the first available
job I could find, and I got one.
Over at Sheldon Toys
as a sales representative.
I'm from Sheldon Toy Company,
I got the greatest little...
...electric cars that
you'll ever see.
These electric cars,
they're incredible.
The kids will go nuts.
You should order maybe 20,...
...30 because in the first day,
Bang. They're out the door.
I'm serious.
I'm not kidding you.
How many would you like?
It was the best job I had yet.
They even let me order
a company car.
- What's this?
- It's my new car.
I know.
White with a white vinyl top.
It's a company car.
You order a car for yourself,
you get the right color.
Me and you go partners,
you get ivory gold f..g-mist.
Why don't you take it to Budlake
and show it to your cousin Leo?
So why you didn't get
the first time.
This car better not be under
my f..g name in the insurance...
...I'm warning you.
- Hey, Vito.
Looks good, don't it?
Come here and say that you f..k.
Looks good.
I'll give you " looks good".
Come here.
Then about a week ago,
Jimmy Vitello said there was...
...a guy who was real interested
in meeting me.
All Jimmy would tell me is that
it had something to do...
...with my lottery ticket.
Hey, Fish.
Get in the car.
I'm going. I'm going.
Get in.
You?
Yeah, why? What's wrong with me?
Well, nothing. I mean...
...last time you saw me it
looked like you wanted to kill me.
Well, that was just that night.
A lot of guys get killed because
people are in bad moods.
You're a legend down
in Mulberry Street, you know that?
What you did that night with them
dice and everything else...
...lucky that's happening to you.
Get the lottery ticket on you?
Yeah? Why?
I might be interested in buying it.
Well, it ain't for sale you know?
For ten thousand?
You wanna give me ten grand?
Ain't that what I just said?
The Word is you got a shot at
this thing, with your luck and all.
Maybe you do and maybe you don't.
But if you want to sell it,
then do the right thing kid...
...and keep it in the family.
Remember, I'm with you and
you're with me.
And everybody's with us capisce?
Hey, two minutes I know you
guys and already I'm in the family.
Well, you just think about it.
These things
have a way of working out.
And I'm easy to find.
I'm hungry.
Are you hungry?
Yeah, I'm hungry.
Are you hungry?
Absolutely, I'm hungry.
Yeah, me too.
I'm really hungry.
Get the f..k outta here.
Frankie.
Frankie.
Frankie, c'mon wake up.
Frankie.
- Come on. Wake up.
What?
What?
I really think
I nailed it this time.
Oh, no! Get that outta here.
Dad, not this morning.
Isn't better
what you're doing here?
Staying at home away from these
mob guys and all those hangouts?
Watch now, you're gonna
amount to something.
Now, you keep your nose
to the grindstone and...
...you're gonna do better
than the cop upstairs.
I never heard you talk
like this before, Pop.
Well, sometimes it takes something
like this to open your eyes,...
...you know?
Frankie, tell me,
I want to ask you a question.
When you win the lottery.
You're not gonna use that
as an excuse to...
...sit on your a..s, are you?
Tell you what I want to do.
What?
Don't laugh, all right?
I'm not going to laugh.
I think I wanna go to college.
How about that?
A college graduate in the family.
Maybe you could be a doctor.
Why don't you put the
cigarette out, huh?
She worries about me.
No not doctor. What about a lawyer?
You'll be a lawyer.
Your brother can throw
everybody in jail, and...
...you can get 'em all back out
in the street.
I mean, keep everybody busy.
Very funny. C'mon.
First he's got to arrest someone.
If he can find his gun.
That's culture.
I forgot to tell you.
Jimmy Vitello called.
- What did he want?
- Go down and see him.
It's make him feel
better all right?
I got you Pop. I got you.
I'll see you kid.
Have a good one.
All right Pop.
- Get outta here.
- Madonna, you can still sing.
You look good.
May I say something dear.
What is it?
Well, you know I got a bad heart.
I know you got a bad heart.
Well, uh...
You don't want to break it, do you?
Oh, Frank.
Wait, wait a minute now.
Wait a minute. Wait, wait.
Excuse me.
You're crazy.
You know you're crazy.
Can I have this dance?
It'd be my pleasure.
I went to the Club to kill
sometime before the drawing.
It was here that everything
started to fall apart.
Oh, come all ya faithful.
Joyful and triumphant.
Come, oh come ye to Bethlehem.
Well, in a couple of more hours
you're going to find out...
...if you're a millionaire.
You know I wish you nothing
but the best of luck...
...you lucky son-of a b..h, you.
- Thanks, Philly.
Hey, Richie.
Where's my hot cider?
It's not hot, yet.
You let me know before I die, huh?
Where's Frank Pesce?
Right here.
Not you, scumbag! Your father!
Hey, hey, hey.
Not in the Club.
Your old man owes my uncle
a lot of money.
Yeah, I'm talking to you.
What are you, deaf?
What the hell are you
talking about? What money?
- What money?
- Hey!
Hey! Hey!
What do you take us for j..s?
Your father's been ducking
us for three f..g weeks.
Not here! Not in the Club.
It's bad.
You're f..g with him.
You're f..g with me.
You don't have anything to do
with this Jimmy!
- Bulls..t, man.
- Bulls..t?
You know why we're here, Philly.
What are you gonna do,
start war over this? Huh?
You come in my Club
on Christmas Eve and...
...you start this s..t?
Get outta here.
We're coming to your house tonight.
We're gonna give your father
a Christmas present...
...he'll never forget.
- Get the f..k outta my Club now.
Remember who you work for,
you fat f..k.
Get outta here before cut your
frigging nuts off...
...and have them with my Calamari.
- F..k you.
What are you looking at you
potato-nosed s..r?
Call me a fat f..k, huh?
Guys, go sit down. Have fun.
It's Christmas Eve.
Dom, sing a song.
Do you know anything about this?
Your old man's
into Tucci for ten grand.
- Ten grand?
- And he's three weeks behind...
...all right?
What is he out of his f..g mind?
How could he be three weeks behind?
Hey, I don't sleep with your
father. How the hell do I know?
He's got a mortgage, he's got
bills, he's losing his a..s here.
I don't know.
Talk to your old man.
Philly, you gotta help me.
I ain't getting frigging
involved in this.
I'll kill that son of a-b..h.
Jimmy, come on.
You're gonna help me right?
- Hey, I can't Frank.
- Why not?
I can't man.
Forget it, all right?
- Frankie. Frankie. Frankie!
- Forget it.
F..k.
Oh Thank God, Frankie.
What happened to you?
Come on, we're almost late.
We got an hour and a half to get
to the Garden.
You know I was scared stiff?
I thought you was
hurt or something.
I'm just fine, Mom.
Where's Dad?
He's upstairs getting dressed.
Something wrong?
No. Look, I've been thinking...
I think that I should
go to the drawing alone.
- What?
- Are you crazy? He...
Dad will go nuts?
Frankie, we've been locking
forward to tonight.
I know, Ma.
I bought a new dress,
for Christ sakes.
Frankie, what is wrong?
No, Ma.
I told you, everything is okay.
All right?
I just been thinking about it,...
...and I think I should got
the drawing alone. That's it.
All right?
- Wait a minute!
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
- Hey!
This is the biggest night
of your life.
You're gonna screw it up?
- Shut the f..k up.
Don't tell me to shut up.
Don't you guys ever stop?
What's going on?
Frankie don't want us
to go with him.
You don't want us to go?
Just I thought I had, Pop.
Well, it's bad thought. Get it
out of your head and let's go.
It's getting late.
- No, Pop. Forget about it.
I'm going by myself.
- Come on, Frankie.
What is it?
We're putting too much pressure
on you am I right?
I mean, you're afraid if you don't
win we're going to be...
...disappointed in you?
Well, forget that s..t.
Let's just go and enjoy ourselves.
Whatever happens, happens.
No, Pop.
This is what's going to happen.
I'm going up to my room,...
...I'm getting my ticket and
I'm going by myself.
Now, please get out of my way.
What the hell is wrong with you?
What are you doing?
You know what this means to us.
This is the most important moment
of our lives, for Christ sakes.
No, Pop, it's not your moment.
It's my moment.
You leave this house without us,
win or lose.
Don't come back.
Yeah? Well,
with you setting the example,...
...I stand a good chance of losing.
- What the f..k did you say?
- You heard.
- Frank, no!
- Are you calling me a loser?
I'm not a loser.
- Have it your way Dad.
You're not a loser.
- I'm not a loser.
All right, you're a winner.
Is that what you wanna hear?
You're a winner?
What the hell did you do that
it was so great, huh?
Except gamble away everything
you ever owned, including...
...your won f..g business!
- I stayed.
That's what I did.
I stayed for 35 years.
I stayed and raised a family
for 35 years.
I did anything I had to do keep
a roof over our heads.
That's what the f..k I did.
You stayed, huh? Big f..g deal.
You stayed.
That's what you're supposed to do.
You'd better if you'd left,...
...wouldn't have to put up with
your s..t my whole life.
You scorched every dream ever had.
It's not enough you gotta
piss your own dreams against...
...the f..g wall,
you took me down with you.
You don't know s..t
about my dreams.
Not a f..g thing about my dreams.
You think I gambled
my business away?
You don't know what the f..k
you're talking about.
I loves my business.
It was the only think
that I f..g owned.
I didn't gamble it away
they took it away.
That's your f..g big explanation?
It's the same old s..t, Dad.
You know something son?
We were doing pretty damn good
until you came along.
You know, I didn't want you.
Your mother did.
And she nearly died having you,
you sorry son of a b..h.
And I borrowed the money to keep
you and your mother alive.
Get your f..g hands off me.
I got down on my f..g knees and
I begged Louie Tucci to give me...
...the money to pay off
the hospital bills.
And when I couldn't pay it back,...
...he took control of my
company and my life.
You get this straight,
you ungrateful son of a b..h.
I am not a loser.
You get your f..g hands off me.
I'm not a loser.
I'm not a loser.
I'm not a loser.
Oh, Frankie.
- This ain't right, Frank.
- I'm not a loser.
I'm not a f..g loser.
J..k!
Thanks.
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
What do you want?
I'm looking for Louie Tucci.
Do you know where he is?
- No, he ain't here.
- Well, who the hell are you?
I work for him. Do you want to see
my f..g resume?
Look, I haven't got time
for screwing around.
Where the hell is he?
- What do you want?
Who the hell are you?
Come over here.
Look, my name is Frank Pesce,
all right?
Tucci wants to buy
a lottery ticket that I have.
Couple of weeks ago he offered me
ten grand for it.
Yeah, yeah, I know all about that.
Come on, hurry up.
I'm freezing my b..s off.
I want to exchange the ticket
for what my father owes him.
But he's got to promise me.
He's got to promise me that
he won't hurt him.
All right, you wait here.
You wait right here.
All right, it sounds fair.
You got the ticket on you?
Yeah, I got it.
Let's have it.
Buona Natale, kid.
So that's that.
I guess Tucci's a very happy guy
tonight because he won...
...6.2 million bucks.
Bu I saved my father.
Hey.
I had to do what I had to do,
you know what I mean?
Then I went down to the garden,
checked the results.
Lucky me, huh?
The rest you know.
I went crazy down at the church,
you guys picked me up,...
...and you brought me here.
You know, do what you want with me.
I just want to go home and make
sure that my father's all right.
Go on home, boy.
Just forget it ever happened.
- Tollen?
- Yes, sir.
Give him a hand. Take him home.
Anything else he needs.
Thanks, guys.
Frank, you're no mameluke.
Thank, Sarge.
God bless you, Father Lowery.
Hey, Frank,
you want us to walk you up?
No, I'll be all right.
Hey, Frank.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
Hey, Frankie! Congratulations!
- We heard about you on TV!
- Hey, Frank.
This is my girlfriend Sheila.
She's been dying to meet you,
Frankie.
This is so great.
Oh, God bless you, Frankie.
Mom. Mom, listen to me.
Ma, we got problems.
I gotta talk to Dad.
Where is he?
He's in the kitchen makin a pizza.
Come on, we're having a party.
Everybody's here.
I knew you were going to win it.
The man of the hour finally
comes home.
Congratulations, son.
Yeah! All right.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
What the hell are you doing here?
I though we straightened this out.
I don't know what the f..k you're
talking about!
- What the hell!
- Excuse me. Excuse me.
Cut it out.
Can I say something here, Louie?
- Yeah.
I want everybody to hear this.
Tucci, I can't borrow money
from you anymore.
You wanna know why?
- Yeah.
Our son Frankie's a millionaire
and he's choosy...
...who I borrow money from.
- Pop, stop, all right?
There's something I gotta tell you.
Now, Frankie you're not going to
ruin my moment, are you?
I've been waiting my whole life
for this.
I'd like to say something.
I said some bad things.
To my son,
Frankie, earlier tonight.
Things that I'm sorry I said.
You know, me and my kid
we're big dreamers.
But my problem is that...
...most of my dreams
didn't work out.
And I think I stepped on
a lot of Frankie's dreams.
You know, you get a little older
and you get harder and...
...you get harder.
Sometimes
you forget what's important.
But today...
...one of my dreams came true.
I found out why my son
Frankie was born.
What is this, a f..g christening?
Where's my money?
Tucci...
...you know what's in here?
Ten thousand dollars.
That's what I owe you.
Vito give it to Tucci.
- No. No.
- Give it to him. Come on.
No you don't owe him anything.
Merry Christmas, fish.
Likewise Louie.
What are you doing? Hey! Hey!
You can't take that.
Frankie, I owe it to him.
He can't take that money.
He can't take that money Dad.
He loaned me the money.
I owed it to him. I paid him.
Dad...
...I heard that
you were in trouble...
...so I gave Tucci the ticket.
You gave Tucci the ticket?
I gave Tucci the ticket.
You gave him the ticket.
I gave him the ticket.
You didn't give him the ticket.
Did you give him the ticket?
Pop, for Christ's sake!
Will you don't do one of these
in front of everybody, all right?
I gave the ticket away.
I was at the restaurant!
I gave it to one of this goons.
I got a call from Philly Nap.
He told me what happened
at the Club tonight.
Now, you're my son.
I'm your father.
So I figured out
what you were going to do.
The guy you gave the ticket to?
Big friend of mine.
Frankie,...
...you gave the ticket
back to yourself.
What?
We got it.
We got it!
- You got the ticket?
- We got it!
You got the ticket?
You got the ticket?
We got the ticket.
We got the ticket.
Where, where did you get the money?
- Where did I get the money?
- Yeah.
- The ten grands? Jimmy V!
- Yeah.
Am I good for the ten grands?
You got it Mr. Pesce.
This one you're going to love!
Oh, no! I can't eat that.
Frankie, God bless you.
Buona Natale, kid.
You b..d.
What the hell did you say
to those guys in the car?
I wished them a Merry Christmas.
Thank you!
Frankie?
Hi, Pop.
This is yours.
Frankie...
...did you know the first time
I saw you, you made me cry?
What you did tonight was great.
I want to thank you for it.
Hey, just a good thing that
you're smarter than me.
No, Frank.
I'm not smarter than you.
I'm just older.
You know, you said some beautiful
things in there tonight.
But would you finish saying
what you started saying in there?
What?
You know about why I was born.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Why don't you go out there and
find out for yourself.
From time to time I think back on
Rocky Sav's theory on life.
You know, you're born,
you grow old ad you die.
Maybe that's all there is to it.
And we just keep making it more
complicated than we need to.
My father's gone now...
...but I remember
how years later...
...when we were up at the
new house on Glen Cove...
...overlooking his new lawn of
Kentucky Bluegrass about...
...half the size of a football
field, I said to him...
..."I guess there's happy ending
for us after all".
"Happy ending" he said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."