How sad is this?

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Dito Montiel's A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints takes the style and approach similar to Robert De Niro's A Bronx Tale and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, which both overshadow this film for their grandscale look on issues and the exploration into certain relationships and how they grow and decimate over time. All three films possess common attributes; all three take place in a part of New York, they are directed by first-timers, they are stories that the men hold close to their hearts, all utilize the storytelling method of narration or breaking the fourth wall in some way, and they focus on a large group of characters all with something to say. Whether it's worth hearing or not is up to you.A Bronx Tale effected me in a way that totally came out of left field. By delivering its brutal honesty with cold, authentic realism was audacious and showcasing three exquisite talents (one of them, Chazz Palminteri, present here), it delivered a coming of age drama, deeper and more reliant on values than any one I've previously seen. Do the Right Thing was a crisp, lively drama relying on racial tensions and impending chaos that would ensue from enduring a brutally hot day in Brooklyn. Spike Lee brilliantly concocted tension through character development and human conversation, and almost implying, throughout the course of the entire film, that no character did "the right thing." But whatever your definition of the right thing was, you could disagree with me.Montiel is more interested with telling his story more than tacking on a fancy moral or showing any deep, subversive element in particular, which is perfectly fine with me. His close-to-home story is buoyant on its own, relying on strong performances from charismatic leads and is elevated by bright, humid, and mercilessly seamy cinematography. Montiel himself is our protagonist, played in his later years by Robert Downey Jr., a successful writer, yet absent family-man, Dito's mother calls him one day, twenty years after leaving behind his home in Queens, to return home to convince his father (Chazz Palminteri) to go to the hospital after falling gravely ill. Upon returning home, he sees Queens isn't much different, still crime-infested and relatively unprotected from the destructive youth and the passive adults, but notices that his longtime friends' ambitions of being lawless and as juvenile as possible have surged into adulthood.This story is spliced with flashbacks from 1986, the year when Dito (Shia LeBeouf) abandoned everything he erected in Queens, when Dito was only concerned about hanging with his friends Antonio (Channing Tatum), Laurie (Melonie Diaz), and Mike (Martin Compston), causing trouble and wreaking havoc. The film casually follows the youth's events and run-ins with relationships, sexual encounters, conversations, and troubled instances, and often showing their home-lifes as the least of their concerns.Palminteri gives a wonderful performance here, confidently lax, yet remarkably genuine and subdued, often providing his son Dito with father-like guidance that often gets ignored when the going gets tough. When Dito is seen in present time, he is unforgiven by his father who views his move to leave home not noble and commendable, like some would, but rather shameful and deviant. He views his son's return home as no more than a cop out move, somewhat more shameful than him leaving. His offer to make amends feels forced and trite and he ain't buying it.A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints consistently maintains a gritty atmosphere and always feels alive and raw, even when it's at its calmest times. The performances, mainly from LeBeouf, Tatum, Downey Jr., Palminteri, and Rosario Dawson, who could've benefited from more screen time, use the story's difficult themes of family relations and devotions to their favor, and never does much of this lack genuine feeling, thanks to Mantiel manning the camera and working the pen on this project. To call this film "solid" would be sort of an understatement, yet to call this "groundbreaking" or even "wonderful" would be a bit much. I'll go with "meaningful:" seems to meet them halfway.Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Rosario Dawson, Melonie Diaz, Chazz Palminteri, Martin Compston, Eric Roberts, Channing Tatum, Dianne Wiest. Directed by: Dito Montiel.

Troubled, successful writer Robert Downey Jr. (as Dito Montiel) is called back to his old Astoria, Queens, New York City neighborhood to say farewell to a dying father he left behind in hatred. Home, he finds himself haunted by friends and family from the past; as you might expect, he comes to realize they were his life's inspiration. The majority of the story is told in flashbacks, with Shia LaBeouf assuming the title role. Mr. Montiel, the character they portray, is the film's writer/director.There are at least three and a half excellent individual stories contained, even cramped into the running time; the supporting characters are so beautifully performed, you crave more of them. From opening with the Dianne Wiest to the closing with Eric Roberts, the supporting cast commands your attention.Even more intriguing than the main character (Montiel/LaBeouf/Downey Jr.), are his relationships with friends like Channing Tatum (as Antonio), Martin Compston (as Michael O'Shea), and Melonie Diaz (as Laurie); along with mother Wiest and father Chazz Palminteri (as Monty) - all of whom emerge, thanks to superb performances, as more interesting characters than the auteur; though, possibly, this is justifiable and/or intentional. Perhaps, Montiel will develop these characters in future projects.But, hopefully without too much of the often misunderstood and misused wobbly camera movements so prevalent in films of this time. Eric Gautier's photography is fine, and the shakiness isn't too distracting, but the scene involving Mr. Palminteri's epileptic attack is particularly insufferable. (Someone save the original footage.)Others acting up a storm and/or making strong impressions include "Blood on the Tracks" brother Adam Scarimbolo (as Guiseppe), a mysterious soul who participates in one of the film's most memorable segments; Peter Tambakis and Scott Campbell (as Nerf), a foul-mouth dude who hides insecurity by basking in the shadows of others; Anthony De Sando (as Frank), a self-medicated seer who's also ahead of the both the curve and the curb; and the relatively well-adjusted Rosario Dawson (as older Laurie).If that's not enough, note that extraordinary 1960s "Dark Shadows" alumni, "Helter Skelter" (1976) star, character actor, and highly qualified teacher George DiCenzo takes a well-deserved bow (as Uncle George). Including Mr. DiCenzo in your picture is always good for bombast and believability.For anyone growing up on the razor's edge, the film should resonate, despite skipping many of the hardcore mean streets Montiel must have been familiar with. Nobody even thinks to stick a safety pin in their skin and make the trek to CBGBs? Queens had more punk. Montiel's realizations are nothing new, but they are written and performed with admirable verve, spontaneity, and skill. The film is easy to recommend, and will be remembered as a high point in the careers of all involved.Saints preserve us.******** A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (1/20/06) Dito Montiel ~ Shia LaBeouf, Channing Tatum, Martin Compston, Robert Downey Jr.

It's easy to see what they were shooting for and it coulda' been successful...BUT, it just fell short in several areas...several areas that when added up, make it a failure for the movie it was, coulda' been...a various mixture of issues...not just a single issue or even a couple, but several that definitely combine to throw this film a bit off track...and results in a theatre experience that leaves you with a series of let downs....too bad too...as it really could have been a good film experience...I almost feel like there may have been a little too much 'power' left to the actors, versus being directed to a cohesive finished product with a story told by one story-teller's view (an accomplished director)...instead, I feel like I was seeing each actors take on the film...without the direction that would have brought this film into a solid cohesive project...needless to say, I left feeling a bit underwhelmed at a story that was a bit too 'disjointed' to make it the success it really could have been...

its just a dead end actor's piece with horrible direction, sorta a stab at indie film only with lucid (and run if the mill) typical Hollywood story frame.the movie tricks you into thinking its real to life, but the truth is that life at least has explanations for events. further more how can you care about characters, whom appear only as the are with no explanations for how and who they are (only showing a father beat a kid in the street is lazy) its called basic story telling for a reason.everyone just wanted to be involved in a "gritty real life drama" including the director himself. actors were drawn to it to try and get chops for dramatic exposure, like when Shia punched a wall in an audition.... gritty hardcore, just like black flag.yes it showed disillusionment in youth but doesn't every hip hop/urban dance/rap movie show that, along with poor race relations. I mean at least ROLL BOUNCE had a real arc for the lead, without alienating the other characters, while building to an actual conclusion.bottom line is this: reality is that all the characters were dragging the lead down, even the girlfriend or the Scott, they "get by" unhappily in how they all live. they only want support because they have no means to advance, anything but being ignorant leads them to confusion, just like any one trying to place a real story in this never ending plot hole of schlock. so just like anyone who'd watch this again, you like the lead would need to have a lot of balls (or no brains) to want to return to a life in Purgatory....and please make sure the editor never works again.