The only reason I even stumbled across this film is because one of its young stars, Carmen Moreno who plays Sofia, was one of my students this past year. I know the film had a theatrical showing in New York, but it does not appear that it was ever picked up for national theatrical distribution. After finally seeing the film, this is not surprising; it's a film that cannot quite make up its mind what it wants to be JJ (Frankie Nasso) lives with an abusive foster mother Mrs. Ardis (Cathy Moriarty) in present day Staten Island, NY. He dreams of finding the mother who left him, and one day he leaves Staten Island for Manhattan with hopes of finding her. In a parallel story we meet Rebecca (Kathleen Turner) and Noah (Danny Aiello) as a well-to-do Manhattan couple whose marriage is inexplicably crumbling. In JJ's journey to find his mother he also encounters The Guardian (Harvey Keitel) an eccentric New York "character" who lives under a bridge in Central Park. Along the way we also discover that JJ is a musical prodigy who can play any melody he hears, well, not only play it, but turn it into a full blown musical piece. Once JJ and Rebecca meet (she has a grand piano that nobody has played for a long time) the film heads toward its inevitable conclusion. The producers claim that "Prince of Central Park" is a modern day retelling of Huck Finn. Okay . . . There are also borrowed plot elements from such diverse sources as "Oliver Twist" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". The problem is these exemplary literary sources don't really mix very well. Consequently, the film has a patchwork feel, the sum of the parts don't really equal an engaging whole. Still, there are pleasures to be had here. Frankie Nasso gives an engaging performance as JJ. There is an inherent sweetness to his performance which goes a long way toward helping the audience get by some of the gaping holes in the plot. We come to care about this character despite some of the situations that the filmmakers throw him into. Screen stalwarts Turner, Aiello, and Moriarty give fine performances even if the script does not always support their best efforts. Harvey Keitel (admittedly not one of my favorite actors) has a harder time with a character that strains credulity to its limits. Also of note are the performances of Carmen Moreno as Sofia and Tina Holmes as JJ's mother. Both are quite affecting. The film has a nice score as well.
17 Reviews
Film directing at its worst.
=G=11 November 2000
The auteur of "Prince" manages to take an excellent cast, a decent story, a mediocre script and carefully assemble them into one boring, monotonous, amateurish mess. In spite of a strong central performance by Frank Nasso, the Prince, this disjointed film wanders aimlessly from scene to scene, painfully disintegrating into hash. The result brings a sigh of relief at the end where the tears of joy should be. A sad waste of time and talent and a good example of how NOT to direct a film.
Great supporting cast, ho-hum story
brchthethird12 February 2022
One of two movies that Steven Seagal produced with Julius R. Nasso that he didn't actually star in and is more of a curiosity than anything. It actually has a decent supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Danny Aiello, Kathleen Turner, and Cathy Moriarty, however the material they were given to work with was hackneyed at best. The "star" of the film is one Frankie Nasso. I'll give you one guess as to how he got the job... Other than being miscast, he just didn't have a great screen presence. Beyond that, there were occasional glimpses of something compelling beneath the surface, with major plot themes involving the foster care system and homelessness. But again, they weren't dealt with adequately. This was a remake of an obscure 1970's TV movie, and this felt very much like something that should also have gone straight to TV (or video). Still, it wasn't all bad. There was some decent music on the soundtrack, and the supporting cast did a lot to make this hokum go down a little easier than it might have without them.
beautiful
Mechinese4 July 2002
I like the semi-eccentric guardian. He is like the father JJ never had. I like JJ's relationship with Sophie, it's was pure; full of love and care for each other, what every romance should be. I like the scene where he knocked the abusive woman unconscious and then placed an iguana there, that really was a good idea. I like the fact Rebecca let go of her son, and learned to love JJ as his own person, not a body to fill a void. I especially like the fact Noah loved "Reb" so fully, that he saw it enough reason to love JJ as his own. It is a beautiful and timeless story of love, if you can get past the human tendency to be critical of anything dispensed to a mass of people. Though I may not be the most eloquent or know much of film directing, I do know movies are made mainly for entertainment, enlightenment, or tradition. I believe a film only needs to leave a person a little more fulfilled than when they first saw in order to be worthy of viewing, and I am more fulfilled every time I watch it.
Horrible!
Ghemael30 June 2000
Shameless waste of my time as a viewer. This is one of the worst films I've seen in ages. Please do not rent it as you will regret doing so! Guaranteed! I wonder how Kathleen Turner ended up in this! She is a legitimate actress and people would perhaps be attracted to this film because of her. But it really is better to act as if this title was never made! It should not have come into existence!
Please do not let this movie steal your time!!
jeff227 February 2002
Wonderful Kid's Movie
bigar-424 July 2000
A young boy flees the clutches of his foster-mother and decides to take up residence in Central Park. There he meets a few people that will help him to shape his future: a bully, The Guardian (a witty Harvey Keitel) and a couple with needs of there own (Aielo and Turner). This movie has some surreal undertones and can count on a very strong cast to make the story not too sentimental.
A real treat for children of all ages.
A real treat for children of all ages.
New York's Central Park is the Star.
lmadlung12 February 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This is worth watching just to see Keitel in his outrageous mode. His part is small but as usual, one can't take their eyes off of him. Spoiler? At the end of the movie, he offers real hope for the future of one gang banger, whether the banger wishes it or not--always an interesting characterization from this man. I'll watch anything with Keitel in it so perhaps I'm not objective enough for this movie. I thought Turner was convincing as the grieving, self-tortured, mother. With Moriarty in it as well it was the battle of the sultry voices and both cast a bit off type which added interest to the plot. I'm glad they made the movie. And it has Central Park--so who wouldn't enjoy it for the scenery alone? The fairy tale of a boy on his own in the park, escaping from a less than caring foster care giver will not be believable in this day of dangerous nut balls, but suspend belief a little and join the fantasy of a preteen coming of age.
very touching at times
asinyne16 February 2006
I watched this movie recently and found it to be pretty good. I was surprised at the low ranking it was given here. That was before i realized that it was a remake of another very popular film. I may or may not have seen the original, i can't recall, however I feel it's unfair to slam this one because it doesn't quite stand up against the original movie. There were a few scenes that were very well done and genuinely touched me. I loved the scene on the ferry when the boy was imagining his mom writing a letter about her love for her son. I really felt the character's sense of loss in that scene. This technique is repeated when the JJ goes and rides on the carosuel that he had shared with his mom. Having said that, the movie is a bit uneven. The cast was terrific except for the kid playing JJ. There were times when he wasn't effective but hey he's only a child and not all children can give emotional performances in movies. Something else that bugged me is the way JJ stays clean and well groomed while living with a dog in a cave. Not very realistic. I also didn't feel Kathleen Turner gave a terrific performance, perhaps a bit of miscasting there. Overall I was entertained for a couple of hours and yeah it could have been better but there were some very powerful scenes that made it worthwhile.
Wonderful, inspiring film
w2phr12 March 2001
A truly wonderfully directed film. Young Mr.Nasso is certainly some one to watch and the great pros -Ms. Turner and Mr. Aiello- never let you down. Lauren Velez (OZ) and Jerry Orbach (Law & Order) are perfection in their smaller roles. This story of a young man's journey (physically and emotionally) through horrible circumstances to loving possibilities, is inspiring and real. The whole family can watch together: laughing,crying and ultimately cheering. Enjoy!!!
Yet another failed remake
TVholic8 June 2003
Remakes are bad news. There have been many examples of this in the past decade. From movies like Bedazzled and Sabrina to TV-to-movie repurposings like Beverly Hillbillies and McHale's Navy, the field is littered with failures. One can only hope no director will ever have enough gall to remake Casablanca or Citizen Kane.
I saw this movie only because an online TV listing misidentified this as the 1977 movie that I enjoyed so many years ago. That movie had a youthful joy and sense of innocence that was refreshing in the crime-ridden NYC of the '70s. Alas, apart from the boy's name and the fact that he ran off to Central Park, nothing else was even remotely similar. This JJ is not likeable at all. He's irresponsible and selfish and backed by a host of characters that I care little about, least of all the absurd Guardian, something of a second-rate Fisher King.
It would have been nice to celebrate Central Park's sesquicentennial this year with a DVD of the first movie. For now, I'll have to continue searching and waiting for it to air.
I saw this movie only because an online TV listing misidentified this as the 1977 movie that I enjoyed so many years ago. That movie had a youthful joy and sense of innocence that was refreshing in the crime-ridden NYC of the '70s. Alas, apart from the boy's name and the fact that he ran off to Central Park, nothing else was even remotely similar. This JJ is not likeable at all. He's irresponsible and selfish and backed by a host of characters that I care little about, least of all the absurd Guardian, something of a second-rate Fisher King.
It would have been nice to celebrate Central Park's sesquicentennial this year with a DVD of the first movie. For now, I'll have to continue searching and waiting for it to air.
Bad Billing
AGoodKing27 June 2005
This one was closer to the book than the 1977 TV flick, but still way off. Do yourself a favor and buy the book, it is excellent. Now I have a problem with the billing, Why is JJ, the MAIN character billed fifth? Even the guardian, who's part was no where near the largest got better billing, it seems like an ego massage to the "stars" The bigger the NAME, the higher the billing, regardless of the size of the part. It just shouldn't be this way- The billing should be prioritized by the size of the part, not the size of the name playing the part.Frank Nasso should have got first billing, plain and simple. After all he had the biggest part and not only that, The title of the movie embodied his part. And once again, buy the book!
GREAT!!
alilsunshineinfl27 June 2002
I don't see why all of you are saying this movie was horrible, I thought it was very good. It was a good movie to teach you what happens when you're homeless, and you have to live in a park or just on the streets. All that I have to say is that it was a great movie!!
Iwould watch it a couple times more. Great Movie
klh44-19 July 2001
This movie is what life is all about. Most of all in New York. Also a lot of your foster homes. I'm sure a lot of people are in it for the money and that is all. But this movie a lot more people should watch.If nothing else, to see what a lot of young people go through living on the streets. It is so sad. I cryed and cryed through the movie I'm glad I watched it and have recommended my friends to watch it.
Terrific Movie
fairysk8r11 February 2003
This movie absolutely wonderful! I've seen it twice and I want to see it again! Carmen is a great actress. She was very believable. I hope to see her in many more movies! Go rent or buy this movie today! It is worth every second that you spend watching it. I would definitely recommend this movie to people of all ages! It is very charming!
Great film
twingirl1323 February 2002
well to me this is the best movie I have seen in a long time!I've always wanted to see Kathleen Turner and Cathy Moriarty star together in a film!And they did great!I rate this a *10* I have always just enjoyed these kind of films!Don't ask why but I have!Well the thing is,is that it's a great movie and ya need to get up and go watch it!If ya want to write me be my guest!Enjoy!
Oh soo Cute!
lilpink161612 March 2001
Well I"ve seen this Movie twice now and I just adore it!! I think I'm going to have to go and buy it. The plot is great and it's just such a wonderful story. That girl Sophia who is played by Carmen Moreno is just the cutest. She is so beautiful and just a charming young lady. And for this being her first movie a I think she did a fantastic job! I really hope to see her in future movies.
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