Directed by:
Julio Vincent GambutoCinematography:
Powell RobinsonCast:
Owen Vaccaro, Anthony Patellis, Louis Cancelmi, Greg Rikaart, Thomas Kopache, Anastasia Ganias, Kevin Interdonato, Jake Katzman, Antoinette LaVecchia (more)Plots(1)
It’s old world versus new world, and video games versus the world’s oldest game in this charming coming-of-age story that celebrates friendship, family, and above all, the squabbling, gregarious, loving Italian American culture of Staten Island’s South Beach. Eleven-year-old Marco (Owen Vaccaro) cares only about gaming, and his sole friends are online. What he has in abundance are fears: of allergies, the outdoors, and other people. When Marco’s grandfather moves in for the summer, “Nonno” decides to teach his “robot” grandson how to live. A recent widower, Nonno finds solace at the bocce courts and in the camaraderie of his teammates: a collection of chuckling, cigar-chomping paisans straight out of central casting. Nonno challenges Marco to learn bocce and make friends, telling him: “Bocce is like life. It’s not about thinking. You have to feel.” Marco resists, but his inevitable awakening is genuinely moving as he rises to the challenge, forms a team, and tries to beat the old man at his own game. (Mill Valley Film Festival)
(more)Cast
Owen Vaccaro
USA
Best movies:
Daddy's Home (2015)
Daddy's Home 2 (2017)
Mother's Day (2016)
Anthony Patellis
Best movies:
One Last Thing... (2005)
I Think I Do (1997)
Louis Cancelmi
USA
Best movies:
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
The Irishman (2019)
21 Bridges (2019)
Greg Rikaart
USA
Best movies:
X-Men 2 (2003)
Prey for Rock & Roll (2003)
Thomas Kopache
USA
Best movies:
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Anastasia Ganias
USA
Kevin Interdonato
USA
Best movies:
Cradle Swapping (2017) (TV movie)
An Act of War (2015)
Braek (2023)
Jake Katzman
Best movies:
Appropriate Behavior (2014)
True Deception (2015)
The Wilde Wedding (2017)
Antoinette LaVecchia
Italy
Best movies:
Deliver Us from Evil (2014)
Delirious (2006)
Jesus' Son (1999)
Jacob Laval
Best movies:
8-Bit Christmas (2021)
Bobby Guarino
Best movies:
An Englishman in New York (2009)
Here and Now (2018)