The Super (1991)

I wanted to but couldn't!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Louie Kritski (Joe Pesci) is a money-grubbing heartless NYC slumlord who learned it from his father Big Lou (Vincent Gardenia). Housing authorities lawyer Naomi Bensinger prosecutes him. He is sentenced to bring his building up to code and forced to stay in an apartment in his building for 120 days. Louie has to stay in the building and Big Lou commands him not to fix one single thing.The movie is pretty bad and it has to do with Joe Pesci. He's a good comic relief sidekick as this annoying character. Usually the lead characters can show solidarity with the audience and ridicule Pesci. The whole movie is ridiculous and unreal. The slums have no real problems because all of the tenants are saints. Louie cluelessly leaves his expensive car parked in the ghetto. For such a crass person, he is also completely naive. Pesci is aggressively annoying. Of course, he learns the expected heart warming lesson but what else is there?

The joke is a bigoted slumlord forced to live in his own building. Joe Pecci is excellent as "The Super", who gets a real education from his tenants. His red Corvette is stripped the first night. He is constantly hustled by his neighbors. Scenes such as when he goes to the local grocery to buy wine, or when his elegant girlfriend visits his dumpy apartment, are classic comedy. Vincent Gardenia as Peci's overbearing father, is a role not unlike the one he played in "Fire Sale". "The Super" is sort of a cross between "Fire Sale" and Mel Brooks "Life Stinks". The movie definitely is re watchable, and most likely will seem even funnier on repeat viewings. Highly recommended, especially for those who appreciate dark comedy. - MERK

in this movie, joe pesci slams dunks a basketball. joe pesci...and being consistent, the rest of the script is equally not believable. pesci is a funny guy, which saves this film from sinking int the absolute back of the cellar, but the other roles were pretty bad. the father was a greedy businessman who valued money more than people, which wasn't even well-played. instead of the man being an archetypal villain, he seemed more like an amoral android programmed to make money at all costs. then there's the token piece that is assigned to pesci as a girlfriend or something...i don't even remember...she was that forgettable.anyone who rates this movie above a 5 or 6 is a paid member of some sort of film studio trying to up the reputation of this sunken film, or at least one of those millions of media minions who can't critique efficiently (you know, the people who feel bad if they give anything a mark below 6). stay away...far away. and shame on comedy central, where i saw this film. they usually pick better.

Profanity, stupidity, self-indulgence, and bad acting all join forces for a true tour de force in terrible movie-making. Pesci's attempt to prove My Cousin Vinny was no fluke, shows the opposite instead. He is generally too lightweight and foulmouthed to handle the lead. A true must-miss!