As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.

THE SUMMARY: A life of crime joyride finally catches up with Henry Hill after decades of theft, murder, marital infidelity and more. Many say it’s the best movie ever made, and I can’t say they’re wrong - it’s a great watch and its cultural influence is undeniable. My only dispute is the ending, but it’s much more forgivable considering it’s a largely accurate true story.

They’re laughing that I didn’t even know what this image was from

THE BEST:

The memes and the influence: It’s not that being widely quoted or memed or referenced inherently makes a movie great, but it is an indicator that a movie was highly influential, and generally that’s for good reason. This movie is no exception. At several points throughout, the origins of common quotes or images revealed themselves.
Of course I’ve seen Ray Liotta’s iconic laughing face everywhere, but previously I didn’t know the source or context (yes, I’m fully aware that Ray laughing at me for that ignorance would be a perfectly appropriate use).
I never knew ‘f**k you - pay me’ was an actual movie line, since its meaning is so obviously clear, but now I understand the dangers of getting whacked for failure to settle the debt.
Another area of clear influence is in the Simpsons. Years ago, I was a much more avid Simpsons watcher, but even looking back by memory, it’s obvious how heavily borrowed from GoodFellas the Simpsons mobster characters are. Fat Tony is an adaptation of Paul Cicero, and Louie is practically a clone of Frankie Carbone, so much so that the Frankie actor unsuccessfully sued Fox for $250M, alleging improper use of his likeness. It didn’t work - perhaps he should have tried the ‘f**k you - pay me’ argument instead.

The nature of the relationship between men and women: I know it’s an odd scene to pick as the most memorable in this movie, but for me, that scene is when Henry gives Karen the revolver after that neighbor gets creepy on her. Karen comments how her friends and her better judgment would have her run from this guy for that gesture, but innately it ‘turns her on.’ Similarly, even when she becomes aware of his cheating, even when she’s a trigger pull away from ending him, she can’t, because she still finds him attractive.
The lessons here are two: 1) women respond to leadership and assertiveness, be it good or evil, and 2) women must select good leadership and men must provide it.
Even when Karen knows Henry’s judgment is questionable, the fact that he gives her a plan and reassurance keeps her right there with him, despite her thoughts of escape. And even though Karen is being deceived and abused, her natural inclination to follow Henry’s leadership is so strong she perpetuates her own abuse. This natural inclination - for men to lead and women to support - creates moral obligations for both. Women must be carefully selective with their men, ensuring those men lead them to good and moral lives, but men must take that leadership role seriously as well. It’s one thing to walk yourself into hell - that’s bad enough - but it’s another moral low when you’re carrying a partner who’s inclined to follow and support your every step.

THE WORST:

The age of the characters is downright silly: It’s nearly impossible to make a movie that spans decades in time, use the same actors, and not have their ages come off a little goofy at times. I get it - it is what it is. However, I laughed out loud when Henry described a then nearly 50-year-old Robert De Niro as ‘28 or 29.’ Similarly, Karen describes a nearly 40-year-old Ray Liotta as 21 in their luxurious date scene. Not much you can do to fix that, so it’s not a major knock, but I reserve the right to laugh at the absurdity.

Becoming a rat for the feds is not a happy ending: Initially I was very disappointed with the ending, in that Henry betrays mob honor and rats out his friends to the feds, convinced he’ll be killed if he does anything otherwise. That’s the point of the mob life though - you whack until you’re whacked, and just like most other contexts, becoming a federal informant is a great betrayal and dishonor. However, as the credits rolled, the notes on the characters flashed and I realized, not knowing previously, that this was largely a true story. I went into this movie blind, so I assumed it was just some fictional dramatization, not an actual biography, but according to the real Henry Hill, the story depicted is about 95 percent accurate. Henry died of heart failure in 2012. Karen filed for divorce from Henry in 1990 after he was convicted of cocaine trafficking and expelled from the witness protection program. The divorce was finalized in 2002.
Still, even if it’s not the writers’ or director’s fault, a man supposedly choosing to protect his family and then selling his family out anyway is a lame ending. He betrayed his friends, he betrayed his wife, and he betrayed his own code.

THE RATING: 4/5 Wickies. Great story, great themes, and extremely memorable and quotable. I just wish Henry did the honorable thing and chose death before glowies.

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NEXT WEEK: The Thing (1982)

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Matt's Movie Reviews

GoodFellas (1990)