''Dominick and Eugene'' is a 1988 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Robert M. Young about twin brothers, Dominick and Eugene. Dominick has an
intellectual disability
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...
due to an accident in his youth. The film stars
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primeti ...
,
Tom Hulce
Thomas Edward Hulce (; born December 6, 1953) is an American actor and theater producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Academy Award-winning film ''Amadeus'' (1984), as well as the roles of Larry "Pinto" Kr ...
and
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
.
Plot
Dominick "Nicky" and Eugene "Gino" Luciano are twin brothers living together in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. Nicky has a learning disability, and Gino cares for him. Gino, who is studying to become a doctor at a local hospital, receives an offer to complete his education at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
but fears that Nicky will not be able to take care of himself. Nicky is a trash collector, a job which finances Gino's education. He and his best friend, Larry, work for Mr. Jesse Johnson. Larry tells Nicky that Gino will leave him for a better life.
Gino helps Jennifer Reston, a medical school student at his hospital, to study for her exams and becomes fond of her. Nicky mentions this to Larry, who tells him that they may get married and abandon him. Although Jennifer is from an affluent family, she is charmed by the brothers' relationship and their humble surroundings. A drug dealer pays the unknowing Nicky ten dollars to deliver an illegal drug, wrapped in newspaper, to a drug user in a rough neighborhood. Nicky forgets the delivery but tells his brother, who worries about his naivete and gullibility.
The night of their birthday, Gino must work late at the hospital and calls a disappointed Nicky to tell him. Nicky wants to take Larry to a
Wrestlemania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
event he and Eugene were going to see, but Larry brings him to visit Mrs. Vinson, with whom Larry occasionally has sex. Nicky goes outside while Larry and Mrs. Vinson are busy, and is surprised to see Mikey Chernak, Mrs. Vinson's neighbor and Nicky's acquaintance, with bruises on his face. When Nicky asks where the bruises are from, Mikey says that he fell. Not knowing that Mikey's father, Martin, abuses him, Nicky believes him.
Larry and Nicky get drunk, and Larry taunts Nicky about Gino's relationship with Jennifer. Nicky goes home, finds Jennifer and Gino talking and tells Gino he knows he is "screwing" Jennifer. Eugene, angry, shoves Nicky before sending him to bed and an embarrassed Jennifer leaves.
Nicky, his dog Fred, Gino, Jennifer, and next-door neighbor Mrs. Gianelli go on a picnic and Fred is hit by a car. Several days later, Nicky is collecting trash at Mikey's house and sees Martin hitting Mikey and shoving him down a flight of stairs. Martin calls 911, saying that Mikey fell. He sees Nicky, who is inconsolable at what he has seen. An ambulance takes Mikey to the hospital and Nicky runs after it, leaving his co-workers.
At the hospital, Martin tells Nicky that Mikey is dead and threatens to kill him if he tells anybody that he pushed the boy; Nicky flees. He takes a gun from Mr. Johnson's truck and returns to Martin's house, where family and friends are grieving. Nicky takes Mikey's baby brother, Joey, from Martin and his wife Theresa at gunpoint, believing that he is protecting Joey from Martin, and is cornered by a
SWAT Team
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
in an empty building.
Gino, Jennifer, Martin, and Theresa race to the building, and Gino is sent in to retrieve Nicky and Joey. He confronts Nicky, whose sight of Mikey's abuse had triggered memories that their father had beaten him about the head. Gino breaks down, admitting that Nicky is right; he had protected Gino from their father, taking blows meant for his twin. Sobbing, he tells Nicky that he is sometimes afraid of his anger at him and does not want to become violent like their father. Nicky comforts Gino, telling him he is not like their father and he loves him.
They leave the building and give Joey to Theresa; Eugene protests when the
Pittsburgh police
The Pittsburgh Police (PBP), officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania. The modern force of salaried and professional officers was founded in ...
handcuff Nicky. Martin pulls a gun aimed at Nicky. Gino and two police officers subdue him, and Nicky tells everyone that Martin killed Mikey. Theresa is horrified; Nicky is released, and Martin is arrested.
Gino kisses Jennifer when he leaves for Stanford for his residency, and she promises to give Nicky her phone number when she starts her residency at Cornell. The twins embrace, and Gino leaves. As the credits roll, Nicky is on his garbage route with a new understanding of himself.
Cast
*
Tom Hulce
Thomas Edward Hulce (; born December 6, 1953) is an American actor and theater producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the Academy Award-winning film ''Amadeus'' (1984), as well as the roles of Larry "Pinto" Kr ...
as Dominick "Nicky" Luciano
*
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primeti ...
as Eugene Luciano
*
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
as Jennifer Reston
*
Todd Graff
Todd Graff (born October 22, 1959) is an American actor, writer and director, best known for his 2003 independent film ''Camp'' and his role as Alan "Hippy" Carnes in the 1989 science fiction film ''The Abyss''.
Early life
Graff was born in New ...
as Larry Higgins
*
Bill Cobbs
William Francisco Cobbs (born June 16, 1934) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in movies such as Louisiana Slim in '' The Hitter'' (1979), Water in ''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), and as Lewis Coleman on ''I'll Fly Aw ...
as Jesse Johnson
*
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos ...
as Martin Chernak
*
Bingo O'Malley
Bingo O'Malley (May 10, 1933 - June 2, 2019) was an American actor. He has been called "Pittsburgh’s finest actor."
Biography
O'Malley never revealed his birth name. He initially aspired to the priesthood but found that "I am not religious." ...
as Abe
Reception
The film received positive reviews, holding a 77% rating on the film-review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 22 reviews. The consensus summarizes: "Thanks to strong performances and a steady directorial hand, ''Dominick and Eugene'' successfully navigates potentially tricky themes in thoughtful, compelling fashion without resorting to trite sentimentality." Hulce received a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination for his performance (
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama).
[Horn, John (Associated Press)]
"Golden Globe Awards Nominations: 'Working Girl,' 'Running on Empty' Lead List"
''The Gadsden Times''. January 6, 1989. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominick And Eugene
1988 films
American drama films
1988 drama films
Films about brothers
Films set in Pittsburgh
Fictional portrayals of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Films directed by Robert M. Young
Films about domestic violence
Films scored by Trevor Jones
Films with screenplays by Alvin Sargent
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
Films about disability