"29TH STREET" (1991) (Above-Average Heartwarming Video Risk) Don't let the word "heartwarming" throw you, this is not really a family film (see Disney). Instead, this is a fable of an Italian/American family focusing on Frank Pesce (Anthony LaPaglia) and his life-time of good luck. Solid until the implausible conclusion. Lively performances and entertaining, amusing dialogue make this film a near miss, close enough to be recommended.

THE STORY - Frank Pesce isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he sure is lucky. Even his bad luck is really good luck; he's a walking rabbit's foot, a lucky Italian leprechaun. The story is told by Frank Pesce (LaPaglia) in flashback on the evening after he wins the lottery. He tells his story in episodes mainly during his adolescence in the late 1960s and 1970s. Pesce, or fish in Italian, grinds his way through life with his family with him all the way.

THE REVIEW - An extremely likable cast delivers gritty, funny, and believable dialogue. Danny Aiello (see "Do the Right Thing," and "Two Days in the Valley") is great as the family patriarch, and LaPaglia is the perfect compliment as his son. The remaining cast does an excellent job, especially, Lainie Kazan as the family matriarch. The real Frank Pesce appears as his own brother, Vito, and does just fine.

I must admit that initially I was a little thrown by LaPaglia playing a teenager and the son of Aiello and Kazan, who do not really seem to age throughout the film. Still, in time, the story absorbed me and the excellent performances transformed them into father and son. By the end of the film, the casting director could be applauded because without Aiello and LaPaglia, this film would not have worked well enough to overcome the troubled ending.

About the ending, I cannot use any word to describe it. To describe the ending would spoil its impact and this is not a spoiler review. My focus each week is to recommend a film that you can pick up easily at your local video store and enjoy. Needless to say, spoiling the ending would not serve that purpose.

With regard to spoilers, have you ever read a movie box that completely summed up the story leaving nothing to your imagination? Typically, these types of movie box descriptions are poorly written for b-grade or older films. Of course, the description is there only to entice you to rent the film, but if the description gives away the story, why would you even rent the damn thing? Anyway, such movie boxes give me a chuckle.

Back to "29th Street," it is a lighter, funnier "Bronx Tale" (which, by the way, is a superior film and comes highly recommended). In "29th Street," we get mobsters and family honor without anybody getting whacked or any of the heavy "Godfather" cliches. With the popularity of "The Sopranos" (awesome), this film should appeal to anyone hooked on that HBO gem.

"29th Street" is a lucky rent.

Jonathan Hickman