Palminteri helps the film earn very slight passing marks, if only mostly because it's interesting to see these old operators have to adapt their schemes for new times.
Comment
01/28/09
Yonkers Joe (2008)
55
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:12
Rotten:10
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: A solid cast adds subtlety to this otherwise schmaltzy and sometimes awkward gambling-flick-cum-family-drama.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Yonkers Joe is an exciting, high-stakes con film and moving family drama written and directed by Robert Celestino, and starring Academy Award-nominee Chazz Palminteri, Academy Award-winner... [More]
Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Christine Lahti, Tom Guiry, Linus Roache
Director: Robert Celestino
Reviews for Yonkers Joe
It's far from a natural, but somehow, some way, it makes its point.
03/03/09
There's great potential to be a classic Vegas indie drama ala Swingers or The Cooler though it's only 60% its way to getting there.
01/06/09
Celestino's bid to wrap everything up in tidy fashion feels at odds with the grittiness of the film's first two-thirds, but in the end, the movie's glimpse into a seldom-seen slice of life sticks with you.
02/06/09
A very well-made and well-acted film, with a very touching story about fathers, sons, and the difficulties of raising special needs kids.
01/23/09
As Janice, Christine Lahti is the pivot between father and son. The scenes between Janice and Joe Jr. are sweet, harrowing, movie-altering.
01/16/09
Lahti burns through a thinly written role with a surprising level of warmth and humanity, and Guiry is at times repellently convincing as a kid genetically incapable of either nuance or fakery.
01/07/09
[Director] Celestino steers clear of the can't-miss pulp thriller that Yonkers Joe could've been, and goes for broke by giving it big dollop of schmaltz. His horse doesn't come in, but it runs a respectable race.
01/09/09
If you can watch Yonkers Joe without thinking it's a mild Rain Man rip-off, you'll enjoy a film that could have been plagued with plot issues, but rises above it
01/08/09
The typecast actor breaks out of his comfort zone.
01/21/09
A sweet and tidy neo-noir underworld thriller with a heart, thanks to excellent performances by the lead trio and a great setting in the seedy underworld of gambling con-artists.
06/23/08
A nicely photographed, mostly satisfying look at a gang of East Coast sharps and how they part marks from their money.
01/09/09
Yonkers Joe is like a so-so trip to Vegas, one where you lose as much as you gain gambling. In other words, it's not the trip you're most likely to tell your friends about.
01/13/09
Whatever atmosphere [director] Celestino milks from the seedy world of late-night poker games and whiskey-soaked mornings after is leached away once Tom Guiry’s pantomime idiot savant shows up.
01/07/09
Heartfelt, well-acted but overly sincere drama of a smalltime hustler and the 20-year-old Down's syndrome son he's barely known.
01/09/09
While Celestino doesn't roll snake eyes exactly, Yonkers Joe could have prospered if the filmmaker had worried more about keeping the dice hot and had let viewers' hearts warm naturally.
12/10/08
Mostly strong, that is, with the major exception of Tom Guiry's portrayal of Joe Jr. Painfully broad, Guiry practically sinks the film with garishly slack-jawed and over-the-top manchildishness.
08/08/09
An extremely awkward cross between Ocean's Eleven and Rain Man.
01/09/09
Yonkers Joe confirms that writer-director Robert Celestin knows his way around a local cash-stakes game of craps. It also proves, unfortunately, that his scripting skills need substantial honing.
01/05/09
Yonkers Joe is incoherent, succeeding neither as an exciting gambling ride nor a touching family story.
01/16/09
Latest News for Yonkers Joe
November 26, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds