Drama

Romance

Comedy

Buffalo '66

Gray Daisy Films

Muse Productions

United States of America

English

Vincent Gallo

Christina Ricci

Ben Gazzara

Anjelica Huston

Mickey Rourke

Rosanna Arquette

Jan-Michael Vincent

Kevin Corrigan

Kevin Pollak

Alex Karras

John Sansone

Manny Fried

John Rummel

Bob Wahl

Penny Wolfgang

Anthony Mydcarz

Michael Maciejewski

Jack Claxton

Dominic Telesco

Carl Marchi

Kim Krah

Julius Digennaro

Terry Braunstein

Jack Hunter

Norma Gelose

Jamie King

Janel King

Joey Giambra

Curtiss Clayton

Chris Hanley

Alison Bagnall

Lance Acord

Michael Kriston

Lynn Campbell

Rachel Kregal

James Chinlund

Alexis Scott

Rick Ash

Gideon Ponte

Jeanne Develle

Hamilton Sterling

Toshiaki Ozawa

Jeff Sackman

Michael Paseornek

Hilary Schroeder

Lauren Buckley

Timothy Wayne Peternel

Anthony Fantuzzo

Adam Greenhaus

Deborah Brock

Jordan Gertner

Josephine Colangelo

Brian Miksis

Janet Gallo

John Dunning

Michaelangelo Bolla

Jennifer Gerould

John Clemens

André Link

Marie Morreale

Catherine Gore

Avram Butch Kaplan

Allen Hartz

Thom Brennan

Robert Pfeffer

Gino Nix

Tim Oravetz

Mostly tedious, but Ricci is adorable, “Heart of the Sunrise” is featured and the message is potent

An angry sad sack (Vincent Gallo) is released after five years in prison near Buffalo and proceeds to kidnap a cute girl at a ballet studio (Christina Ricci). She surprisingly agrees to go along with the charade of being his wife to fool his nutty parents. His sole ambition seems to be to kill a field goal kicker for the Bills who let him down five years earlier. Anjelica Huston, Mickey Rourke, Jan-Michael Vincent and Rosanna Arquette have brief roles.

“Buffalo ’66” (1998) is an offbeat indie written & directed by its star, Gallo. I only know him from Coppola’s “Tetro” (2009) where he proved to have an almost Brando-like charisma (I said “almost”). Ricci is one of the highlights here as she’s petite, voluptuous and adorable. Unfortunately, most of the episodes in the story could’ve been cut by one-third or even one-half. As it is, they become tedious, such as the loong segment at the parent’s house. But the final act wins the day with Yes’ “Heart of the Sunrise” placed strategically and a profound moral about the power of uncompromising love to change a piece of sheet.

The film runs 1 hour, 50 minutes and was shot in Buffalo, New York, and surround areas (Gowanda, Lackawanna and Woodlawn).

GRADE: C+/B-

CinemaSerf

"Billy" (Vincent Gallo) gets let out of prison and promises to bring his new wife to meet his mother. An hasty promise for two reasons. First - well, he hasn't actually got a wife and second - he is desperate to pee. Intent on sorting out the latter problem, he encounters "Layla" (Christina Ricci) whom he promptly thinks can solve his other problem, so he frog marches her to her car and hopes that she - by now at gunpoint - will agree to help him out. Risky strategy, that! Can it work out for him? Well what now follows is an entertainingly quirky road movie that sees the two gradually bond whilst we learn about both of their rather complicated pasts. It's not just his mother (Angelica Huston) that he wants to visit; he also has a score to settle with a bookie (Mickey Rourke) but maybe, just maybe, his new companion might adjust his priorities? This is a well paced, intimate movie and there is a good, almost magnetic, dynamic between Gallo and Ricci. The story is lively and engaging offering us an offbeat love story that is, though maybe a touch predictable, based more on two characterful performances rather than cheesy sentiment (of which there is none!) and gooey love scenes as they head for their own kind of redemption. Coffee and doughnuts anyone?

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Buffalo '66

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Vincent Gallo

Christina Ricci

Ben Gazzara

Anjelica Huston

Mickey Rourke

Rosanna Arquette

Jan-Michael Vincent

Kevin Corrigan

Kevin Pollak

Alex Karras

Box office

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