Reely Bernie Faves: Goodfellas (1990)

I thought that maybe after marrying a wonderful wife who was raised on Disney and having two beautiful daughters who watch Bluey, my guilty pleasure allure to the mob life in Scorsese’s Goodfellas would temper down a bit.

I thought wrong.

Even today, after Ray Liotta says, “I always wanted to be a gangster,” and Tony Bennett’s “Rags to Riches” blasts through the speakers, I undergo a companionable attraction to the Cicero family, the razor blade-sliced garlic, and the power through a rose-colored lens. It is all deliciously vicarious. It is why we watch movies.

It is also why Scorsese is the greatest at pulling me back in.

At first, the mob life really is rose-colored, even hypnotic. How about that close-up of Lorraine Bracco at her wedding reception, watching the long line of guests offering generous cash gifts in envelopes? It’s as if she’s in a daze—a claustrophobic dream of unreality.

But, then, cars get blown up, restaurants get burned down, and people start disappearing. The second half of the movie gets dark quick. Fast forward to another claustrophobic scene—the helicopter/cocaine/spaghetti sauce sequence at the end when things unravel so quickly, the audience endures panic disorder. Pale and sweaty Liotta is now scrounging for change from made-man Paulie (Paul Sorvino) and selling malfunctioning handguns to Jimmy (Robert De Niro). The wealth and power have been exhausted by the wealth and power. What used to be a romanticized viewpoint of organized crime results in desperation, drugs, and despair.

Erratic buddy, Tommy (Joe Pesci), has to be taken too seriously (“I’m funny how?! I mean, funny like I’m a clown? I amuse you?!”), and despite the super cool “Sunshine of Your Love” slo-mo shot of Robert De Niro sucking down a cigarette, you know he’s plotting to whack Morrie, the wig salesman in a wig.

But, then, you also remember the 3.5-minute Steadicam take at the dreamy Copacabana, the twenty-dollar tips, the club owners placing a table near the front of the stage, and the family friends buying the bottles of champagne.

Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is his finest movie—an infectious masterpiece that appeals to the crime drama crowd, pre-Sopranos diehards, and glorified mafioso wannabes. The soundtrack—featuring The Harptones, The Chantels, The Shangri-Las, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, and The Cadillacs—is dreamy and doused in glitter.

That laugh: Nervous, cocky, and full of fear.

Scorsese’s camera is always moving, Liotta’s over-voiced narration is as natural as hearing a tale from your next door neighbor, and the abrasive sense of humor is on mark before things get uncomfortably tense. Goodfellas is the fastest 2 hours and 26 minutes I’ve experienced from a long movie, and by the time Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” is playing in the background, I don’t want the tumultuous journey to end.

As Jimmy Two Times would put it: “I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers.”

Great movie.

Great movie.

Reely Bernie Faves:

1. Amadeus (1984)

2. Magnolia (1999)

3. Poltergeist (1982)

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

6. The Godfather Part II (1974)

7. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

8. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

9. Goodfellas (1990)

10. Nosferatu (1922)

11. Pollock (2000)

12. Kicking and Screaming (1995)

13. Jaws (1975)

14. Fargo (1996)

15. Citizen Kane (1941)

16. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

17. The Endless Summer (1966)

18. Back to the Future (1985)

19. Angel Heart (1987)

20. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

21. The Goonies (1985)

22. Trainspotting (1996)

23. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

24. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

25. Bambi (1942)

26. The Paradise Lost Trilogy (1996-2011)

27. Psycho (1960)

28. Parenthood (1989)

29. Swingers (1996)

30. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

31. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

32. Smoke (1995)

33. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

34. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

35. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

36. City of God (2002)

37. 1917 (2019)

38. Black Swan (2010)

39. School of Rock (2003)

40. Mulholland Drive (2001)

41. Groundhog Day (1993)

42. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

43. The Greatest Showman (2017)

44. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

45. The Florida Project (2017)

46. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

47. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

48. Shadowlands (1993)

49. Steve Jobs (2015)

50. ¡Three Amigos! (1986)

29 thoughts on “Reely Bernie Faves: Goodfellas (1990)”

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  2. It was this movie that helped me to realise why we love to watch these kinds of movies. (from James Cagney, on top of the world, (and even earlier movies) to the recent and brilliant, Fall Of The House Of Usher) It’s because we’re only a choice away from living that life ourselves, whether we realise it or not is a different matter though.

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    1. Is there a place in our hearts for forgiving these likable gangsters who are only looking after the best interests of their mother, grandmother, female cousin, and and family-approved girlfriend?

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  3. Get the papers, get the papers..great movie, great movie, fantastic review, fantastic review.

    I have probably watched (and look forward to) Casino more than any other movie of his, but ‘Goodfellas’ was the first by him which blew me away. Recently, my kids and I watched the intro part of him as a kid gangster, but I wouldn’t let them watch anymore. I’m looking forward to the day I can watch the whole thing with them. A classic. Cheers Bernie.

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    1. Thanks, Matt. Much appreciated. May I ask how old your kids are? My 1 and 3-year-olds have a ways to go, but if they’re interested, this is a must movie with their dad.

      I loved Casino too but drew more personal and nostalgic connections to Goodfellas with my family. Again, it’s all vicarious fun. I would never want this life, but it’s sure fun to watch it through others on the screen 🙂

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      1. My footballer son is 13 (Jesus Mateo) and my tennis angel (Katherine) is 8 years old. I’ll wait until my daughter hits her teens I s’pose.
        I see what you mean about the connections to GF. I loved your review, which goes without saying. We have a Monday holiday here and I must wake these kids up or they won’t get up for school tomorrow. Until next time Bernie. Have a top day!

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        1. Great ages, Matt. Seem like lightyears away from my daughters. Right now, this almost 45-year-old is dealing with back pain, so I’ve been trying to not lift as much. The toddler walks all the time, but the 1-year-old is a different story. Mom has been super helpful lately 🙂

          Have a great week. We got this!

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          1. Yeh Bernie, it’s a magical time interacting with them at their ages. I feel so humble and grateful to be part of it all. I realise my life doesn’t exist without them.
            I’m sorry to read about your back pain. Can I ask what sort of back pain you have and what may be the cause? Is it bending over tending to your little ones? I had an operation on a hernia disc a little while back.
            You too have a great one. ‘Attend to the day and aim at the highest good’ – JBP.

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            1. A little bit of everywhere: upper back and shoulders, I believe because of my pillow being to flat. Gonna start pillow testing this week. Lower back due to poor lifting of babies. I need to use my legs more. It always feels better in the afternoon. Mornings are the worst. Yes, my daughters are everything now. They certainly put challenges and worries into perspective. Meaning: it’s really not worth losing energy over trivial stuff, haha!

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            2. There are some excellent exercises for improving your posture, neck and back alignment on YT from qualified physios. One so simple that helped me a lot was just standing straight up against a wall (in a palm length’s distance from your lower back towards the wall and your head protruded against the wall but pointed straight forward lateral) 1 minute. To improve your neck muscle force, you can then do the same thing (after a minute rest) but lean your head as far down while still making head contact with the wall in the previous position.
              Some times you just have to allocate your daily time to these simple exercises and notice the difference. Of course it’s hard to do for someone like you with a busy schedule, but I found it helped me a lot to put this time aside.
              I couldn’t agree more about sweating over the trivial stuff when its all set and done.

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            3. Matt, thank you for the suggestions. Do you happen to have a web link I could go to for visuals of the wall alignment stretch? No rush. I think I know what you’re saying, but I want to be sure. So true about allocating your time. I keep thinking it’ll get better, but I’m not doing anything about it. I will wake up earlier, I guess.

              Have a good evening, Matt!

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            5. This is great, Matt! Thank you! Very helpful and user-friendly. I’ll be applying both to my morning routines. Some good news: my wife’s Casper pillow has been helping tremendously for my upper back and shoulders. I’ve been using a flat pillow all my life, and it seems to be working against me these days.

              Hope all is well. It’s been a normal, status quo week so far, and that couldn’t be more of a relief 🙂

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  4. You’re right about Goodfellas being Scorsese’s best movie. The one he should’ve won Best Picture for. It is a fast-long movie that glamorizes the mafia world before showing you just how bad it can get. My mom loves gangster movies too.

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  5. The late, great Harry Nilsson’s “Jump into the Fire” is an epic hard rock departure from his typical mellow offerings.

    And the perfect underpinning for Liotta’s extended chaotic coke-crazed scene of pure panic.

    And yet one more time, really well-presented review, RB.

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    1. It was the perfect inclusion. So interesting how Nilsson never wanted to tour or perform live. There are many reasons behind this, but his studio-recorded art seems to energize and humanize movies. Midnight Cowboy—although only performed by Nilsson and not composed by him—wouldn’t be the same without his voice.

      Goodfellas is so much fun, huh, John?

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      1. Great points on Nilsson. Such a genius. Debilitating insecurity. Years of virtually non-stop drug and drink to mask such took him completely out of the ballgame. So abominable was the addition that his record label actually paid him a million dollars to NOT record for them anymore.

        Yes, sir. “Good Fellas” is one helluva wild ride. Need to see this again!

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  6. One of the best “guy” movies EVER. I can turn the televison on and pick this up from any part of the movie and start watching. I just read the book recently and the movie is very close to the book…the one difference is Tommy was worse in real life…and a lot taller lol.

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    1. Max, you’re right: It’s a “guy movie” for sure, and I’m cool with that. It’s a needed escape sometimes. My dad read the book too. Honestly, this is the kind of movie that no matter where you might watch it, you can’t leave it without finishing it. It just flows so well 🙂

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      1. It does flow well and the music is spot on for those scenes. He has a knack for picking perfect songs for his movies…the Donovan song for the Billy Batts song moves me everytime.

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            2. The only draw back..is when I hear Layla now…I see that Pink Cadillac with the couple slain in it lol.

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            3. Oh, haha! Good point. Random note: I love the beginning scenes when they stick the mailman’s head in the pizza oven as a warning to not deliver school report cards to Henry’s house, haha!

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