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Staying Alive (1983) (part 5 of 6)
The next day, Tony and his mother are having breakfast as only the Maneros can. That is to say: awkwardly, with a remarkable lack of warmth and love. You know, as good as the first film is, I never really liked the family scenes. They just felt too stagy, unpleasant, and overdone, like Norman Lear decided to do a sitcom about Italian Americans and forgot to make it funny. The only thing that could have made those scenes more unpleasant is if Burt Young had been cast as the father (those of you who have seen Amityville II: The Possession know what I’m talking about).
Also, the only family member in this scene is Tony’s mom, and Tony’s father is thankfully absent. (Actually, there was a scene with him in the script, but it didn’t happen for whatever reason.) It begins with Mom pressing Tony to have another piece of pie, only instead of motherly concern, it comes off like a waitress who really wants to run up the bill to get a good tip.
After some guilt tripping from Mom, the conversation turns to why Tony is here. My guess is that Sly needed another scene to pad out the script, but that’s just pure speculation on my part.
“Son, I never loved you. Just a little fun fact for you to think about.”
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Ed Harris
A fan of less than great cinema since childhood, Ed divides his time between writing scripts, working an actual paying job and subjecting himself willingly to some of the worst films society has produced.
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