drew-turner-1 Not everyone gets the just of this movie but for those that do it is a laugh riot!! Stallone is hysterical as the animated Cosmos Carboni who is incessantly trying to make an easy buck with random scams. Armand Assante plays Lenny, Cosmos' older brother and voice of reason for the Carboni Boys. Finally, there is the younger brother Vick who can haul 300lbs of ice up 15 flights of stairs without blowing his breakfast but has the IQ of a gnat. So many scenes are gut busters in this movie and I don't want to give them away but a few of my favorites include: Stallone waking up hungover to discover a plate full of roaches on his previous night's dinner. He proceeds to take aim on the plate with his Louisville Slugger and shatters it along with the roaches with his brother and pet bird looking on. The same day he is out in the streets freezing with a stolen concierge outfit on, holding a monkey chained to a table and chanting "see the dancing monkey!" This is his latest money making scheme after Vick won the monkey in a previous night's arm wrestling match. Anyway, it's crude and low brow humor, but that is what makes this film a great Friday night viewing among good buddies.

sanjr1 People get a hold of yourselves. Let's not fight about this. Plain & simple this movie rules!! It is so innocent & sincere that people who don't like it aren't really watching the movie...they're thinking' to themselves "Stallone got too popular too quick & He's got a fat head since the Oscars, I don't like the mumble mouthed prick at all" This movie is a throwback to films of the 40's when you went to the movies for a great story with characters you can care about. No car chases, no mutants lookin' to propagate & most importantly no unnecessary violence. It's just a good movie with great performances & a lotta heart. Stallone wrote & directed & even sang the theme song & he did a fine job with all three....even the theme song (Although I still can't understand all the lyrics)!! Just do yourself a favor and buy it. You can get it for $6-9 dollars at wal-mart or best buy. Go home & enjoy it. It really is a whole lotta fun.

imbluzclooby I have to admit that this film to many critics was a turgid mess, but I cannot help but enjoy and have true sentimentality for it. You have to watch Paradise Alley when you are in the right kind of mood. What mood is that? The mood I was in when I saw it on TV years ago.It's got heart, good wrestling, believable characters, funny moments, a couple of hot babes, suspense and a bit of violence. It even has a good "Rocky" feel ending that wins your heart ending with a strong ballad. This is entertainment and who cares if it doesn't live up to any purists idea of good film-making. It's fun. If this movie were to be redone it might have a chance at the Oscars. It's quirky and offbeat and contains all the elements to get your moneys worth.

slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to to one of his most under rated movies. After rewriting the script to 'F.I.S.T' Sly went the full hog, and wrote, acted, directed and sings (Yes sings!! AndI think the style of music suits his voice well) the opening title track. Plot In A Paragraph: The film tells the story of the three brothers Cosmo (Stallone) Lenny (Armand Assante) and Victor (Lee Canalito) in Hell's Kitchen, New York City in the 1940s who become involved in professional wrestling.The tag line for this movie read "Three brothers... One had the brains, one had the muscle and one had the suit. Together they had a million dollar dream."Sly isn't "the muscle" you would expect him to play here, but the con-man brother "The brains" and I think he does a decent job as the fast talking Cosmo, Assante is very impressive in his first movie role, and Canalito (whilst not the most gifted actor) has a real charm to him, as the sweet natured, but tough as nails Victor, who dreams of leaving Hells Kitchen and living on a houseboat with his girlfriend. Kevin Conway and Frank McRae both of who starred with Stallone in 'F.I.S.T' appear here, as does Joe Spinell, who had a role opposite Stallone in 'Rocky'. Sly seems to be trying to add a bit of everything at his first attempt at directing, Action, drama, love, laughs and an underdog story. It's almost as if he was worried he may not get another chance to direct again, and wanted to try his hand at everything. He probably got his shot at directing this movie, for the same reasons a lot of actors get a shot at directing. They are hot property. But for some reason (like with his previous movie the brilliant F.I.S.T) audiences stayed away from this. I would recommend anyone to check it out!! As a side note: He actually wrote this before 'Rocky' and tried to sell it to producers for years, to no avail. Once 'Rocky' became a smash hit, producers were willing to look at the script, and Universal Pictures green-lighted the production.