''Friends and Romans'' is a 2014 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Christopher Kublan and starring

Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli (born November 27, 1960) is an American character actor. He was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO television series ''The Sopranos,'' but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile Sr., Jackie Aprile, a recurring ch ...

Annabella Sciorra Annabella Gloria Sciorra ( , ; born March 29, 1960) is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in '' True Love'' (1989) and worked steadily throughout the 1990s in films such as ''Jungle Fever'' (1991), '' The Hard Way'' ...

Paul Ben-Victor Paul Ben-Victor (born ) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Greek mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', Alan Gray in '' Entourage'' (2005–2008), and Ray in '' Body Parts'' (1991). Early lif ...

and

Tony Sirico Genaro Anthony Sirico Jr. (; July 24, 1942 – July 8, 2022) was an American actor. Often cast as a mobster, he portrayed Paulie Gualtieri in ''The Sopranos''. Born in Brooklyn to an Italian-American family, Sirico had a tumultuous early life ...

. It was awarded Best Narrative Feature and Best Cinematography at the 2014

Boston International Film Festival The Boston International Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Boston, Massachusetts which showcases over 90 films annually. Established in 2003 by film producer Patrick Jerome, the festival features independent films from ...

and Favorite Narrative Feature at the Napa Valley Film Festival.

Plot

Nick DeMaio, who has had small acting roles over the years, seeks to be more than just the Italian mob stereotype. When he is not successful getting an appropriate role from productions by others, he rents a Staten Island theater and puts together his own production of ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', with the help of other actors he knows. What he doesn't know is that the theater owner, who auditions for and gets the role of Brutus, is the reclusive mobster the FBI has been investigating. Meanwhile, Nick's daughter Gina wants the lead role in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' at her school, but she gets it only because the drama teacher believes her father is a real mobster.

Cast

as Nick DeMaio *

as Angela DeMaio *

as Dennis Socio *

Katie Stevens Katherine Mari Stevens (born December 8, 1992) is an American actress and singer, known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starring as Karma Ashcroft in '' Faking It'' and Jane Sloan in '' The Bold Type ...

as Gina DeMaio * Charlie Semine as Paulie / Goldberg *

Anthony DeSando Anthony DeSando (born December 4, 1965), also known as Anthony Joseph De Santis, is an American actor. DeSando often portrays a joker or dapper villain in mob films such as ''New Jack City''. Early life DeSando was born in Jersey City, New Jer ...

as Joey 'Bananas' Bongano *

as Bobby Musso *

Tony Darrow Anthony Borgese (born October 1, 1938), better known by his stage name Tony Darrow, is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Goodfellas'', '' Bullets Over Broadway'', ''The Sopranos'', and others. Early life Darrow was born and rais ...

as Frankie Fusso *

Patrick Kerr Patrick Kerr (born January 23, 1956) is an American actor, currently recurring as small town grocer "Mr. Johnson" on Apple TV's "The Big Door Prize" starring Chris O'Dowd. Career Previously, he is best known for his recurring role as Noel She ...

as Mr. Rothman * Christopher Kublan as Joey Two Chins * Joseph D'Onofrio as Big Vinnie * Louis Vanaria as Tony Passioni *

Stephen Mailer Stephen McLeod Mailer (born March 10, 1966) is an American stage and screen actor. Early life Mailer was born in New York City, the son of novelist Norman Mailer and stage actress Beverly Bentley. Career Mailer's credits include appearanc ...

as Principal Patten * John Buffalo Mailer as Schultz * Jane Wells as Radio Newscaster * Salena Qureshi as Linda

References

External links

* 2014 comedy films American comedy films American independent films 2014 independent films 2014 films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language comedy films English-language independent films {{2010s-comedy-film-stub