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Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, Channing Tatum ... see more see more... , Melonie Diaz , Martin Compston , Eric Roberts , Rosario Dawson , Adam Scarimbolo , Eleonore Hendricks

The harsh realities of life on the street merge with the universal themes of youthful pain and exhilaration in director Dito Montiel's telling tale of one boy's struggle to escape the grim fate that a... read more read more...waits his aimless, trouble-minded peers. For most of Montiel's friends, the only means of escaping their bleak surroundings were drugs, prison, or death. In breaking the cycle and making a name for himself as a filmmaker, Montiel showed that there are ways to overcome the urban malaise that consumed the majority of his friends. He couldn't have done it alone, though, and with this film Montiel pays tribute to those he left behind by bringing their story to the screen so that their struggles may give others in similar situations the courage to pursue a more positive, creative means of overcoming their anger. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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67% liked it

99,225 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

93 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Dito Montiel

Release Date: September 29, 2006

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DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007

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Stats: 3,460 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,460)

  • fb733768972
    December 6, 2011
    fb733768972
    This depiction of harsh times in the Bronx is portrayed with perfection! I thought the performances from LaBeouf and Tatum were amazing! The plot is extremely engaging and every scene sent chills down my spine. The cinematography, the gritty look, the handheld camera shots, and t... read morehe low-budget production values, are all contributing factors towards what I consider an overall masterpiece in independent filmmaking. Director Dito Montiel (in my opinion) has made his mark on cinema, creating believable characters to go along with a story that is inspired by true events. This film is a breathtaking work of subtle art filmography. I highly recommend this movie to film lovers. "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" is a beautiful little film!
  • romy861
    May 21, 2011
    romy861
    Fizzes a bit at the end and didn't really like the adult cast, but the parts of this in flashback in the 70's were interesting. Kind of like "Kids". Enjoyed the music too!
  • SirPant
    January 20, 2011
    SirPant
    I hated the first half of this film. I found the characters to be annoying, the direction irritating and the writing/script diabolical. To be fair though and seeing as it is based on real life events and real people, they probably were annoying and spoke badly. No excuses for the... read more horrible directing and editing though. Inventive? yes, good? absolutely not, it made me want to stop watching. I have seen worse debuts though, and it is hard to question Dito Montiel's film because it is based on his book that is based on his real life upbringing on the 'tough streets of New York'. Maybe it's the fact that I just couldn't relate to the story that prevented my enjoyment, I don't know, I like Alien though and I've never been into space! Seriously though, the whole story wore thin. It seems others feel the same way. I hate the phrase 'Coming of age', it doesn't really mean anything, this film is also nothing like 'Kids' or 'Sleepers'. Misunderstood or incomprehensible, you decide, but for me, Dito needs to stick to writing (and I look forward to reading the book!). So in conclusion, is this a love or hate film? No, I loved just as much of this film as I hated, maybe that's why it's troubling me. The direction, editing, script I hated, the casting but more importantly the performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Rosario Dawson are horrible. I found the character of young Antonio quite annoying too but I think he was meant to be so Channing Tatum actually did a good job. What i did love about the film was the performances by Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Anthony DeSando. Channing Tatum is probably an actor to look out for and I also thought Martin Compston did a good job too. The scene with Shia LaBeouf and Chazz Palminteri in the bathroom later on in the film has bumped my rating up by 2 stars, it's that powerful. I might change my opinion of this film if I decide to watch again and although good film should always stay with you, the same can be said of bad film. This isn't a bad film, it's a good film, it's just that it had potential to be great that is so disappointing.
  • 76Majikat
    July 7, 2010
    76Majikat
    You can?t help but think of films such as ?A Bronx Tale? and ?Sleepers? when viewing this film, perhaps more intense and perhaps more gritty in parts, but can?t help being slightly disappointed with the anti-climatic ending after being built up so much.

    What I did like about t... read morehis film, was the building on the individual characters, they seemed to have much depth to them, something I wouldn?t have particularly thought of seeing from Shia Laboef and Channing Tatum and was a pleasant surprise. This was most definitely an Actor driven film opposed to storyline, which gave it believabiltity as a true story.
  • ythelastman89
    January 7, 2010
    ythelastman89
    An amazing movie that has a great visual style and a compelling story. The acting was amazing and a lot more realistic than you usually see. Not since The Basketball Diaries has there been such a flawless sense of coming-of-age. It isn't a feel good teen comedy, but a very powerf... read moreul and relentless tale of the city.
  • LWOODS04
    December 8, 2009
    LWOODS04
    Robert Downey Jr., Shia Labeouf, Chazz Palminteri, Channing Tatum, Dianne West, Rosario Dawson

    This is the story of a pivotal summer on the hot, sweaty, violent streets of Astoria, Queens--a summer that changed only Dito Montiel, but the lives of everyone around him. Torn betw... read moreeen is ill father his domineering friend and protector Antonio, the neighborhood war and the lustful temptations of youth, Dito struggles against his desire to escape, running away from everything he knows. He finds redemption 15 years later when he returns to Queens and faces the "saints" who have influenced his life.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The story takes place in the summer of 1986 in Queens, New York. It's the story of Dito Montiel, who wrote and directed this film telling the story of his summer that he left everyone behind and fleeing to L.A. The film goes back and forth to the present of Dito as the adult who is played by Downey and the to the past, Dito as a teenager played by Labeouf. This movie for me had a feeling like The Outsiders. Gang of friends hanging out, messing with girls, getting into fights, beat up rival gangs, shoplift and give attitude to on-lookers.
    "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" is raw and gritty. Has some heart wrenching performances especially by Labeouf and Tatum. Probably not a film for most but definitely one that should be seen by all. Overall this is a great film, filled with amazing performances, no one should miss.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    November 24, 2009
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "My name is Dito and I'm going to leave everyone in this film."

    The movie is a coming-of-age drama about a boy growing up in Astoria, N.Y., during the 1980s. As his friends end up dead, on drugs or in prison, he comes to believe he has been saved from their fate by variou... read mores so-called saints.

    REVIEW

    First time writer/director Dito Montiel arrives with a tremendous force, proving himself artistically adept with the critically acclaimed adaptation of his autobiographical book detailing a tense upbringing in Astoria, New York in the 1980's. Splicing heartfelt flashbacks that Montiel remembers with bitter fondness about growing up in a rough neighborhood with the modern-day predicament of returning home to see his family with an uncanny first time precision, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints just might be among this decade's sleeper hit. With pitch-perfect admiration, the film embraces a range of natural and deep (even in their stereotypical underpinnings) character types in all of their graphic ugliness, at times playing out like a more genuine and retro version of the vacant "Kids".

    Any conservatives turned off by the gritty, hands-on approach these young actors are engaged in however, will likely miss the underlying integrity that lies dormant in nearly every foul-mouthed utterance that is heard. Casting here could not be better, it is refreshing and reassuring to see stars young and old line up to be a part of a nameless project, simply because the material is so resonant. The focus does tend to concentrate on Dito's younger years, perhaps to a fault of relaying his older ones, and the drama can feel slightly forced at times, but by and large the movie shines through with a prideful authenticity, shown not only through the perceptive direction but the surprisingly adept performances.
  • fernandorafael
    July 24, 2009
    fernandorafael
    I didn't think it was possible for one movie to have such terrible, underachieving writing and incredible, creative directing, but that's the case with A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS. To top it all off, it's written and directed by the same person, Dito Montiel (the lead char... read moreacter). Confused already?

    Montiel penned a memoir called "A Guide to Recognizing your Saints", which he later adapted for cinema. Clearly, Montiel started as a writer, but his true talents lie in the world of film. Maybe it was the emotional connection to the material (after all, it's HIS story), but his inventive direction grabs the attention the crappy screenplay fails to.

    Brilliant casting (except for Eric Roberts, WTF?) is another one of AGTRYS's accomplishments. Channing Tatum (yes, him), Rosario Dawson and Robert Downey Jr. shine. Chazz Palminteri's performance was terribly uneven, though.
  • fb619846742
    July 20, 2009
    fb619846742
    A sometimes impressive film detailing life on the streets of Queens, New York during the 1980's. Extremely well-acted at times (with the raw verbal scuffles between LaBeouf and Palminteri being the standouts), but also restrains from being more powerful than it could be. Some thi... read morengs in the movie I saw coming from a mile away, nothing really surprised me. This is a standard, occasionally interesting indie-film that features two surprisingly strong leading performances from Tatum and LaBeouf (although I believe this movie will be the ceiling for both of them, acting-wise). Plot-wise it definitely could've been sharpened, but certainly not terrible. Overall missible, but watchable to a degree.
  • sanjurosamurai
    March 25, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    the acting in this one was fantastic. the story was fairly pointless and you cant really connect with the characters, really just a well acted movie about random kids that are not all that different from most of us. the direction was the most interesting part. a debut for this... read more director, it was unlike any direction that ive ever seen. you will either love the way that he made this film or you will hate it. i thought the direction was pretty good.

View All A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 27, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Given all the filmed memory pieces about screaming, violent Italian-American families in New York boroughs, I'm not especially thrilled by even a well-made example. Full Review

Peter Howell
November 17, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It takes a while to recognize these saints, but the effort is worth it. Full Review

Liam Lacey
November 17, 2006
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The movie never answers the question of why, exactly, the audience should care about these characters. Full Review

Michael Booth
October 27, 2006
Michael Booth, Denver Post

Though A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is not a great movie, I prefer its street-grit version of adolescent desperation to the arch, mannered tone of Running With Scissors. Full Review

Richard Nilsen
October 26, 2006
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

Like an O'Neill play, its virtues are not in well-constructed ideas but in the emotional catharses it wrings out of its audience. Full Review

Richard Roeper
October 25, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

A misfire. Full Review

Jessica Reaves
October 19, 2006
Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune

The memoirist turned screenwriter turned director has hit it out of the park with his first feature, crafting an unflinching, often brutal retrospective of his formative years in Astoria, Queens. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
October 13, 2006
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

The results, although a bit uneven, are never less than compelling to watch and won a couple of awards at Sundance last year, including a directing prize. Full Review

Tom Long
October 13, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

Montiel brings enough of his own emotional confusion and life experience to the party to make the cuts feel real, to make one more tale of mistakes and mangled youth worth following. Full Review

John Monaghan
October 13, 2006
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

Guide gets the details right, recalling the minutiae of Dito's teen years -- from clothes to conversations -- with near-psychoanalytical clarity. Full Review

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