Laikals
The greatest movie ever made..!
RyothChatty
ridiculous rating
Jacomedi
A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!
Abegail Noëlle
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
jaynea38
I love James Gandolfini and this little movie showed me why. In Down the Shore he is a sad, lonely man disappointed in what life has handed him and yet powerless to change anything. The bleak setting of the shore in winter, a broken down amusement park and the tiny run down houses (although the house weirdly gets bigger and nicer as the film goes on), produce an almost claustrophobic feeling to the film. Everyone before has said it..its beautifully acted and filmed. But afterwards I kept asking myself questions in the plot that were never fully explained. I gave it an 8 because it's a beautiful well crafted film...but flawed.
kastellos
I fully admit my tastes are different from the norm. How IMDb reviewers can rate this film at 5.8 while giving such junk as Snatch and all that horrible Tarantino crap (Django Unchained 8.5 ?????, Grindhouse 7.7 ????, Dusk to Dawn 7.3 ????, etc.) such high scores is amazing.This film is slow, but is very well acted, especially by Gandolfini, Janssen and Magaro. The story at first seems "pushed" but soon as the characters are developed you come to see these as real people with real issues (unlike the nonsense of most all of Tarantino's junk). Although slow, the plot moves along well and ends with a nice conclusion. Lastly, the cinematography develops the mood of the film and the dying (at least in winter) of the old Jersey shore perfectly.If you have to see multiple senseless killings with a 100+ decibel score, then skip this film, but if you want to see a well acted film about people, then I recommend Down the Shore.
MattyGibbs
Down the Shore is a small drama that soars way above your expectations. It concerns 3 childhood friends living in a small town whose lives are thrown into turmoil when a stranger comes to visit. It takes it time to set up the premise by which time you get to know the characters involved. With a smart script, it sucks you in and you quickly get involved in the lives of the characters. It never goes where you think it will and the acting throughout is just superb by all members of the talented cast. The sadly deceased James Gandolfino puts in a towering performance as a man tortured by the past. There is a melancholy air throughout the film accentuated by a sparse and bleak landscape. This is an intelligent film that deserves a much wider audience and is well worth seeking out.
RNMorton
I guess since his passing I've appreciated James Gandolfini more than before, I wasn't a Soprano guy but I really enjoyed him as Mayor of NYC in the remade Taking of Pelham 123. That's why I watched this obscure little flick. He plays the manager of a tiny amusement park in one of the strangest beach areas you've ever seen. More than anything I'm fascinated by the shooting location, undoubtedly on the ocean but with city views out in the distance (in fact Keansburg NJ is across Raritan Bay from Perth Amboy and within view of lower Manhattan). Since the story occurs in the winter, the physical back drop is even more depressed by the season. James is affected by the death of his sister, who knowing she had cancer goes to France, marries a man, and leaves him one half of the house she shared with James. Does she do this because she knows he will be good for James? Your guess is as good as mine. I was drawn partially into this movie, enough to watch it through but not enough to highly recommend it for anything but die-hard JG fans. P.S. I have since visited Keansburg and Kiddie Land and it looks just like it does on the screen.