Vincent Gallo

Christina Ricci

Ben Gazzara

Anjelica Huston

Rosanna Arquette

Jan-Michael Vincent

Kevin Corrigan

Mickey Rourke

Kevin Pollak

Alex Karras

John Sansone

Manny Fried

John Rummel

Bob Wahl

Penny Wolfgang

Anthony Mydcarz

Michael Maciejewski

Jack Claxton

Dominic Telesco

Carl Marchi

Kim Krah

Julius Digennaro

Terry Braunstein

Jack Hunter

Norma Gelose

Jamie King

Janel King

Joey Giambra

Alison Bagnall

Chris Hanley

Lance Acord

Curtiss Clayton

Lynn Campbell

Michael Kriston

Rachel Kregal

Gideon Ponte

James Chinlund

Jeanne Develle

Alexis Scott

Rick Ash

Hamilton Sterling

Michael Paseornek

Jeff Sackman

Toshiaki Ozawa

Hilary Schroeder

Catherine Gore

Jordan Gertner

Deborah Brock

John Dunning

André Link

Jennifer Gerould

Michaelangelo Bolla

John Clemens

Brian Miksis

Janet Gallo

Lauren Buckley

Timothy Wayne Peternel

Josephine Colangelo

Anthony Fantuzzo

Marie Morreale

Adam Greenhaus

Avram Butch Kaplan

Allen Hartz

Thom Brennan

Robert Pfeffer

Gino Nix

Tim Oravetz

Drama

Romance

Comedy

Buffalo '66

Gray Daisy Films

Muse Productions

United States of America

Mostly tedious, but Ricci is adorable, “Heart of the Sunrise” is featured and the message is potent

An angry sad sack (Vincent Gallo) is released after five years in prison near Buffalo and proceeds to kidnap a cute girl at a ballet studio (Christina Ricci). She surprisingly agrees to go along with the charade of being his wife to fool his nutty parents. His sole ambition seems to be to kill a field goal kicker for the Bills who let him down five years earlier. Anjelica Huston, Mickey Rourke, Jan-Michael Vincent and Rosanna Arquette have brief roles.

“Buffalo ’66” (1998) is an offbeat indie written & directed by its star, Gallo. I only know him from Coppola’s “Tetro” (2009) where he proved to have an almost Brando-like charisma (I said “almost”). Ricci is one of the highlights here as she’s petite, voluptuous and adorable. Unfortunately, most of the episodes in the story could’ve been cut by one-third or even one-half. As it is, they become tedious, such as the loong segment at the parent’s house. But the final act wins the day with Yes’ “Heart of the Sunrise” placed strategically and a profound moral about the power of uncompromising love to change a piece of sheet.

The film runs 1 hour, 50 minutes and was shot in Buffalo, New York, and surround areas (Gowanda, Lackawanna and Woodlawn).

GRADE: C+/B-

CinemaSerf

"Billy" (Vincent Gallo) gets let out of prison and promises to bring his new wife to meet his mother. An hasty promise for two reasons. First - well, he hasn't actually got a wife and second - he is desperate to pee. Intent on sorting out the latter problem, he encounters "Layla" (Christina Ricci) whom he promptly thinks can solve his other problem, so he frog marches her to her car and hopes that she - by now at gunpoint - will agree to help him out. Risky strategy, that! Can it work out for him? Well what now follows is an entertainingly quirky road movie that sees the two gradually bond whilst we learn about both of their rather complicated pasts. It's not just his mother (Angelica Huston) that he wants to visit; he also has a score to settle with a bookie (Mickey Rourke) but maybe, just maybe, his new companion might adjust his priorities? This is a well paced, intimate movie and there is a good, almost magnetic, dynamic between Gallo and Ricci. The story is lively and engaging offering us an offbeat love story that is, though maybe a touch predictable, based more on two characterful performances rather than cheesy sentiment (of which there is none!) and gooey love scenes as they head for their own kind of redemption. Coffee and doughnuts anyone?

English

BUFFALO 66 w/ actor Kevin Corrigan and Bob Byington

Buffalo 66 Trailer