Despite his renown as the hapless and hilarious burglar Harry in Home Alone, Joe Pesci is actually known for playing tough, violent characters. Getting his start in a string of Martin Scorsese films, notably Raging Bull and Goodfellas, Pesci has an incredible on-screen presence.
He is a talented actor, and his facial expressions, either of exasperation or pain, have become the stuff of legend. But, with more than thirty films under his belt, the first launching as far back as 1980, you might be wondering which of Pesci’s films are his best (and which are his worst). Here are the 5 best and worst Pesci movies, according to the hallowed Tomatometer.
Worst: With Honors, Score: 17%
In this ‘94 drama, Pesci plays a homeless man named Simon. When a graduate student (played by Brendon Fraser) loses his thesis, it is to his immense surprise (and frustration) to find it in Simon’s hands. The two get off to a rocky start but quickly become unlikely friends, with Simon ‘selling’ back the pages of the thesis one-at-a-time, in exchange for food and shelter.
The biggest problem with this movie is that it was very formulaic - everything melded seamlessly together, often leaving the cruel authenticities of street life behind. Regardless, Pesci shines as the bearded street-smart mentor; without him, the movie would have been much worse.
Best: My Cousin Vinny, Score: 86%
In one of the greatest comedies of all time, Joe Pesci plays an inexperienced lawyer (Vinny) who must, in his first-ever case, prove his cousin’s innocence. Through an unlucky series of coincidences, Vinny’s cousin Bill and his friend Stan are accused of murder in an Alabama town.
Facing execution, Vinny has to quickly learn to navigate court procedures, all while fabricating a lie around his true identity, and, at the same time, proving the boys’ innocence. Thoroughly unforgettable, timelessly enjoyable, Pesci shines as an arrogant, yet down-to-earth New Yorker.
Worst: Love Ranch, Score 13%
Written to loosely follow true events, Love Ranch follows Grace and Charlie Bontempo (Hellen Miren and Joe Pesci), as they open the first legal brothel in Nebraska in the 70s.
Pesci shines in a familiar role; Charlie is a toughened criminal and is responsible for placing bribes and looking intimidating. Yet, the fact remains that this is just a strange, empty story, that we all could have done without.
Best: Raging Bull, Score 94%
In this grim, yet well-told story, Pesci stars alongside Robert DeNiro, who plays a middleweight boxer (Jake LaMotta) on-the-rise. But his boxing career is marred by an inner rage and inability to properly communicate with those people most important in his life.
His wife leaves him, and, through a rare ability to display a sense of charm, LaMotta falls in love with a girl from the Bronx. But their marriage is soon scarred by verbal and physical abuse, and the arguments between the boxing champ and his brother (Pesci) are terrifying to witness. Incredibly far removed from My Cousin Vinny, Raging Bull is dark and hard to watch, yet still granted Pesci a well-deserved Oscar.
Worst: 8 Heads In A Duffel Bag, Score 11%
In this screwball comedy, Pesci stars as a gangster who has just killed 8 rival mobsters, the heads of which he has placed in his duffel bag.
But, when the bag is accidentally switched with one belonging to a medical student at an airport, Pesci must find his original bag, all while the medical student Charlie must deal with the consequences of carrying around 8 severed heads. Pesci is the best part of this macabre film; it often comes close to being funny, but always seems to fall short.
Best: Goodfellas, Score 96%
Another Scorsese masterpiece, Goodfellas is a straight and simple mob story. Once again, Pesci stars alongside Robert DeNiro, this time as gangster Tommy DeVito.
The film focuses on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), whose deepest ambition is to rise in the ranks of the mob. Filled with twists and moral complexities, Goodfellas is one of the greatest mob movies of all time; again, Pesci is more than deserving of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Worst: Gone Fishin’, Score 4%
A comedy quite unlike the bulk of Pesci’s work, Gone Fishin’ follows two best friends Joe and Gus (Danny Glover) who win a fishing trip to Florida. They quickly head out on the road, but encounter a variety of disastrous encounters, as their car is stolen by a conman.
They quickly team up with two young women who have also been conned, and the four give chase to the conman, encountering hurricanes, explosions, and catastrophe at every turn. At its best, the movie might make you laugh. But it is definitely a ‘silly’ comedy; with funny situations arising from strange behavior and random situations. Pesci has done much better than this.
Best: The Irishman, Score 96%
After being coaxed out of retirement, Pesci reluctantly took a role in another Scorsese mob movie, once again, starring alongside Robert DeNiro. The 3 and a half-hour Netflix original tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a World War II veteran, and ex-mafia hitman. The film combines organized crime with politics, immersing us in the mob wars of the ’60s.
But, though the star power in this film dazzles, Pesci somehow shines brightest in a role that is both familiar and vastly different than any he has yet played. Here, Pesci is a mentor, businessman, and killer. Yet he is contained, more in control than we have yet seen. He is the one pulling the strings - here, Pesci is neither hilarious nor physically brutal. And he is mesmerizing for it.
Worst: The Super, Score 0%
In this ‘91 comedy, Joe Pesci plays a slumlord who fails to make certain necessary repairs to his New York City tenement. The consequence of his negligence is a sentence to live in one of his units for 120 days, at the end of which he will go to jail (if repairs have still not been made).
After encounters with giant rats and freezing nights, he begins to have a change of heart - the only problem is that he doesn’t have the money to make the repairs. Like all of Pesci’s worst films, the only redeeming aspect of this movie is him. But even Joe Pesci is not enough to lift this movie off the tarmac.
Best: A Bronx Tale, Score 97%
A legendary ’90s film, this movie once again stars Robert DeNiro alongside Joe Pesci. It tells the story of a boy growing up on the streets of the Bronx, who is taken in by the local mobster, Sonny.
Pesci takes the role of Carmine, a mobster that takes up the mafia mantle that Sonny leaves behind. Though his role is minor, few would have done better; Joe Pesci is the quintessential Italian-American gangster.
