I just saw the movie. Very impressive really. I never expected this much of De Vito. I made an earlier post a week ago that "...if he spoke Italian he could be a contender for a mid-age Don Vito....." except he'd be a very short Don Vito (no offence Dan)

Guess what, he spoke Italian in Hoffa.

I understood that Jimmy Hoffa was a real-life character. Does anyone know which Family he was affiliated with?

Yeah, on the top-ten list subject I put it among my top ten. It got shallow reviews because we didnt see apparently enough of Jimmy Hoffa's personal life, and that the camera work was icy (such as when we see the riot breaking out and there is an arial shot - which in my opinion was very well shot). I thought it was very good, especially with flashbacks and of course Armand Assante makes turns in pleasant performance as a mob lord.
Nicholson's acting was top notch, and I found the Devito character was loyal and true to his position as Hoffa's lackie. Anyway, I recommend it but sadly it was not made into dvd (at least not according to amazon.com) so will have to use the vhs

Btw, you asked what family he was affiliated with. I dont know that he was, if you remember at the start of the film the mob boss says to Danny in Italian "give me one reason why I shouldnt take him out in the alley and break his legs". Then after DeVito explains this to Hoffa, he says "tell him to get me some coffee and i'll talk to him". Although he may have made peace with the mob, I dont think he was part of the family. As president of the Teamsters unions, he extorted money like a racket (and without having to do kickups to anyone since he was president), unfortunately one of his aides testified against him, and he was sent to prison. President Nixon gave him a pardon on the condition that he would pull out of the teamsters and the race for presidency, and it was left in the hands of a close friend (played by J.T Walsh). Apparently in the film (and in real life i'm guessing) Hoffa never agreed to this and even says "if i'd have known, i'd have never agreed to it". The funniest part comes when he says he wants "Walsh's arms shoved up his ass" ;). Excellent acting by Nicholson.

[ August 31, 2001: Message edited by: Joey Montana ]

[ September 01, 2001: Message edited by: Joey Montana ]

James R. Hoffa did NOT extort money. What he did was this; being on the Pension Fund Board, he, along with the others, agreed to make LEGAL loans to build hotels in Las Vegas. The Teamsters charged interest on these loans, PERFECTLY LEGAL, and in essence he and the board made money for the members pension fund. What probably happened is that he was paid a fee on top of the interest paid and made some $$ for himself. This was NEVER proven. When Mr. Hoffa was sentenced to prison, this whole country was on the verge of being shut down. EVERY Teamster member accross this country was ready to stop all trucking, walk off thier jobs, and literally cripple this country! Mr. James R. Hoffa sent a taped message to EVERY Local in the Teamsters Union telling them of his appreciation of thier support, but that they should NOT do anything illegal by wildcat striking, etc. on his part. The whole thing in a nutshell was this; The Kennedys did not like the fact that James Hoffa was more powerful and more liked then they were. Hoffa at one point was more Powerful then the President of the U.S.A.! The Kenneedys despised this power and set out on a witch hunt for Hoffa and the Teamsters! Makes me laugh that they wanted to tie Hoffa to organized crime in the worst way. Hell, John F. Kennedy would have never been President of the U.S.A. were it not for his father begging for and getting the support of the same mobsters and unions that Robert would later on try to tie Hoffa with! Joseph Kennedy made the Kennedy fortune through Bootlegging, running and doing business with mobsters! What hypocrites! Hoffa did some illegal things, but I'll tell you this, HE NEVER screwed the working man! Always made money for the unions, and got record wage increases for his members! As for his pardon by Nixon, well Frankie Fitzsimmons, who Hoffa appointed to act as Teamster President, was actually more "leniant" with the "boys". Because of this the "Boys" did NOT want Hoffa back in office. So Fitzsimmons made a deal with Nixon, to pardon Hoffa on the grounds that he would NEVER return as President of the teamsters! This part of the deal was done without Hoffa knowledge. When Hoffa finally was pardoned and found out about this part of the deal, he was appealing in courts, etc., and was on the verge of having that part of the deal declared illegal. In other words it lookd as though Hoffa would win his appeals, and be right back in as President. This probably upset Fitz and his "Associates" and eventually, Hoffa mysteriously " Dissappeared!

Don Cardi

Very interesting information.

"...I don't need $300 Million Dollars and my elected brother to wipe your @$$..." (Hoffa to Bob Kenedy)

Honestly though, I saw some scenes after the movie (added by Danny De Vito) regarding the trial of Hoffa. And you'd be surprised that it was word-for-word as the movie. I didn't expect Hoffa to be so in-control and astute.

Danny De Vito is very underrated as an actor, IMO. His height does limit his roles, though, unfortunately.

I think Hoffa is a great film. Tin Men is on my personal top ten list

I agree.....I've seen DeVito in a variety of roles, and he can handle any one well. His forte is, of course, comedy, but his dramatic acting is a wonder to watch.

If you haven't seen him in "Renaissance Man" (as a teacher to some soldiers), I'd recommend it!

[ September 04, 2001: Message edited by: SC ]

SC,

Rennisance Man, definatley one of my favorite DeVito films!


Don Cardi

I love that movie! I suspect you noticed that the kid from "A Bronx Tale" has a large part in it (I love that scene when he quotes Shakespeare in the rain).