The Florentine

The regulars at a shot-and-a-beer bar in a decaying working-class town are the focus of Nick Stagliano's drama The Florentine. Michael Madsen plays Whitey, who owns a bar called The Florentine where most of the guys he knows hang out. His sister Molly (Virginia Madsen, Michael's real life sister) is ...more

There are "big" movies and there are "small" movies, and The Florentine is of the latter category. No elaborate special effects, no expensive studio stars, no exotic locations, but one thing the film does have is a big heart. Gritty to a fault, The Florentine captures the everyday lives of everyday blue-collar people down to the stench of the beer on the floor of the titular corner pub. The various tightly wound subplots keep things interesting -- especially Jim Belushi's too smooth con -- but ...more