The film Gotti was released on June 15th. Within two weeks, it had already vanished from most movie theaters. I really wondered if it could be that bad. I couldn’t resist. I had to see it for myself. It turns out, it’s not so bad. I’M KIDDING!  It was a struggle to stay awake.

Gotti is a biographical crime drama that was stuck in development hell for several years. It’s “The story of crime boss John Gotti and his son.” (IMDB) How’s that for a flat description. It’s like IMDB didn’t even want anything to do with it either. I think it’s perfect though. That’s indeed how this movie feels. It’s very flat!  John Gotti (John Travolta) breaks the fourth wall sometimes. The story also jumps around to different years and events. It really wants to be like Goodfellas. However, Goodfellas was way more entertaining. I should get smacked for even putting these two films in the same sentence.

Gotti just isn’t that compelling. While the story of John Gotti might be real, film and television have already been influenced by these events to create their own fictional stories & characters. As a result, it’s like every other mob film I’ve ever seen, but worse!  It’s cliché after cliché. You could probably make a drinking game out of how many times you hear the words “family” “boss” & “fuck”. Of course, you also can’t have a mob movie without seeing a married couple yell at each other in thick NY accents. Kelly Preston (Travolta’s wife in real life) plays Victoria Gotti. Listening to them argue is like nails on a chalkboard, & feels more like a comedic parody. I feel bad for John Travolta. You can tell he’s really trying in this roll, but it doesn’t work.

If you really want a Gotti fix. This is better!

Aside from a boring story, the settings are pretty drab. I know wood paneling was popular for walls in the 80’s, but wow! This film looks like the bulk of it was filmed at an Elks lodge, or one of those other social clubs that old people belong to.

Gotti is simply a boring cliché mobster film. When 2018 comes to a close, Gotti will no doubt be a candidate for worst film of the year.

Score: 3/10

Pros

+ great if your suffering from insomnia & looking for a way to fall asleep.

Cons

– a more boring version of every mob movie you’ve ever seen.

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Categories: Anything involving Hollywood & TV

Tags: Gotti movie, Gotti movie 2018, John Travolta as John Gotti, movie movies, quick review, wants to be like Goodfellas, worst film of 2018