Yonkers Joe (2009)

I'd say I'm a fan of small-time hustle movies. I like watching a good scam how-to -- it's like seeing a magic trick revealed...plus I'm easily impressed. This is a smart little scam movie that's nearly derailed by the character of the mentally challenged young-adult son of the lead (Chazz Palminteri).

For starters, he's poorly acted by Tom Guiry, who relies mostly on a Billy Bob in Sling Blade chin jut to convey his specialness. Guiry also allows his body to betray him often, most noticeably as he descends the escalator into the casino...he uses this little lazy kick-step swagger that is simply NOT the gait of a challenged man.

Secondly, he's even MORE poorly written. "You turned your back on me!" he yells into his father's face at one point. At another, he acts out how to locate a clit with his tongue. I just didn't buy it and I felt as though Palminteri's natural rhythm was thrown off every time he shared a scene with that caricature.

Without the kid: probably a B. With him:

C-