User reviews

Johnny Montana is a wild child with a heart of pure gold. He is young and ambitious with the entire world laid out before him. As he progresses through life, he finds most of the world stuck in a stupor, busy chasing something no one will ever have enough of. Around him no one seems truly happy as he states "Everyone's so caught up in making money,[...] no one thinks about what they really wanna do", he begins his journey to find what happiness means for himself. His quest puts him on quite the journey of self discovery as one opportunity taken leads to a path of self definition, destruction, and redemption. Throughout his endeavor he learns who he is for himself and who he can actually be. This is a story for every young person to learn that the important thing in life is to maintain yourself and your own definition of happiness, even if the road to that is a bit more lackluster than initially perceived. Taking place in New York City, this film features many notable areas New Yorkers will recognize and appreciate, from the inner city's most notable skyscrapers, to the suburban streets of Brooklyn. The Cinematography is perfect for maintaining a late 80's to early 90's vibe, in light of its 21st Century induction, which adds an element of nostalgia to the overall feature. The soundtrack appears only when necessary to drive the scenes forward, and each track is fitting to the harmony of a moment at hand. The cast portrays real people dealing with real situations, in a way that relates directly to the struggles each viewer may have encountered in their own lives. Johnny Montana is a story about all of us. Personally, this movie inspired me to live a more fulfilling life. Living in a congested urban area had driven me to believe having enough money was the most important aspect of sustaining life. After watching John D. Gavins film, I personally feel the biggest message is to go after what you want with full intentions. Seeing Johnny Montana as a struggling dreamer, defining his own success resonates with me. His fearlessness in taking opportunities, while doing what he feels is needed to sustain his life is influential. There are many sacrifices in the line of making money, and Johnny's display a divide involved in making money and having quality time with those you care for. Overall this film is great. The writing is solid, soundtrack is fitting, and the story is highly relatable. Each character has a memorable trait that will stay with you. Over the span of a year, Johnny Montana dynamically changes, from a young man with no sense of the real world to a man who knows he needs to find who he really is in his life. One of the most relatable stories to any young adult looking to find a perception of the world that works for them, is this film. Personally I am considering this film a classic for reasons such as; its replayability, the nature of the soundtrack, its nostalgic vibe, the fluidity from scene to scene and the consistently fitting actor portrayals. I highly recommend watching this film, then watching it again.

I was fortunate enough to view Johnny Montana at the San Francisco Indie Festival, and was totally blown away by it. Rarely have I seen a more authentic depiction of New York City, in both the visual shots of city locations, or in the characters portrayed in the film. Having grown up in New York, I have known many similar people as those in this film, and I can say with complete certainty that these are the most authentic NYC characters I have ever seen on film. Films such as Pope of Greenwich Village, Mean Streets, and Lords of Flatbush pale in comparison with Johnny Montana when it comes to capturing the grittiness and realism of the city. I was also impressed with the music in this film, which effectively draws you into the story and holds you transfixed until the very end.

To sum up, if you love films, see Johnny Montana. It will restore your faith in film as art.

I hate movies that build up to a complex dilemma, and then just end, with no resolution. I liked the movie until the ending. Johnny's girlfriend Laura is believable as a Brooklyn girl. I'd say more about Johnny and her, but I don't want to be a spoiler.

A movie can lose my attention in about 60 seconds and not only did that not happen but I rented it for 7 days and best believe I am watching it again. I got intrigued by it in the one minute it had to impress me. The acting was good by the main character and supporting characters. Everyone must contribute the story and boy do I hate when characters are unnecessarily thrown into scenes for movie watchers to do their cell phone checks. In other words this movie kept to its premise by making sure every ingredient was necessary for the end product. A lot emotions got tugged on in this movie. You could not help analyzing Johnny ' s character and thinking " he reminds me of ..." and I either hated him or I liked that guy. The movie got you thinking what's this whole meaning of working to pay bills and fulflling everyone else's thoughts about what you should be doing and who you should be. What we really want is someone to love and others to love us back. It's got comedy, thought provoking self digging moments, sadness. It's short but powerful movie. Great script. Good acting. Two thumbs up. Hope we see another one from him...

Very true, so authentic that if you look closely you can see the rat droppings stuck to their cheeks when they roll out of bed!! This is true NYC no doubt