Paradise Alley

PG

1978

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

List

40%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

44%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

The Carboni brothers -- con man Cosmo (Sylvester Stallone), disabled war veteran Lenny (Armand Assante) and dim-witted Victor (Lee Canalito) -- are determined to leave the slums of New York City. Their best escape route is the muscle-bound Victor, whom a manipulative Cosmo convinces to become a professional wrestler. The wins and prize money pile up, until neighborhood gangster Stitch wants in on the action, scheduling Victor to fight the dangerous Frankie the Thumper in a marathon match.

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Fernando Trueba

El Pais (Spain)

The setting, the excellent cinematography, and sense of humor makes us forgive Sylvester Stallone's many excesses. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

Rated: 2/5

Jan 9, 2007

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Jul 28, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 1/5

Jun 12, 2005

Full Review

Scott Weinberg

DVDTalk.com

Equal parts unintentionally hilarious, unbearably earnest, and shamelessly derivative.

Rated: 2/5

May 10, 2005

Full Review

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Audience Member

It's an ambitious move for Stallone, and I can't really say he succeeded. It's not as bad as it's reputation, but man oh man is it cheesy. But once you adjust your expectations, which should be easy enough after that hilariously bad song in the opening, sung by Stallone himself, you should enjoy yourself enough with this Rocky retread in a wrestling ring. It's an absurd trip to take, but I had a good time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/17/19

Full Review

Audience Member

HOW MUCH ICE TODAY?!?!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

camille l

Pour sa première réalisation, Sylvester Stallone écrit, réalise, joue le premier rôle et chante la chanson principale de Paradise Alley. Autant vous dire qu'il y a bien trop de casquettes pour celui qui sort de Rocky et semble avoir tenté de faire la même chose avec le catch. Malheureusement trop souvent schématique et absurdement lent, Paradise Alley ne vaut que pour Stallone acteur, qui en fait des caisses comme d'habitude à l'époque. Frank McRae et Armand Assante sont de solides seconds rôles, tandis que la musique de Bill Conti est étrangement toute en retenue.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

From the beginning we knew it was going to be a film that's never going to take itself seriously as we have Stallone singing the soundtrack in the opening scene, As for the film well it's directed, Written by Stallone and Rocky was still fresh in 87 and you can tell that it was a big influence, apart from it's about wrestling not boxing and Stallone is the trainer, He trains his brother who like Rocky is not the sharpest tool in the shed but is good at what he does and has a big heart, The whole film just felt like a wrestling remake of Rocky, It starts very slow but soon picks up when the fights start, As for the fights they were pretty well done, My only problem was there was the cringe worthy humour thrown in that sometimes was funny but most just silly that kind of ruind parts of the film, Overall it's underrated and yet another film Stallone deserves credit for but won't be remembered for it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I ain't nobody's fart catcher. Three Italian brothers are surviving by any means necessary in Hell's Kitchen. One brother survives through brute strength, one by being a con artist, and one as an underground physician. The brothers work together to try and build up the strong brother's confidence to win a wrestling match and take down a rival. "It's my monkey, grease-ball." "It may look like you, but it doesn't belong to you." Sylvester Stallone, director of Rocky II, III, IV; Rambo; Rocky Balboa; Staying Alive; Expendables; and the upcoming Rambo: The Last Blood, delivers Paradise Alley. The storyline for this had a great beginning but then trails off when it focuses on the wrestling match over the family in the slums storyline. The acting was okay and the cast includes Stallone, Anne Archer, Lee Canalito, Armand Assante, Kevin Conway, and Tom Waits. "You fishing for a compliment or something." "Yeah." "I'll mail it to you." I grabbed this off Netflix since I never heard of it as I enjoy most Stallone pictures. The bar setting was very cool and well done and the script was pretty clever; but unfortunately, this takes a Meatballs direction. I wish they stuck to the bar setting and plot, a little like Bar Fly. Overall, this could have been a good film but falls short. "A flying rat!" Grade: D

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

brilliant film classic Stallone film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

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Sylvester Stallone

Director

Sylvester Stallone

Cosmo Carboni

Armand Assante

Lenny Carboni

Lee Canalito

Victor Carboni

Frank McRae

Big Glory

Anne Archer

Annie

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Synopsis

The Carboni brothers -- con man Cosmo (Sylvester Stallone), disabled war veteran Lenny (Armand Assante) and dim-witted Victor (Lee Canalito) -- are determined to leave the slums of New York City. Their best escape route is the muscle-bound Victor, whom a manipulative Cosmo convinces to become a professional wrestler. The wins and prize money pile up, until neighborhood gangster Stitch wants in on the action, scheduling Victor to fight the dangerous Frankie the Thumper in a marathon match.

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Producer: Edward R. Pressman
Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone
Production Co: Force Ten Productions Inc.
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 49m

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