Dress Code movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Dress Code

This dramatic movie released in selected theaters on July 8, 2023.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 48 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film was directed by Joseph Pupello. Congratulations to him on his directorial debut! Writing credits go to Peter Panagos.

Bobby Russo was born into a life of organized crime. From early on, he learned many lessons from his family including: Loyalty, Respect, and Honor. He learned secrets can be dangerous. All grown up, Bobby now realizes that the most dangerous secrets are his own.

This movie review is a long time coming! The lead actor, Gerard Garilli, invited me to watch this movie several months ago, but three of my parents were dying at the same time and my life was spinning. So, thank you for your patience, Gerard!

THINGS I LIKED:

While the movie is a low-budget indie, it doesn’t feel like it. Great directing! Joseph Pupello has already won two “Best First-time Filmmaker” awards!
The cast includes Gerard Garilli, Freddie Maas, Frank Osso, Maria Marinaro, Alex Di Trolio, Nicholas Giordano, and so many more.
This isn’t the typical gangster movie you’d expect.
I asked Gerard to send me some little-known fun facts about the film and here are a few of the ones he sent me!

Fun Facts:

They shot this in 22 days in the winter of 2021 & 2022 in New Jersey with just one day of reshoots in June of 2022. The pandemic definitely affected the entire production schedule.
Peter (the writer) & Joseph (the director) grew up together in Staten Island & are best friends. They are the founders of their production company “Oh Well Productions.”
To portray Bobby Russo, actor Gerard Garilli had a lot of character inspiration from Tom Wilkinson’s character in the movie Normal.
They shot the film “gorilla-style.” Certain local owners were very accepting of letting us use their place of business for shooting
It took a whole year to find the actor of Young Bobby Russo. They posted a Facebook ad for casting and ended up finding the actor a week before production started
On the first night of shooting, they shot behind a warehouse in Cedar Grove, NJ late at night. An alarm went off so the entire crew & actors had to find another location nearby.
Actors Gerard Garilli, Kevin Williamson & Peter Panagos all worked alongside in the feature film Hard Laughter which is now on Amazon Prime Video!
Gerard Garilli gave his mom, father & sisters cameos in the film!
Actor Gerard Garilli had actor Eddie Socienski really hit him in order to get the emotion out for Bobby’s character!
All the actors were either from New Jersey or New York. They really wanted this project to feel like a true, gritty east-coast film.
Actor Freddie Maas worked with Peter Panagos & Joseph Pupello in their first film Love in a Coffee Shop
Actor/Producer Gerard Garilli & writer Peter Panagos met in 2013 at Golden Door International Film Festival where both of their first films were screening. Those films are Fratello & Love in Coffee Shop.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

SOOOOOO many F-bombs.
Some of the editing was choppy.
Some of the blood and makeup look super fake.
The timeline moves back and forth which might confuse some viewers.
Many of the actors speak super fast so it’s hard to understand what everyone says. That’s common with new actors.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This is NOT an appropriate movie for kids.
A teenager pulls a gun on some other teens.
We see parents argue and treat each other disrespectfully.
A teenage boy puts on makeup.
Tons of racial slurs against a variety of races, religions, and cultures
Homophobia and offensive terms are used for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
An adult gives a teen a beer. They both admit it tastes terrible. When the teen asks how people can drink it, the uncle explains, “It makes the days go by.”
A lot of alcohol is consumed.
Profanity, including many F-bombs
A man dresses up as a woman and joins others doing the same in a bar.

THEMES:

Identity
Belonging
Family
Women’s Fashion
Abuse
Mafia
Loyalty
Secrets
Choices
Happiness
Duty
Friendship
Brotherhood

FUNNY LINES:

“I hear jealousy leads to receding hairlines.” – Bobby Russo (Gerard Garilli)

INTERESTING LINES:

“He’s got a good heart and he’s smart. What else does he need?” – Uncle Rocco Russo (Frank Osso)
“You honor your father. Always.” – Uncle Rocco Russo (Frank Osso)
“You people think that if someone’s behavior is strange, then they’re strange.” – Joyce Russo (Alex Di Trolio)
“You don’t ever have to be ashamed for who you want to be.” – Bobby Russo (Gerard Garilli)