Based on the director’s memoir of the same name, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints examines a writer’s childhood in 1980s Astoria, where a subway ride to Manhattan seemed like a betrayal of the neighborhood and a move to California caused a 20-year rift. Thankfully, the film transcends its coming-of-age designation with characters and relationships so convincing they seemed plucked from a Queens street corner 20 years ago, yet are still recognizable today.
Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LeBeouf play Dito at different stages of life, and do so convincingly enough that the transition is seamless. While character-driven, the film offers interesting and unpredictable plot developments along with a universally appealing coming-of-age drama; all of which is set against a gritty urban background punctuated by natural, comfortable dialogue.
Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LeBeouf play Dito at different stages of life, and do so convincingly enough that the transition is seamless. While character-driven, the film offers interesting and unpredictable plot developments along with a universally appealing coming-of-age drama; all of which is set against a gritty urban background punctuated by natural, comfortable dialogue.
