Two Bits

This 1995 American drama directed by James Foley is based on a semi-autobiographical screenplay by Joseph Stefano and transports the viewer to South Philadelphia in 1933, during the Great Depression. The story follows 12-year-old Gennaro (Jerry Barone), who lives with his widowed mother Luisa Spirito (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and his bedridden, ailing grandfather (Al Pacino). On a sweltering summer day, the grandfather longs to see a film at the new luxurious movie theater but knows he can’t go. Instead, he plans to give his last quarter — a "two bits" coin — to Gennaro so the boy can go in his place. Before doing so, however, he asks the boy to carry out one final errand involving a woman from his past. The film unfolds as a gentle journey of a child through the old city streets, filled with hope, kindness, and melancholy, and through this simple but touching situation, themes of memory, dreams, aging, and generational connection are explored. Al Pacino brings wisdom and emotional depth to the role of the grandfather, while Carter Burwell’s musical score and Juan Ruiz Anchía’s cinematography enhance the sense of nostalgia and warmth. Despite its limited release and modest commercial performance, the film leaves a lasting impression of quiet beauty and poetic tenderness.