From 'Home Alone' To 'The Many Saints Of Newark': 10 Highest-Grossing Joe Pesci Films
Even in comedies, Pesci portrays a sketchy character with dangerous intent, such as in the family-comedy series, Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), starring a young Macauly Culkin. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1943, the Raging Bull actor grew up around numerous wiseguys and was acquainted with The Italian-American Mafia, which is likely what largely influenced his often tough and violent on-screen character. In addition, due to their Italian descent, Pesci has collaborated with other Italian actors like Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, and film director Martin Scorsese. Without any further delay, here are 10 of the highest-grossing movies of Joe Pesci's career.
10 Home Alone
With a reputation as one of Hollywood's original Italian bad boys, the last place anyone would've expected to see Joe Pesci was in a Christmas family comedy, especially since the movie released just a few months prior in the same year, Goodfellas, was anything but humorous...or family-friendly. However, what may not have come as a surprise to fans regarding Pesci's character in the 1990 release of Home Alone was one of the main antagonists - a thief. The movie highlights the life of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), the last child of Peter and Kate McCallister (John Heard and Catherine O'Hara) who is accidentally left alone in their suburban Chicago home after a bad headcount before the family's trip to Paris. After departing, career thieves Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) target the McCallister's house for some Christmas presents, but Kevin makes them wish they hadn't. On an $18 million budget, the film raked in a healthy $476.6 million at the box office.
9 Home Alone 2: Lost In New York
After the monumental success and positive reception from viewers from the first Home Alone installment, it was decided to produce a second film reprising all the main characters, which included the clumsy "Sticky Bandits," Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern). It's been two years since Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) had Harry and Marv arrested for robbery. Released in 1992, Home Aone 2: Lost in New York yet again shows the negligence of Kevin's parents when he mistakenly boards a plane heading for New York City while the rest of the family heads to Florida for Christmas. Kevin must rely on his cleverness and wit to survive the cold New York streets. He eventually bumps into Harry and Marv who have been released from prison, and, seeing Kevin, are craving revenge. Other celebrities involved include Tim Curry and Rob Schneider. The film grossed a little less than its original, earning $358.9 million globally.
8 Lethal Weapon 3
The year 1992 was a busy one for Joe Pesci. He has at least four movies released simultaneously in circulation, one of them being Lethal Weapon 3. As the movie title suggests, the film was the third installment of a very lucrative franchise and grossed a whopping $321.7 million against a $35 million budget. Pesci plays the role of Leo Getz, a good friend of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), who is also helping Murtaugh to sell his home as he is planning to leave the police force. The three are in pursuit of an ex-cop named Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson) who is running an illegal arms trafficking ring, who eventually gets shot by Riggs with his own armor-piercing bullets.
7 Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4 was released in 1998 as the franchise's finale, six years after the third installment, and featured many of the same actors as the previous movie series with a few additional surprises. Pesci reprised his role as Leo Getz, as did Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, respectively. This time around, Riggs is preparing for fatherhood, as his girlfriend, Lorna Cole (Rene Russo), is pregnant. Simultaneously, Murtaugh is dealing with the marriage of his daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe) to Butters (Chris Rock), a cop on the team with who she is also pregnant. All the while, they are being hunted by a ruthless Chinese Triad smuggling gang, headed by Sing Ku (Jet Li). On a budget of $100-$150 million, the action movie grossed $285.4 million at the box office.
6 Lethal Weapon 2
Although his character was not cast in the first Lethal Weapon series in 1989, Pesci has made a considerable amount of money from the subsequent movie installments he was a part of, starting with Lethal Weapon 2. He was introduced for the first time as Leo Getz, a former money launderer for dangerous drug smugglers. Getz is forced to be kept in witness protection under the care of Riggs and Murtaugh as he is being hunted for cooperating with police and leading them to South African drug smugglers Arjen Rudd (Joss Ackland) and Pieter Vorstedt (Derrick O' Connor). The dramatic film grossed $227.9 million worldwide.
5 JFK
Released in 1991, JFK is more than likely every conspiracy theorist's favorite film about the alternative possibilities surrounding the death of United States President John F. Kennedy. The drama film focuses on the investigation of the assassination of JFK, which took place on November 22, 1963, by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Cosner). It challenges the mainstream narrative suggested about Kennedy's suspected assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, as Garrison begins to make undiscovered connections to New Orleans and a private pilot named David Ferrie (Joe Pesci). His revelations go deeper, as the CIA, Secret Service, and FBI, are seen as missing pieces to the puzzle. However, his findings are rejected by the federal government, and that may be for nefarious reasons. Among the cast of characters is Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, and Tommy Lee Jones. The eye-opening film grossed $205.4 million at the box office.
4 Casino
Directed by Italian film director, Martin Scorsese, 1995's Casino was released based on Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction book, Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas - which describes true events. The film follows the life of a small-time mobster and Mafia syndicate associate, Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) who is promoted by the Chicago Mafia to head the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. After a successful turnover of profits, things seem to be looking good for Ace. But when Ace's childhood friend, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), is sent by the mob to keep things in line, his criminal activity attracts unwanted police attention. Ace then meets a beautiful ex-prostitute named Ginger (Sharon Stone) who he marries and bears a daughter with. But she also becomes a liability by maintaining a relationship with a past lover named Lester and eventually turns to drugs and alcohol. The mob bosses eventually put a hit on Nicky and his younger brother, Dominick, because of his recklessness which has now drawn FBI investigators. This classic mob movie grossed $110.4 million worldwide.
3 The Good Shephard
We see the Italian acting duo paired together again in the 2006 spy drama, The Good Shephard, directed and co-produced by Robert De Niro. The film centers on the life of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), a CIA officer who has joined the Skull and Bones secret society. He is caught in a web of passion, deception, and betrayal both in his personal love life and as a spy. He starts a relationship with a deaf student named Laura (Tammy Blanchard) but is soon seduced by Margaret "Clover" Russell (Angelina Jolie) and they have a son together named Edward Wilson Jr. (Eddie Redmayne), who also becomes a Skull and Bones member and is approached by the CIA for recruitment. After years of undercover work and exposing double agents, Edward is made the first head of counter-intelligence. This film also marked Pesci's return to the screen as a Mafia boss named Joseph Palmi after an eight-year hiatus. Against a budget of $80 million, the film grossed $100.3 million globally.
2 My Cousin Vinny
Who would've ever thought that the defiant and often ruthless Joe Pesci would be acting on the other side of the law in My Cousin Vinny? It definitely was a 360 from his role as a petty thief in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York released the same year. In a severe case of mistaken identity and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) are college students with a bright future at UCLA. After the convenience store, they have stopped at is robbed and the store clerk shot and murdered, they are charged with first-degree murder for accidentally stealing a can of tuna. Bill's mother remembers that his cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci) is an attorney, albeit only with experience as a personal injury lawyer. However, cousin Vinny surprises Bill, Stan, and his fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) by winning the case and getting the murder charges dropped. The film was a critical and financial success, grossing $52.9 million worldwide.
1 Goodfellas
If there is a movie Joe Pesci is remembered for apart from Home Alone, it's Goodfellas. Released in 1990, the biographical crime film was again directed by Martin Scorsese and based on Nicholas Pileggi's nonfiction book, Wiseguy. The film highlights the life of a young Brooklyn native named Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) who becomes enticed by the glitz, glamor, grandeur, and power of the Mafia lifestyle. Henry starts small but quickly works his way up the crime chain under the Italian crime-family capo, Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), along with Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), and gangster Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro). He meets and marries a young Jewish darling named Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco) who isn't fond of Henry's violent mob lifestyle. From robberies to millions in the cocaine business with Jimmy, he hits his prime as a self-made gangster but quickly declines due to cocaine addiction. He eventually leaves the gangster life and enrolls in the witness protection program to safeguard himself and Karen. Tommy is murdered, Paulie dies in jail, and Jimmy serves 20 years to life for murder. Goodfellas remains a classic mobster flick, grossing $47 million at the box office.
Sources: US Magazine, Roger Ebert, HistoryvsHollywood, RollingStone
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