When I start the film, it begins with Robert Davi telling us he directed this film in case we missed it in the credits. The Dukes were the top do-wop group in 1963. It is filmed in 2007, but they don't look over 60, and Danny (Robert Davi) has a 38 year old ex-wife. Try not to think too hard. The group is broke, can't get gigs and work at a restaurant for Aunt Vee (Miriam Margolyes). George (Chazz Palminteri) likes full figured women. The group decides they are going to rob a dental co-op of 35 pounds of low grade gold.

The film was never funny. It had humorous moments. There wasn't enough drama to be a drama, or thriller to be a thriller. It was hardly a crime movie. It lacked the cleverness of classic indie. Now having said all that, it wasn't a bad film, it just didn't feel entertained in any way after I saw it.

No f-bombs, no nudity, implied sex.

"The Dukes" is as warm-hearted -- and big-hearted -- as a movie can be.

The Dukes, a doo-wop vocal group, had a couple of hits just before the Beatles tsunami swept a great many pop groups somewhere beyond the sea.

these days there are teeth that need fixing, other health emergencies, an ex-wife and an elderly aunt who are as tired of overwork as they are of men who won't grow up, legal bills, and an expired liquor license. there's no money to pay for any of it -- and oldies are now free on the internet.

should The Dukes swallow their pride and do tacky TV commercials? or, cast aside their core values and commit a burglary? or, maybe a little of both?

in one of this film's many fine performances, Danny (producer/director/co-writer Robert Davi, whose own voice sings the lead in the final acappella number) wrestles with his conscience while arguing with his cousin George (Chazz "A Bronx Tale" Palminteri) about whether to pull off a heist.

at a backyard party hosted by the very successful new man in his ex-wife's life (and thus his young son's life as well),Danny deals with his jumble of emotions as subtly and as movingly as any work i've seen.

"The Dukes" has its share of sentimentality (it's a nostalgia movie, after all). and, like the vast majority of movies, a little less might have been a little more. but, it also has plenty of thrills and spills, ups and downs, and some gritty realism thrown in for spice.

so, what's not to like about this movie? well, to read The New York Times's mean-spirited review, you'd think that seeing "The Dukes" might expose the viewer to salmonella poisoning.

sample: "... it tastes like pasta sauce that has sat on the shelf long after the expiration date on the can."

the group's manager, Lou, is described as "{a}miscast Peter Bogdanovich". miscast? Bogdanovich is himself a former supernova director who soon became just another journeyman. it's perfect casting.

about Danny and George's salt-of-the-earth Aunt Vee: "... Miriam Margolyes, wildly overacting..." uh, this part did not call for Judy Dench; Margolyes was excellent just the way she was.

regarding several supporting actresses who have very ripe figures (as in HOT),there's this misogynistic bit of nastiness: "...grotesque, Fellini-size women..."

sad.

but, there's no need for the reader to be sad -- see this movie!

I saw The Dukes last week at the Chicago International Film Festival. I LOVED IT. I have watched a lot of classic Italian cinema and have seen American films that clearly try to capture the spirit of those films; This is the first one , in my humble opinion that DOES. It is such a charmingly, delightful , funny and heartfelt piece. The ensemble of actors play like a great Jazz band . The performances are real, nuanced, and touching. The humor comes out of human characters not hackneyed forced situations we see in a lot of films today. I laughed out loud so many times but from the humanness of the characters and situation not because of being manipulated into laughter like so many comedies. And this is the first and only film I know of that is dealing with the current economic crisis but does so not despairingly but with a message of HOPE. You will leave the theater feeling uplifted. The film was directed by Robert Davi ,this was his directorial debut and he does a fantastic job . I cannot recommend this film enough. Davi,(who also stars in the film) along with Chazz Palminteri and Peter Bogdanovich has put together a GREAT group of actors. A story for this time. Without going in depth, the film follows two cousins , Davi and Palminteri ,who are DOO -WOP singers . In the 1960s they were the biggest act around . The film takes place today and they are no longer what they once were and are trying to make ends meet. The analogies in the film are right on target. As we see the collapse of the economy and families trying to make ends meet this film speaks to those struggles of trying to redefine how we all make our living ..and survive ..I was brought to tears several times during the film some from that trieste feeling we have from life and others from a kind of joy and hope that you are left with at the end of this film