directed by:
Joseph Pupello written by: Peter Panagos genre: Drama |
If this is where it all starts, young Bobby is in-store for a very, very long life. Born into a family that is heavily involved in organized crime, he's just a kid trying to be a kid, but that's much easier said than done. He's bringing water pistols to school that look like real guns to scare away bullies, he's experimenting with lipstick, and his best friend is black – he's essentially breaking all the long-established rules of his family without even knowing what they are yet, and he can't help getting in trouble despite his good grades. Every action he takes and decision he makes is brutally scrutinized - I know many who could relate. His mother is kind-hearted, and his father is a stone-cold killer, but he's at least lucky enough to have one cool uncle to help guide him. Ultimately, Bobby is scared even to exist when we first meet him, long before he's corrupted as an adult.
As viewers and presumably somewhat progressive thinkers, we instantly feel like we're watching a battle for Bobby's soul. When the storyline advances about a decade ahead, we know what we're witnessing, and we can only hope that this young kid we once knew can somehow find his way to the straight and narrow, even though all the odds are clearly stacked against him. He's still living at home, his father is still an incredible jerk, and it seems like Bobby's life was over long before he had any opportunity to actually live it. People have always been offering him help, and he's never even asked for it; he's just trying to discover his truth, feel comfortable in his own skin, and live the life he wants to. And so begins his training. Collecting money, shaking people down, threatening people… and violence. We know he's not cut out for this lifestyle, and it is always tough to watch someone try to force the square peg through the round hole. With that being written, pressure is also able to form diamonds, and money changes things quickly. We start to wonder how resilient Bobby can be when we see enough cash flowing around to make anyone second guess how strong their morals are. Any life would be extremely tough for Bobby if he's not able to be the person he truly is, though, and the deeper he gets into the family mob life, the further he gets away from being who he is. Forced into splitting his personality in two, we can't help but sympathize with the young kid we once knew and how difficult it is for him to find the happiness everyone deserves. As he starts to take risks, branch out and blossom, we know that the risks exponentially increase for Bobby, and we wonder how he'll find a way to survive. "Dress Code" ends up making us ask whether it's better to fear living the life you want to survive or if it's always worth the gamble to be who we truly are, no matter the risks.
I can pretty much guarantee that "Dress Code" will run much deeper than most people would expect it to. What appears to be a somewhat normal movie about the mob makes remarkable twists and turns into a very socially relevant conversation starter - that would make most folks question what life is or isn't about. It's a mobster movie for the new millennium, and it's bound to make a whole lot of people think. The acting is stellar, the script is even better, and all-in-all, I'm impressed that this movie got made given what "Dress Code" ends up being about… it's hard to get films like this onscreen, and even just ten years ago, it would have been next to impossible. Considering that, you have to look at this movie as a real testament to how far we've come in revealing the many layers of our shared humanity and how naturally complex we are. We're all beautiful in our own unique way, and even in the context of a mob film, "Dress Code" becomes a wonderful reminder of that, even as it reaches its devastating conclusions. It's got action and attitude – and you know that it will within mere seconds of the way it starts, but what you won't see coming is just how much heart there is at the core of it all. Director Joseph Pupello and writer Peter Panagos should be proud of how this story came to life onscreen and what it teaches us. This movie resonates with relevance that'll genuinely get people talking about what they see. "Dress Code" deserves four solid stars for its courageous storytelling and professional execution. Well done. |
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