If there's a new Martin Scorsese movie, and it's about the mob, and it stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, and it's called 'The Irishman,' well, sure, you can wait until November 27th when it premieres on Netflix.
But then again, you can see it on a big screen, at an ornate Broadway theater called the Belasco, on West 44th Street in Manhattan. And that's what I did last Saturday. And I loved it. Loved every minute of it. Loved De Niro as Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino, and a supporting cast that includes Ray Romano, Sebastian Maniscalco, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons and a whole lot more. The film runs for three-and-a-half hours, but I didn't think it was too long at all.
Down in the lower lobby, you can step into an old phone booth and watch a preview of the film. You can pick up a lobby photo card or you can snag a real collector's item -- a copy of a mock newspaper called 'The Irishman Daily,' dated August 1, 1975. There's even a crossword inside the eight-page paper.
If you go, avoid the balcony. The sightlines are less than spectacular. Try to get a seat in the orchestra or mezzanine. The film plays like a Broadway show, with eight screenings a week, no Mondays. There is no Playbill and no intermission.
'The Irishman' is a movie like a movie oughta be, and seeing it at the Belasco is how going to the movies oughta be.
Nancy Coleman has a piece in the New York Times all about 'The Irishman' at the Belasco.