Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-up Guy

By Joe Pantoliano

Book Overview

Everyone knows him as Ralph Cifaretto on the HBO hit show The Sopranos . But before Tony, Carmela, Silvio, and Dr. Melfi took Sunday-night television by storm, Joe Pantoliano was one of America's busiest actors, giving unforgettable performances in such films as Memento , The Matrix , The Fugitive , and Risky Business . Now, the street-smart kid who grew up in Sinatra's hometown shares the stage with the eccentric and colorful wise guys from his family and neighborhood. Fade in on the projects of Hoboken, New Jersey, during the fifties and sixties. That's little Joey, running numbers with his chain-smoking mother, Mary, so they can keep a roof over their heads. When he wasn't busy staying one step ahead of the bill collectors, he was learning the ropes from "Cousin" Florie: his "stepfather" and a wise guy whose connections to the Genovese family couldn't keep him out of jail for drug trafficking. Then there was Joey's real father, "Monk," a factory worker with a weakness for gambling at the track who was later reborn as a hearse chauffeur for the local funeral parlor. With a winning blend of humor, charm, and pure showmanship, Pantoliano tells it like it was. From a connected Jersey street kid to a successful Hollywood actor who would, ironically, re-create his wise-guy boyhood in role after role, Who's Sorry Now is an irresistibly entertaining treat for anyone interested in this true-life "Soprano" and a real stand-up guy.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525946772
• ISBN13: 9780525946779
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Dutton / Penguin
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.1" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Making it a love story

My brother got me this as a birthday gift - not something I would have bought myself. I figured it was one of those books where someone is cashing in on their current fame. It wasn't - it is an inner glimpse at a totally disfunctional family that I couldn't put down. Joey Pants was always one of those actors you love to hate - after reading this I can see where he got his inspiration - his nutsy Mommy (I have to admit I get a little uneasy reading about a guy in his 50's who still refers to his mother as Mommy). From this I have great admiration for Joey now - it is amazing what he overcame - the very things that would have caused most people to give up and accept their existance - inspired him to seek a better life. Anyone wishing to see the day-to-day live of a Goomba growing up in Jersey should grab this - a great read!

Family Life -- the Bad and the Beautiful

Joey Pants' memoir is more than a great read about a celebrity -- it is an exploration of the lower depths and blissful heights of family life. The particular family described is Italian American, but anyone of any ethnic background who has survived and flourished in spite of, or even because of, a dysfunctional family will find its message universal.

Amazing Career, Amazing Person

My first introduction to Joe Pantoliano was in the classic film La Bamba in 1987 when he played the real life character of Bob Kean (Kuhn). My next introduction to Joe Pantoliano was the even more classic film of Midnight Run with Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin and here we are 15 years later and I see Mr. Pantoliano in just about every decent movie worth watching and to top it off we see him join the ONLY TV SHOW worth watching,(The Soprano's). The bottom line is Mr. Pantoliano is a well gifted man who comes from an amazing background and his story is well told with David Evanier who wrote Making the Wiseguys Weep (The Jimmy Rosselli Story). Thank you Mr. Pantoliano for your career, it is well worth following.

Take a walk thru Hoboken with "Joey Pants"

Let's face it...as much as we hate Ralphie Cifaretto...you gotta love Joe Pantoliano...what a great story...In a world where most actors are caught up in their own self-importance, Joey is a down-to-earth "stand up guy."The book made me wish I was Italian!

Joey Pants is the real deal. This book rocks.

Ok, I may be biased. I was a fan of Joey Pants from way back but the truth is this book is a great read. I loved it. You can read an excerpt at his website if you want to check it out before buying - i did. [web page address] - cheers and enjoy.