Recensioni degli utenti

No wonder why this is still remembered as one of the best-written TV shows ever. The realistic, unvarnished approach to the mob's lifestyle is clearly inspired by films like "GoodFellas" (with which it shares a few cast members), but "The Sopranos" is surrounded by an aura of melancholy, cynicism, and sarcasm that cannot be found anywhere else. It starts off as some kind of offbeat comedy about a depressed Mafia Boss in a dysfunctional family, but you can notice that things are getting gloomier and gloomier as time goes by. Surely many things happen along the way, but it looks like it's always about the people more than the events. The writers keep teasing us for years about things that eventually never happen, but when it's someone's time to go, they are suddenly out, without offering dramatic build-ups or drawing any conclusions whatsoever. Today you are here, tomorrow you are not. That's it. It's a fascinating yet disorienting approach for us television literates. The characters and their stories are realistic in their mediocrity, but you always get the feeling that you are watching something sophisticated and cinematic.

The first few seasons are definitely more entertaining and offer more payoff for the audience, but the writing and performances are incredibly consistent throughout. It's never particularly engaging, but never disappointing either. After all, we are talking about the show that turned "low-key" and "anti-climatic" into its weapons - consistency and (relative) sobriety are the key, not twists nor tension.

The characters are sometimes too many to keep in mind, but the ones who stick are unexpectedly lovable (even though there's not even a single positive figure in the whole show). Tony is such an asshole, yet we can't help loving him. Being able to join his therapy sessions helps to build affection and grasp the depth of the character.

I think the way The Sopranos develops its stories and characters it's great for the the time this show was created.

However, nowadays I'd say it's not that shocking. Really enjoyable tough.

Having watched The Sopranos when it first aired and watching it again almost twenty years later, I'm still very much in awe of the writing, acting, & the directing, but not the subject matter nor the lifestyle portrayed - so, salute to a job well done.

The show exposes the horror of organized crime and the lives it ruins and/or kills. There's no romantic music, no gauzy filters, no flattering light, it's just a mirror being held up to the thugs, their crimes, and the families who love them.

The Soprano is real, raw, and worth watching.

There's many episodes, particularly in the early Series, that score a '10' - riveting even with sometimes ropey and inconsistent writing surrounding them. These were enough to keep me hooked and watching the show right through to the end hoping it would get better again as it seemed after Series 3 to progressively go off the rails. However, it got worse - many of the later episodes are at best a '4' - inconsistent, self-indulgent (for the writer/directer), badly written, left me yawning. Series 6, as a whole, was a huge disappointment. The Series Finale, in particular, is cheesily awful, one I wish I hadn't bothered with. It felt like the writers just didn't care anymore.

There's no doubt it's James Gandolfini who makes this show what it is, aided by Edie Falco who plays her role as mobster's wife to perfection. I have all the episodes on DVD and will at some point go through the whole series again. But I also know there's a fair few episodes I will skip as they bored me enough the first time around.

I expected the show to be good, but not this great. It does not try to romanticize mobsters. Yes some of them have a good side but the show constantly reminds you that they are cold-blooded psychopaths. This show does not shy away from indirect comedy as well.

Characters are well-acted (for the most part) and very three-dimensional. The main star, Tony, is charismatic and smiley for one second and ruthless for another.

We can see how the environment and parents can absolutely decide what kind of person someone will be. It just shows that we are not born evil. We become evil. Tony can not change. He is always trying to be happy, but deep down he never can be. Now go watch it and see why.

If you enjoy scorsese movies like good fellas, casino ... you should watch this series.

It's not e perfect cinema bad it's delicious like a italian food.

Characters creations are very good.

Acting is like a real life in this series.

You feel emphathy for characters.

• directing and scenario are not super genius but i admit it , they're affect you.

This is a acting school.

There are many stunning actors that you learn from them.

Cinematography is not awsome but you accept it.

You live with this series and this cause a good series that a director created for us.

At the end i can' stand the closing part because i thought there are more episodes on the way :)) Rip tony sopranos Danial heidari / iran.

David Chase's portrayal of mafia families in New Jersey feel and seem authentic, rich and completely worth watching today as it was two decades ago.

The performances by James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and many of the other players are believable and genuinely make us care about the characters that they play. And I always want a big plate of pasta after watching almost every episode.

Saluti!

I remember this first time around and I just couldn't get into it. Due to glowing reviews (including here) I thought I would try it again.

It is good but there is one HUGE problem with the show.

I can't understand what they are talking about. Now, I have seen Goodfellas, The Godfather etc and followed the dialogue easily but this is crazy! The 'jokes' are almost impossible (for me) to get as my first name isn't Carmine.

This was a much bigger hit in The Us than the UK and I think that was the problem for some of us Brits.

I gave the show an eight as I still think it is pretty damn good. The acting IS excellent and when they speak a little slower, I love it.

However some scenes to me sound like this: ' So, waddabout da corcus in da bing, make me look like some kinda squigy'. 'Yeh, take it from me. It's a hit. No way Carmine gonna bad da bing for da limey'.

?????????????????????????????????? Still it is pretty good on the whole!

The Soprano's is another fantastic show, that unfortunately can not deliver the last season that it deserves but still worth watching.

It is very difficult to keep up the interest & probably the show really should have ended with just 13 episodes in the last season as there was a lot of unnecessary moments that just did not need to be there.

Overall though a very good show that is definitely worth your time as the good ( watchable ) parts of the show vastly out weigh the bad ( incredibly annoying parts, which were rare but are still in the show ).

I do think the script writer himself may have over romanticised his characters at times, however the truth is often stranger than fiction so as a viewer I'm happy to suspend my disbelief & enjoy the storyline.

I give it an 8 out of 10 as I think there were much more avenues of interest that were overlooked by the show, which could have replaced a lot of the mediocre parts that occasionally dragged out pointless scenes ( maybe the pointless scenes were seeds for the future that never had the chance to grow, but that is why every episode needs to be more griping ). Still an 8 out of 10 show is still overall an excellent viewing experience, so I'm happy with what I got ( I just can't help it if I saw a lot more potential especially with the idea of Witness protection for some of the secondary characters, with actually seeing how they may have felt forced to testify for the safety of their own families ).

Welcome to New Jersey to the small town of Newark where we follow the life of Tony soprano(John Gandolfini) waste management manager, Family man with supportive wife, loving yet troublesome kids. Also head of the local dimeo crime family. As he lives his life Dealing with the struggles of not only two separate family but his own personal demons and woes. It's the early 2000s just when you think there was nothing fresh left to do with gangsters, the sopranos came around and shock the world. It had a compelling story, enticing characters, it's brutal action and violence and it's dark sense of humor. It added a dash of realism to it that has not been seen or perfected since Goodfellas. Not romanticizing modern gangster as The traditional wiseguys with three piece suits, 24/7 making all the cash with no problems,no worries,no consequences or Untouchables. Everybody has their own qualms and issues that keeps the progression of the story going each season top the last. Tony himself is one of the most complex characters "bad guys" ever Put on television. The constant arguing with his wife to the cheating and lying. It is clearly not a healthy relationship and leaves you wondering where it will go. The Arguments with his children as they get older much more stressful issue arise specifically AJ. A family with problems but yet you can tell he cares for them. As well as always rest of his crew understanding yet he's cruel with serious anger issues and extremely violent and delusional. He's not at all perfect person but that's the thing nobody's is everybody's terrible,selfish and crazy but you can't help but love/hate them. Whether it's Christopher, Paulie,Junior or even civilians like Artie or Janice. Arguably one of the best moments in every episode is the therapy sessions with Tony and his therapist Dr. Melfi(Lorraine Bracco)she knows what he is what he does he doesn't hide it whatsoever. He out right for the most part admits what he does. She's fascinated yet strangely committed, yet she doesn't take any nonsense from him. She a very rational compelling strong female character. It's through her sessions we see the psyche of Tony come fort. This is also one of the funniest shows ever it's dark sense of humor makes you question should you be laughing at this. Yet it's not always laughs all the time you really do start to know these people and get attached to them in a way. Each season manages the top the previous keeps you watching more just when you think your out they pull you back in.

The Sopranos is a show that can be mundane at times, but when it goes big, it hits hard. Highly recommend watching.

Also, don't listen to anyone. I thought the ending was perfect; watch and decide for yourself.

It was a great series and paved the way for future similar series to come. My only gripe is the lack of redeemable qualities we see in the protagonists.

So far, I've watched 3 seasons of The Sopranos now.

I liked the first season of The Sopranos (9/10). In the second season, things were pretty predictable leading up to and in the season finale (7/10). The third season wasn't as predictable and was much more entertaining, but not as a good as the first season (8/10).

Reasons I liked the first season of The Sopranos:

1) It was funny. It seemed more like a comedy rather than a drama. 2) The main conflict was pretty good and interesting. 3) The "College" episode was awesome. 4) The character Tony Soprano's crisis of conscience.

Reasons I don't really like the second season of The Sopranos:

1) The comedy has gotten stale. I've laughed a few times here and there. 2) The season feels lost with no real conflicts. 3) No standout episodes. 4) Tony still has the same problems.

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Compared to TV series such as The Wire, Breaking Bad, Lost, The Shield, Damages, and Dexter, I just haven't seen the spark that those shows had. Their first seasons were all much better. Their second and third seasons were too.

Mrs. Shullivan and I decided to invest the time required (it took us about one full week) and so we hunkered down to watch the entire popular crime/dramedy television series "The Sopranos" from the pilot episode through to the finale 21st episode of season six (6), which comprised a total of 86 episodes. Several years ago we had caught some odd episodes of various seasons from time to time but we had yet to invest the time required to watch this highly rated crime/dramedy series from beginning to end.

So now after just completing re-watching the final episode of The Sopranos we turned to each other and asked that common question "so what did you think?" Mrs. Shullivan reflected with a semi-grunt "uhhh, it was all right but the ending was a real letdown". My own immediate reaction was that I was glad the series was cancelled as each season seemed to become more of a soap opera in which this series concentrated far too much air time on the interaction with mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his psychiatrist Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). When Tony was sitting in Dr. Melfi's office being analyzed I came to the personal conclusion that series creator David Chase must have run into another writers' mental block or that he just became lazy so he depended upon filling the required 45 minute episode time slot with so much wasted air time and far too often Dr. Melfi/Tony Soprano conversational drab sessions. It was easy for me to stop listening to the episode and to start daydreaming about personal matters when Tony was interacting with Dr. Melfi.

What I really liked about this series was James Gandolfini's performance as mob boss Tony Soprano. In reality the late James Gandolfini was considered a soft spoken and overly generous man who cared greatly for his family and friends. His death in 2013 was premature and we lost a great human being and a first class actor whose body of work is extensive. Gandolfini, a young 51, was discovered by his then 13 year old son Michael in distress in a bathroom of their hotel room in Rome around 10 p.m. on Wednesday June 19th, 2013. Michael, who is James Gandolfini's son called hotel staff and they in turn called an ambulance. Doctors from the Umberto 1 hospital worked on the actor for 40 minutes but could not resuscitate him.

James Ganodolfini had been on a vacation with his son Michael before he was slated to attend the closing ceremonies of the Taormina Film Festival on Saturday in Sicily. Before he suddenly died, Gandolfini had "a wonderful day. He visited The Vatican and had dinner at the hotel with his son awaiting the arrival of his sister." I honestly believe that if David Chase knew that James Gandolfini's life was in reality, to be cut short in Italy, just a few years after the conclusion of the overwhelming multi Emmy and Golden Globe award series The Sopranos he and his writing staff may have provided the television audience with a more appropriate final season story line. As it now stands we are left with a glorified soap opera (thus the summary title "The SOAPranos") about a mob boss who reflects on his troubled childhood and his mommy issues, and as a young boy he witnesses his violent criminal father chopping off a thumb of one his debtors, which is diagnosed by his psychiatrist Dr. Melfi as the root cause for Tony Soprano's panic attacks. Through the six seasons we observe a dysfunctional but yet privileged Soprano family who are more than happy in reaping the benefits of their father/husband Tony Soprano's life of crime and murder.

There is a fine cast of supporting characters including the likes of Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) who is Tony's quasi adopted like son/nephew. Tony's two reliable henchmen Tony Sirico (Paulie Gualtieri) and rocker Steven Van Zandt (Silvio Dante) as well as an abundance of supporting actors and actresses. To name just a few great supporting actors/actresses such as Aida Turturro, Dominic Chianese, Nancy Marchand (cause of Tony's mommy issues as well as his attempted executioner and momma Don) , Drea De Matteo, Vincent Pastore, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Vincent Curatola, and Steve Buscemi.

Mrs. Shullivan and I did enjoy the series, especially the periodic attempts at dramedy such as when Tony gets his revenge on another mob boss Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) and after Phil is shot his wife's vehicle tire accidentally rolls over her dead husbands head and crushes it. Another funny scene sequence is when Christopher and Paulie are attempting to dump the body of a Russian mobster into the winter snow covered woods but the guy is still alive and he escapes leaving Christopher and Paulie lost in the woods freezing to near death and fighting like little children trying to blame each other for their near death circumstances with no other option but to call their boss and come and get them because they are lost in the wintery snow covered woods.

If The Sopranos series is ever resurrected (and I hope it is soon) I recommend that writer/director Quentin Tarantino be brought in to re-create the series with a whole new cast of characters that he could draw from all the fabulous performers he has brought to the big screen over the past few decades. Oh "What a night of TV Viewing" that would be if Quentin Tarantino was in charge. Hey Quentinare you interested in shooting some new scenes in the Bada Bing club?

I give the series an overall decent 8-10 rating. My favorite crime series still remains The Wire (read my other reviews).

Steven van Zandt has to be the worst actor. His performance is laughably bad! It seems most of the gangsters are just being themselves and their real lives are just as dodgy.

Not much to say here besides that this is a great show with multiple directors and writers contributing. The show ending is just unfathomable and is still shocking to me years and years later. It still is one of the shows first brought up when worst endings are discussed in a group. Everyone is disappointed and almost anyone could have written a better one.

I call myself an avid TV binger, but I did not see one of the first shows that started it all which is the Sopranos. I had watched the first few episodes of Killing Eve and remained uninterested (unlike everyone I know) which led to me watching the Sopranos after hearing about the 20th anniversary as well as the amazing acting.

The acting is very reminiscent towards The Godfather. Italian gangsters making stupid mistakes and having egos the size of the Coliseum. The violence is a little brutal at times, but the acting is so convincing especially by Gandolfini. He is amazing and shines as Tony Soprano.

James Gandolfini was a very quiet man, but he described how he had to see a therapist in order to play Soprano. Tony's first reaction towards solving a problem is violence, but he is also in charge of multiple other idiots who think violence is the only answer as well. Despite having a large role in the Mafia, Tony is still a conscious human being. One of the show's most important dynamics is between Tony and his therapist, Dr. Melfi played by Lorraine Bracco.

During his therapy sessions, Tony's dreams are discussed frequently. I will not discuss the dreams in this review, but not only are they discussed, the audience witnesses them. The dreams are confusing, but provide an intimate look into the psyche of Tony Soprano. Through his dreams, I believe that I have never known a character so intimately before. Is Tony Soprano a horrible human being? The answer of course is yes, however, he does not commit violence or villainy without the decision weighing deeply on his mind unless he believes someone deserves it.

His moral code is very strong and resolute. He does not hold guilt for the crimes he has committed in the past, but he is deeply depressed because of his lifestyle. The people he is in charge of though are affected by their crimes and see their victims in their dreams. The show is able to transcend stereotypes as you are cheering for a true villain and care about what bad things may befall Tony and his friends.

The point of view of a criminal as the central character in a show has become very common. Peaky Blinders, The Wire, and Ray Donovan are all examples of this. Sopranos paved the way for modern television as well as incorporating Lynchian aspects like dreams in the show. Twin Peaks included multiple confusing dreams that would lead to an overarching narrative. Sopranos uses dreams in order to understand Tony's decisions, but also to understand how he views the world around him.

Lastly, if you have not already, watch the show!!! If you are curious about my thoughts on the shows I mentioned above be sure to read my Peaky Blinders and The Wire review. The show is absolutely amazing and everyone needs to watch it!!!

The only tear jerker element left out of The Sopranos was a moment by moment birth. Many funerals following shootings following a wedding following eating and more eating. The series is definitely entertaining, but it doesn't hit the plot lines are quite repetitive through the series. The actors filled out their character niches well. The production quality was generally excellent with well-considered angles, lighting and background settings. Zooms and focus points were well-designed to enhance the acting and story line. Several episodes were a play within a play.. within a play, referencing old shows and actors either directly or with a TV playing and then layering it all with visits to a psychologist. At some points it becomes a bit repetitive rather than insightful. But hey, it was Godfather-lite in a contemporary context. Completely entertaining.

I was never a Sopranos fan probably because I lived in the New York and New Jersey areas for almost forty years. I had Italian friends who were Neapolitan, Calabrese and Sicilian who lived on Mulberry Street in the heart of Little Italy. The Sopranos is filled with ordered hits. Lots of them. Sort of depressing when you think of it but it is obvious to everyone that the characters are stuck in that lifestyle. Aside from all of the stress I am feeling while watching this show, what stays on my mind when I am not watching it, is the way Johnny Sacks loves his wife, Ginny. The look in his eyes when she walks into the room, it's like the air is filled with love. She is nothing to look at. Morbid obese but that didn't stop him from loving her. That is what sticks out to me. Maybe the only good and decent thing that happened in this series.

The Sopranos was a great show. Showrunner David Chase shows how excellent writing and symbolism can take a show to huge heights. The acting was incredible. You felt like you were a witness to real drama and the intensity was real. The Sopranos gave us a different lens into Mafia life. It left behind the romanticism and glorification of Goodfellas and The Godfather and showed us the mundane realities of life. We felt they were normal people until we were reminded again this was organised crime. One of my few criticisms would be there was too much time spent on Tony's dreams. Overall a high quality show.

R. I. P James Gandolfini, a true legend.