Cookie (1989) User Reviews (17)

In the spirit of Desperately Seeking Susan...

[vertigo_14 · 6/10 · 3 March 2004]

One viewer wrote that this is kind of movie you should try for lazy Saturday afternoon viewing. I agree. Cookie is no grand royal of fans, but rather a fun little film that works in the spirit of Desperately Seeking Susan, which is no surprise that the film is directed by the same person, Susan Sneidman. Emily Lloyd has to goofy, hip kind of attitude that Madonna did as "Susan." She, mixed with the stuffy business-minded mafia family makes for a fun time.

I was drawn to this film as a Peter Falk fan. He is Dino Capisco, a mob boss released from prison. His estranged daughter is Cookie is sent to work for him. He needs to get some money back from an associate before making a break from the mafia life. However, his associate went and sold off his shares and basically says, live with it. But not Dino. And not Cookie, neither.

Diana Wiest plays Cookie's absolutely wacky mother and Dino's girlfriend who's waiting to get married to Dino when he does make his break from the mob. Jerry Lewis has a small part as a rival associate. And to my surprise, the movie also stars a very young Adrian Pasdar, which current viewers of Judging Amy will recognize as the D.A. and Amy Gray's love interest. He's a hubba hubba.

For you eighties fans out there, this movie is probably right up your alley. It's good times!

A cookie who can cook you till you're done

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 20 October 2019]

The title role of Cookie is played by Emily Lloyd and she's showing signs of following in the footsteps of dear old dad Peter Falk who is just finishing a dozen years in prison for labor racketeering. He's got a parole coming up and hopefully Lloyd's juvenile antics won't screw up his parole.

Cookie follows the plot premise of Angels With Dirty Faces where Rocky Sullivan takes a fall for the other guys does a stretch and now wants to move back in. And just like that there are an array of people who don't want him back and a US Attorney Bob Gunton who'd like to send Falk back to the joint.

I have to say I didn't find this as funny as I should have given the cast. I would have expected more from a cast that included Michael V. Gazzo, Lionel Stander, and Jerry Lewis. I should exempt Lewis somewhat, he has a straight dramatic role and does well in it. But it was like I was waiting for Jerry's shtick.

The women do well, besides Lloyd, Falk is torn between two women. Mistress Dianne Weist who is Lloyd's mom and his mafia daughter wife Brenda Vaccaro. Brenda's the best one in the film.

Fans of the players should be happy though.

liked the actors but unimaginative story

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 17 October 2015]

The movie starts with Carmela 'Cookie' Voltecki (Emily Lloyd) mourning at the funeral of Dominick Capisco (Peter Falk) and then it flashbacks a few months earlier. Cookie is a wild rebellious teen. Her mother Lenore (Dianne Wiest) is the secret mistress of imprisoned gangster and her father Dominick Capisco. He's getting paroled and forces Cookie to get a mob job. She eventually becomes his driver. Bunny (Brenda Vaccaro) is his unhappily mob-marriage wife. He wants his money and get out of the business but his partner Carmine (Michael V. Gazzo) has squeezed him out. U.S. Attorney Richie Segretto (Bob Gunton) has set his sights on Dominick mistakenly assumes him to have returned as a mob boss.

This is directed by Susan Seidelman and written by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen. This female group has created a mob movie with a few quirks, little tension and even fewer surprises. It's led by two mannered performances from rebellious Emily Lloyd and old tough guy Peter Falk. I like both actors but the movie is rather forgettable. It's not as quirky or funny as it thinks it is. The writing really doesn't have an edge. It has a few action scenes but the intensity is not terribly high. There are better mob comedies elsewhere.

NOT THAT BAD

[DevilishDuo · 22 July 2001]

I just Today Saw This movie on Sunday Matanee. It Was as Previously stated Funny, It had some great humor and was not as boring as The previous review I read said it was.I actually Enjoyed this movie. Please If ya have a chance Watch it and give it a chance it is NOT THAT BAD

great cast, bad film

[smellyexit · 1/10 · 22 September 2015]

I can't believe another user rated this film highly simply because of the closing song? After admitting that everything about the film was bad. Looks like Susan Seidelman made it with costumes she had left over from "Desperately Seeking Susan". The script by cheezmaestra Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle) is so bad I can't begin to tell you. I only sat through this because I will watch ANY film starring Peter Falk, but the picture still stinks like if someone had saved that wrapped up package of fish from THE GODFATHER. Good luck making it through this film until the end without turning it off. If you find this on an old VHS tape for fifty cents, don't waste your money.

Not so good

[giraffelover · 7/10 · 23 February 1999]

It was planned as a feel good movie like 'Desperately Seeking Susan' but in fact it is unfortunately only goofy and boring. I don't know why such a accomplished writer like Nora Ephron had written such a bad screenplay and the poor actors and actresses like Ricki Lake, Dianne Wiest, Peter Falk, Brenda Vaccaro, Lionel Stander or Jerry Lewis have had no chance to show their talents. And poor Emily Lloyd. I think it costs her a lot of sympathy in Hollywood and have had prevented to become such a big star like Gwyneth Paltrow or Winona Ryder in the USA.

A Low Budget Crime Movie.. Not a COMEDY !

[elshikh4 · 5/10 · 21 March 2008]

There isn't a great deal to say, maybe the big fat warning about it as a movie that has absolutely no relation to comedy. So don't you ever make the same mistake that I did, and let the names of (Peter Falk), (Jerry Lewis) or even (Nora Ephron) fool you, and lead you to a wrong picture!

It's very average, and too bad as long as we speak about (Adrian Pasdar) with his everlasting coldness, and memorably strange eyebrows. Plus (Emily Lloyd) who looked like she was copying (Madonna) with the same outfits, and awful acting too. Not to mention how (Jerry Lewis) seemed totally wasted.

Speaking about wasted, I felt bad that there were some potential and some places to make good comic ironies. However, the whole thing was just the smart hoax, and the beginning of a peaceful natural relationship between one father and his daughter. But even this as a drama wasn't that good at all, as well as the love story between Cookie and Mr. Eyebrows from hell!

I want to know why they didn't call it: (The Return of Cookie's Father), (Cookie & Father), or (Cookie & Father Meet A Freak Named Vito)?! Actually, Cookie wasn't that main character because of some reasons, on the top of them was such a script that interested in a lot of things except Cookie herself!

The charming (Peter Falk) did a great job; that made the movie sort of watchable. So as a low budget crime movie from the good old 1980s, with the lesser amount of blood and cursing, you may deem it ok, as long as you forget all about some things like Cookie; the character and the actress. So watch it and "forget about it".. And I do mean it literally!

Inflated PS: They wrote on the poster, so boldly I suppose: "A Delicious New Comedy". Sure at the time it was new. But what about Comedy and DELICIOUS??!!

Am I the only one who noticed this?

[mikedoran-09065 · 6/10 · 20 December 2020]

I saw this movie in its original theatrical release in 1989. The US Attorney, 'Richie Sembretto', was played by Bob Gunton, who was just fresh from his Broadway success as Juan Peron in Evita. In the movie, I noticed Gunton's hairstyle - a really bad combover (which I noticed because Gunton had a full of hair, then as now). Being a regular reader and watcher of news, I recognized the real-life basis for this character: the then-US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, who had funny hair even then. Also, "Sembretti" was a full-out publicity hound, as was his prototype Giuliani - it was unmistakable. In '89, this went unnoticed by most critics (at least those outside NYC). I was just wondering whether anybody who sees this in 2020 might pick up on what I'm talking about here ...

By the bye - I kinda liked the movie ...

A bogus attempt at copying the successful John Hughes film style

[Ed-Shullivan · 5/10 · 11 May 2020]

If you have ever watched any of the dozens of writer/director/producer John Hughes 1980's classic teen Rom/Com films than you will surely notice the failed attempt of this 1986 film title Cookie lackluster production quality and choice of actors in attempting to copy the more successful John Hughes Rom/Com style of film.

The entire cast of the film Cookie failed miserably especially the lead actor Emily Lloyd who was supposed to be playing the troubled teenage illegitimate daughter Carmela 'Cookie' Voltecki of the former mafioso boss Dominick Capisco (Peter Falk) who was just released from prison after serving a thirteen (13) year stint.

The combination of Emily Lloyd's being cast as the illegitimate daughter of an Italian mob boss played by Peter Falk neither of which have any Italian heritage but eh the director Susan Seidelman is no Francis Ford Coppola, or Martin Scorsese either, so why expect any casting realism in this cheap knock off of the successful John Hughes filmography.

The music score also reminded me of a John Hughes type film, and after you see the way Emily Lloyd is dressed throughout the film you will surely be reminded of the earlier 1986 film Pretty In Pink starring Molly Ringwald with her funky attire which was more than a minor faux pas and cheap attempt at copying the similar costume effect delivered by John Hughes

In summary, although this 1989 film Cookie was a disappointment for me it was an indirect great tribute to the late great writer/director/producer John Hughes by the failed attempt to copy his film style of a Rom/Com film.....sorry but director Susan Seidelman just isn't cut out for directing major films. Oh wait a minute, that's why she has been focused lately on TV productions.

I give it a 5 out of 10 IMDB rating

a real gem

[HALNIT-2 · 6/10 · 12 April 2001]

The story was just O.K. as an action comedy. Peter Falk did O.K. job as a boss of Mafia but not as good as his famous role, Columbo.

What I want to emphasize here is that I found Emily Lloyd, who played the hidden daughter of the boss, is an incredible actress. She is genius! I instantly became a big fan of hers as soon as she came up to the screen. I hope she appears on lots more movies.

A very entertaining Mafia parody!

[Mark Bruno · 9/10 · 16 January 2003]

This was about a godfather type mafioso (Peter Falk) that was just released after spending 19 years in prison. He makes up with his daughter (Emily Lloyd) and together they pull a real caper on the other head of the crime family, in addition to doing a con job on the local DA to help him snuff out the other family head. A very funny movie. It was good to see Peter Falk in a part where he was the criminal instead of the detective. Bob Gunton, who played the warden in the Shawshank Redemption is the DA. Also watch for Jerry Lewis.

Emily Lloyd - pure gem

[Joyce Hauchart · 6/10 · 5 August 2000]

Lazy rainy evening, not ready to watch a big masterpiece, rent Cookie. Great actors who are not doing a good job, bad plot and screen writing, but the best part is reserved for Cookie - Emily Lloyd. She is the small diamond in this film. Of course, her character has been worked out pretty well by the writer. Anyway, it's a marvel to see her develop from "almost hooker" to "mob woman." Peter Falk disappears in every scene where she enters.

Great 80's comedy

[boomchicaboomboom · 6/10 · 13 February 2017]

I watched this movie as a kid (when I was about 10 or 11 yrs old) and it was always my favorite movie because of Emily Lloyd's Madonnaesque style and her bad girl attitude in this film . At the time, I had no idea who Peter Falk or Emily Lloyd were, but have since learned they are both great actors. I saw "Wish You Were Here" with Emily LLoyd years later after seeing "Cookie". I had a huge crush on Adrian Pasdar after this movie also( didn't know who he was, or how great of an actor he was until years later either). The Kylie Minogue song "Lucky in Love" that plays at the end of the movie, has stuck in my head for years and I still love it to this day.

FYI Trivia -I just read on Wikipedia that supposedly Emily LLoyd and Peter Falk did not get along while filming this movie and he reportedly slapped her because he got frustrated with her. I also had no idea Emily LLoyd was English. Every movie I ever saw her in, she always seemed to pull off a really good American accent.

One Of The Best Mafia Comedies

[boblipton · 9/10 · 25 April 2020]

The usual suspects support Peter Falk and Emily Lloyd in Susan Seidelman's mob comedy. He's coming out of prison after thirteen years and wants his money from Michael Gazzo. She's his illegitimate daughter by Dianne Wiest, a street kid and "famous screwup" who winds up driving for him. Gazzo has no intention of paying him, of course. In fact, Falk is so annoying that Gazzo wants him dead, and with guys like these, the wish is usually father to the deed.

After all ll the Mafia movies of the 1970s came the inevitable reaction in the late 1980s of mob comedies, and this is one of the best of them. Sociologically, these films marked the middle of the Mafia's decline. It seemed every mook flipped for witness protection and a book deal. Newer, more violent gangs were taking over the drug trade, Off Track Betting gutted the bookies, and Waste Management took over garbage collection. Organized Crime was still feared, and the legend persists, but the grandsons of capos now largely run legitimate businesses; they've assimilated.

Jerry Lewis has a sizable role, and Lionel Stander is on view as an aging capo di tutto capi, as are Brenda Vacarro, Adrian Pasdar, and lots of shots of grungy outer boroughs and Atlantic City.

entertaining light-hearted comedy

[sidnee · 10/10 · 18 June 1999]

Peter Falk is a former mafia leader, just released from prison and attempting to go clean. He plans to leave his unhappy marriage and settle down with his true love. Between his unbreakable mafia ties, the hovering feds, and his rebel teenage daughter, Cookie, he has to be quite crafty. I really enjoyed this film, it's an entertaining mafia comedy, with light plots twists that keep the story moving. Its no blockbuster, but its worth a rent.

as the cookie crumbles...

[gilbynziggy · 9/10 · 21 July 2004]

i bought this movie at a random video rental store about three months ago because on the back of the box it explained the movie to be like desperately seeking susan. when i went home and watched the movie i laughed, i gagged, i pondered... i noticed there are five key points to this movie. 1.) directed by nora ephron, who brought us "hanging up", "sleepless in seattle", and "you've got mail", "cookie" is some what a coming of age story about a girl named cookie. She is in a mixed up family, basically she's the result of an affair her dad had with a single woman. and when her dad comes back she's forced to grow-up and accept her family 2.)in the beginning she strolls around new york city with her best friend Pia, who is played by the fantastic rikki lake, "babycakes", "cry baby", "hairspray". Eventually Pia is forgotten about in the movie as it becomes angled toward her family issues. 3.) the family issues are SO stupid. her dad comes back from jail after about 15 years and realizes he no longer is big and important to the MAFIA scene any more. how stupid... the father is horribly portrait, and is just all around stupid, not funny at all. 4.) after cookie starts working for father she meet vito, an incredibly sexy guy, with whom i now love, and though cookie keeps messing up vito and her eventually end up together. 5.) this is what makes this a fairly good movie... at the end where they fake the father's death cookie wakes up with vito and a song comes in. it is the song "should be so lucky" by kylie minogue, my anthem! and really the soundtrack is fairly good, so i do recommend seeing this movie its a solid 7 of 1-10.

Adrien Pasdar...need I say more?

[MysticSongstress16 · 27 August 2004]

I am glad that I'm not the only one who is intrigued by Adrien Pasdar (Near Dark). He is very good looking, and has talent a good deal of talent, even though in these type of stereotypical comedies it is difficult to see.

Adrien Pasdar can presently be seen as the D.A in the CBS drama Judging Amy, which is a much better example of his talent and depth. But Adrien Pasdar aside, this is a good comedy. The definitive word here is COMEDY. Don't watch this movie looking for a deeply moving, world changing experience, because you aren't going to find it. Watch instead for a fondness of Peter Falk humor, and enjoy the story of his illegitimate daughter Cookie. Emily Loyd is quite possibly the perfect choice for the role of Cookie, having never seen her before myself, it made it even easier for me to believe she truly was a Brooklyn tough-chick, who's estranged and imprisoned father was a gangster known on the street as Dapper Dino.

At first she's a bit off putting, for one it was the 80's, and the wardrobe chosen for her is made to fit that era and age of the character. But it is still garish and goofy at times. One example, the white dress that she wears to the mafia Christmas party-what was that all about? I suppose they were trying to show her immaturity and to make her final outfit-which is a major improvement-be all the more attractive and satisfying. The actress Emily Loyd is not a raving beauty, which works out for the best because I couldn't see the character Cookie being model gorgeous, but there are several unique elements to her features that give her a strange sort of beauty that is lovely none-the-less. The character Vito (Adrien Pasdar) notices this about Cookie the first time he sees her. Vito is a character I think you'll enjoy. He is that bad boy with a good heart type that strikes a chord in many American women's hearts. I enjoyed the romance element between Vito and Cookie the most, second only to the hilarious events that occur between she and her father throughout the film. There are some things that could have made this film better, but few films are perfect so why split hairs? Enjoy the movie for what it is, an 80's comedy/romance, with the handsome and pleasing Adrien Pasdar...shame he's married.