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Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 60% in Belmont and East Tremont, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018, Belmont and East Tremont are gentrifying.
I’m calling it now...Sonny’s bar has been bought and repurposed. 😔👎🏾
“Sometimes in life you gotta do certain things that you gotta do, even though they’re not right.”
"I don't think that's true - not always." Calogero first says in response. "Our lives are made outta our choices...and sometimes avoiding trouble can be as easy as just saying no."
"Are you in some kinda trouble, Pat?" And here comes the harder words. "'Cause if you are, you can tell me, you know. Maybe I can help you."
I was going to write about Calogero and the way he maintains relationships on this post, but I thought it would be better to put these two quotes from side by side. The first image set is Calogero, in A Bronx Tale, challenging Sonny’s doubt and skepticism for those around him. The second is Ace Rothstein in Casino talking about how important it is to trust your loved ones. ( Though, if you’ve seen Casino, you know how this turns out for him... 😬 )
Calogero clearly possesses a deep, personal view of how he should maintain love and loyalty towards his friends. Throughout A Bronx Tale, he never separates himself from them regardless of how toxic and troublesome they are. This is because he does not want to appear heartless. Furthermore, he cannot understand why Sonny - a man he loves like a second father - can live his life in such a “horrible” way without trusting anyone.
In adulthood, while Calogero isn’t inclined to be so devoted to bad influences, he still believes in the importance of trust and showing you can be there for others. That’s important. When it comes to romantic relationships, this mindset still exists due to the fact he saw a good example of healthy romance between his mother and father.
-- ALRIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT CALOGERO AS A GROWN MAN.
AT THE END OF A BRONX TALE, when Sonny dies his old friend Carmine arrives at the funeral. He strongly implies that he will be running Sonny’s business from now on, and Calogero is always welcome around. But even so, Calogero declines the idea of coming around the bar. IN THE MUSICAL VERSION OF A BRONX TALE, in a voice-over, Calogero states that he leaves the neighborhood after high school. He and Jane don’t speak anymore. Once in a while he returns to the neighborhood.
Considering that Calogero is heavily based on the life experiences of Chazz Palminteri ( the creator of A Bronx Tale ) I’ve always had the assumption that he would lead a successful life in the entertainment industry in some form or fashion. However, when it comes to roleplaying...I like a little drama. A little struggle. A little crime.
So, in my depiction of Calogero's life after the events of the film, is that after the deaths of Sonny as well as his friends all occurring in a single night, he enters a deep depression. Even so, he continues on with his academic pursuits as both of his parents urged him to keep going and so he graduates high school. Shortly after that, he leaves New York, traveling out to the west coast at only 18 years old. He is under the belief that he will find some sort of peace and accomplishment there. His father supports him full-heartedly which makes him more determined to make a good living for himself. However, his life isn't easy. Trying to make a living out there without any college education is rough. He did 'a little bit of this and that,' but eventually an agent approaches him on the street. He's young, he has a full head of hair, Calogero is told that he could become an actor. But even that is a incredibly competitive field, filled with starving artists. He lands a few commercials and that's it. What causes Calogero to give up on his life as the next big Italian-American actor is the fact he is heavily disillusioned with the life and culture out in California. Feeling like an outsider looking in, Calogero returns back to New York. Many members of Sonny's crew are still alive and they welcome him back in joy. Meanwhile, his father is just proud of him leading a straight and narrow life. Calogero is proud of himself for being a working man, but regardless of his love for his father, he knows there is not anything glamorous about living in poverty. He wants more for himself. A car. A house with brand new furniture. Yet, it seems like he will never get these things. Gradually, Carmine lures Calogero into his expanding criminal empire. Because Calogero emphasizes that he doesn't want to do any crime, he's simply used as a bouncer for a nightclub he owns. It is something that his father does not agree with, for he feels that initiation into organized crime is a gradual thing. Still, Calogero says he's just among them, not with them.
--Extra Useful Facts
Even at this age, he still isn't over Sonny's death. He has nightmares about it and frequently wonders what he could have done to prevent it.
Although he works among gangsters, Calogero has harsh feelings for the lifestyle. In my opinion, an implication of Calogero's disdain in the film can be seen when he's all alone in the funeral home with Sonny's corpse, realizing that nobody cares. This doesn't mean that he no longer holds sentimental feelings for the surviving men who he grew up around. But, he does believe these men are ultimately shallow.
Similarly, Calogero feels that revenge is a rotten cycle.
