You ever see a movie where the actors are clearly having more fun than the audience is allowed to have? That's basically the vibe of the 1984 gritty-yet-glitzy drama about two cousins in Little Italy. When people talk about The Pope of Greenwich Village cast, they usually start and end with Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts. It’s understandable. Those two were like a pair of high-strung thoroughbreds trying to out-run each other in every single frame.
But honestly, the movie is a bit of a miracle because it shouldn't have worked. It didn't work, at least not at the box office. It made about $6.8 million against an $8 million budget. That's what you call a flop. Yet, if you mention the "thumb scene" to any movie buff over the age of forty, they’ll probably start doing an impression of Eric Roberts wailing into a chain-link fence.
The Electric Duo: Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts
At the center of the storm is Charlie Moran, played by a pre-surgery, impossibly cool Mickey Rourke. He’s the "sensible" one, which is hilarious because his idea of sensible is being $20,000 in debt to loan sharks while wearing tailored suits that cost more than his rent. Rourke plays Charlie with this quiet, simmering frustration. He’s a maître d’ with dreams of owning his own place, but he’s stuck babysitting his cousin.
Then there’s Paulie. Man, Paulie.
Eric Roberts played Paulie Gibonni like he’d just drank ten espressos and had a live wire taped to his ankle. He’s braying, he’s annoying, and he’s constantly checking his hair in any reflective surface. Critics at the time sort of hated him for it. They thought he was overacting. But looking back now? It’s a masterclass in "lovable loser" energy. You want to punch him, but you also want to protect him. It’s that dynamic—the weary big brother and the chaotic little brother—that makes the The Pope of Greenwich Village cast so memorable.
📖 Related: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
What’s wild is who almost played these parts. Legend has it the film was originally developed for Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Can you imagine? It would have been a totally different movie—way more Mean Streets, way less "two guys peacocking around the South Village." Instead, we got the "heirs apparent" of the 80s, and the chemistry they had was lightning in a bottle.
The Eight-Minute Oscar Nominee
You can't talk about this cast without mentioning Geraldine Page. She plays Mrs. Ritter, the mother of a cop who ends up dead after a botched heist.
She is on screen for maybe eight minutes. Total.
She won an Academy Award nomination for those eight minutes.
👉 See also: The Lil Wayne Tracklist for Tha Carter 3: What Most People Get Wrong
Think about that. In a movie filled with two young men screaming and posturing, this veteran actress walked in, sat in a kitchen, acted with a bottle of booze and a cigarette, and basically stole the entire production. It’s one of those "blink and you’ll miss it" performances that actually anchors the whole film. She brings a weight and a tragedy to the story that the boys, in their shiny suits and flashy boots, just can’t reach.
The Supporting Players: Bed Bug Eddie and the Rest
The rest of the The Pope of Greenwich Village cast is a "who’s who" of New York character actors. You’ve got:
- Burt Young as "Bed Bug" Eddie Grant. Yeah, the guy who played Paulie in Rocky. Here, he’s a terrifying mob boss who has a very specific and very gruesome way of dealing with people who steal from him.
- Daryl Hannah as Diane. She plays Charlie’s girlfriend, an aerobics instructor. To be fair, the script doesn't give her a ton to do other than look great in a leotard and eventually get fed up with Charlie’s nonsense, but she provides the only grounded, "real world" perspective in the movie.
- Kenneth McMillan as Barney. He’s the old-timer safe-cracker who just wants to provide for his family. His performance is heart-wrenching, especially as the heist starts to unravel.
- M. Emmet Walsh as Burns. He’s one of those actors who makes any movie better just by showing up.
It’s a stacked deck. Even the smaller roles are filled with faces you’ll recognize from The Sopranos years later—guys like Frank Vincent and Tony Lip. It feels like a real neighborhood because, well, they shot it in the real neighborhood.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Movie
People often think this is a "mob movie." It’s really not. It’s a character study masquerading as a heist flick. The actual robbery takes up a tiny fraction of the runtime. The rest of it is just Charlie and Paulie walking, talking, eating, and making terrible life choices.
✨ Don't miss: Songs by Tyler Childers: What Most People Get Wrong
The film was directed by Stuart Rosenberg, the guy who did Cool Hand Luke. He knew how to handle big personalities. He let Rourke and Roberts riff. He let them lean into the "ethnic burlesque" of the setting. Some people find the accents and the "mameluke" talk a bit much, but if you’ve ever spent time in those specific corners of Manhattan or the Bronx, you know it’s not actually that far off.
Why It Still Matters Today
We don't really get movies like this anymore. Mid-budget dramas about guys who are losers but think they're kings? Studios don't make them. Actors don't usually take these kinds of risks with "unlikable" characters anymore either.
When you watch the The Pope of Greenwich Village cast now, you’re seeing a version of New York that is basically extinct. The South Village has been gentrified into oblivion. The social clubs are mostly gone. But for two hours, you’re back there. You’re smelling the espresso and the garbage on the sidewalk.
If you're looking to dive deeper into this 1984 classic, your next move should be to track down the original novel by Vincent Patrick. It’s even grittier than the film and gives a lot more backstory on why Charlie feels so obligated to stay by Paulie’s side. Also, keep an eye out for the "Summer Wind" scenes—Frank Sinatra’s voice appears three times in the movie, and it’s the perfect, bittersweet anthem for two guys who are perpetually one "sure thing" away from losing everything.
Check out the film on a Friday night with some good Italian takeout. Pay close attention to the scene where Paulie explains why he bought a third of a racehorse. It’s the perfect distillation of the movie: beautiful, absurd, and destined for disaster.
Next Steps for the Die-Hard Fan:
- Watch the "Thin" Documentary: Search for behind-the-scenes interviews with Eric Roberts where he discusses his preparation for the role; he famously stayed in character and stayed "wired" to match Paulie's frantic energy.
- Location Scout: If you're in New York, visit the Mulberry Street Bar. It's still there, and it's where several key scenes were filmed.
- The Geraldine Page Challenge: Watch her scenes again, but ignore the dialogue. Just watch her face. It’s a masterclass in acting economy.