Dominick and Eugene


Dominick and Eugene is a 1988 American drama film directed by R.M. Young about twin brothers, Dominick and Eugene. Dominick has an intellectual disability due to an injury when he was young. The film stars Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce, and Jamie Lee Curtis. For his performance as Nicky, Hulce received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture. The film was released in some countries under the alternate title Nicky & Gino.

Plot

Dominick Luciano and Eugene Luciano are fraternal twin brothers. Nicky has a mental disability, and Gino cares for him. Nicky is a trash collector employed by Mr. Johnson. Gino is a medical student, and receives an offer to complete his education at Stanford University Medical School, but Gino fears that if he leaves, Nicky will not be able to care for himself.
One day while Nicky is collecting trash he sees Martin shove his son Mikey down a flight of stairs. Martin calls 911, but only reports that Mikey "fell". At the hospital, Martin tells Nicky that Mikey is dead, and Martin threatens to kill Nicky if he tells anybody what he saw. Nicky goes to get a gun from Mr. Johnson's truck and returns to Martin's house, where he takes Mikey's baby brother, Joey, from Martin and his wife Theresa at gunpoint. Nicky believes that he is protecting Joey from Martin, but is pursued by the Pittsburgh police, and is cornered in an empty building by a SWAT Team.
Gino, Martin, and Theresa race to the building. Gino confronts Nicky, and finds that the sight of Mikey's abuse brought up Nicky's lost memories of their father beating him. Gino breaks down, admitting that Nicky is right: In fact, Nicky protected Gino from their father, taking blows meant for him. Nicky comforts Gino, telling him that he is not like their father and that he loves him. The police confrontation de-escalates; they leave the building and give Joey back to Theresa, and Nicky tells the police that Martin killed Mikey.
Martin is arrested, Gino leaves for Stanford, and Nicky finds a new understanding of his abilities.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews, holding a 78% rating on the film-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews. The consensus summarizes:
In a positive review, S. Benson of the The Los Angeles Times commented the film
J. Maslin of The New York Times wrote:
D. Thomson of The Washington Post wrote,

Awards & Nominations

Hulce received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.