Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- raw
- volatile
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- independent film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a lively and powerful coming-of-age drama distinguished by winning performances and sharp direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Adult Dito returns to Astoria after fifteen years when his father becomes ill, and the narrative enters memories of his adolescence.
Young Dito and his friends navigate escalating violence, race, loyalty, and the desire to escape their Astoria environment.
The flashbacks render youthful friendships, family conflict, sex, and sudden violence with raw immediacy.
Dito’s return is bound to the illness of his father and memories of friends, including the death and consequences surrounding his youth.
Films like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, and why
The Last Days of Disco
urban coming-of-age drama shaped by friendship, family pressure, race, and street violence
American History X
raw youth drama about loyalty, masculinity, crime, and leaving a troubled neighborhood
Stand by Me
nostalgic retrospective coming-of-age story centered on friendship, memory, and emotional return
The Basketball Diaries
gritty ensemble drama about working-class youth, family conflict, and neighborhood identity
Movie Details
- Director
- Dito Montiel
- Release Date
- 2006-09-29
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (354)
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Shia LaBeouf
- Chazz Palminteri
- Dianne Wiest
- Channing Tatum
- Melonie Díaz
- Martin Compston
- Eric Roberts
- Rosario Dawson
- Olga Merediz
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints about?
- A conflicted writer returns to his Queens childhood, where memories of friendship, family, violence, and escape force him to confront the cost of leaving home.
- What is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a lively and powerful coming-of-age drama distinguished by winning performances and sharp direction.
- Which films are like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Days of Disco, American History X, Stand by Me, and The Basketball Diaries.
- How long is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?
- A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?
- In United States, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
