History Film / TheManySaintsOfNewark

* BrilliantButLazy: As Tony's guidance counselor explains to his mother:
-->'''Mrs. Jarecki:''' On the basis of the Stanford–Binet, he's high I.Q.
-->'''Livia Soprano:''' You can't prove it by me, he's got a D+ average.
-->'''Mrs. Jarecki:''' Oh, he doesn't apply himself. But he is smart. The results tell us he's a leader.
-->'''Livia Soprano:''' (''scoffs'')
* ContinuityNod:
** An easy one to spot is the Saint Christopher medallion Tony wears around his neck, which he wears decades later in the original series.
** Tony's guidance counselor discusses his high score on an I.Q. test, which Tony mentions to Johnny Sack in the series.
** Dickie seems to hide his heavy drinking from Tony, similar to how his son Christopher will repeatedly hide his alcohol and substance abuse from Tony during the series.
** Livia looks and sounds very similar to Carmela, playing into numerous hints about Tony's OedipusComplex during the series.
** Uncle Junior's kitchen is decorated with the same wallpaper and furniture that he will have during the series.
* TheCorrupter: Dickie to Tony, pulling his young nephew into a life of crime; one scene has Dickie giving a stolen stereo system to a reluctant Tony. Dickie's father, "Hollywood" Dick Moltisanti, warns him to stay out of Tony's life, likely because of how Dickie is a bad influence.
* DecoyProtagonist: Most of the film's promotional material puts Tony front-and-center, but the film actually centers around Tony's uncle (and Christopher's father) Dickie Moltisanti.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Uncle Junior is an unrepentant gangster who frequently steals and murders, but he genuinely loves his nephew Tony and shows more concern for him than his parents.
* EvilMentor / EvilUncle: Dickie Moltisanti to Tony Soprano, to the point that Livia says Dickie is the only person Tony listens to. Dickie is an unrepentant gangster who introduces young Tony to TheMafia, which leads to Tony gradually becoming the dysfunctional, narcissistic, murderous crime boss we meet in the series proper.
* ForegoneConclusion: The trailer sets up the story as a battle for Tony's soul, with Tony either pursuing an education to fulfill his intellectual promise or joining the mob with his father Johnny Boy and uncles Dickie and Junior. The mere existence of the original ''Sopranos'' series fills you in on how Tony turns out.
* GeniusBruiser: Tony scores high in an I.Q. test and expresses a desire to go to college, and also doesn't hesitate to rough up anybody who slights him.
* GloryDays: During the period the film is set in, before the RICO crackdowns of the '80s gutted the Mafia as a whole, the [=DiMeo=] crime family is at the height of its influence in North Jersey.
* TheMafia: What with this being a prequel to ''Series/TheSopranos'' and all. The film chronicles Tony's introduction to the mob through his uncle Dickie, though Tony's father Johnny Boy and uncle Junior are already heavily involved.
* OedipusComplex: Creator/VeraFarmiga was clearly cast due to her resemblance to Creator/EdieFalco, and even alters her voice to sound similar, playing into the numerous hints from the series that Tony is attracted to women like his mother.
* ParentalNeglect: Livia, who dismisses any chance of Tony having an academic future and shows no concern for Dickie bringing her son into TheMafia.
* ParentalSubstitute:
** Dickie Moltisanti, overlapping with TheCorrupter.
** Uncle Junior is also shown to be this (as per his portrayal in the original series), who actually shows concern for Tony in comparison to Livia dismissing his brilliance and Johnny Boy ignoring him completely.
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: The events of this film goes into detail on how Tony Soprano goes on to become one of television's most infamous mafia bosses.
* TheSixties: Specifically 1967; the story is set during the Newark riots.
* StartOfDarkness: Much of the film deals with how Tony was a promising young man who was set on the path to becoming a brutal gangster.

** An easy one to spot is the St. Christopher medallion Tony wears around his neck, which he wears decades later in the original series.

** Tony's guidance counselor discusses his high score on an I.Q. test, which Tony mentions to Johnny Sack in an episode of the original series.

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: The events of this film goes into detail on how Tony becomes one of television's most infamous mafia bosses.

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: The events of this film goes into detail on how Tony goes to become one of television's most infamous mafia bosses.

* ParentalNeglect: Livia, who dismisses any chance of Tony having an academic future and shows no concern for Dickie bringing into TheMafia.

* TheCorrupter: Dickie to Tony, pulling his young nephew into a life of crime; one scene has Dickie giving a stolen stereo system to a reluctant Tony. Creator/RayLiotta's character warns Dickie to stay out of Tony's life, likely because of how Dickie is a bad influence.

-->'''Livia Soprano:''' (''chortles'')

--'''Mrs. Jarecki:''' On the basis of the Stanford–Binet, he's high I.Q.
--'''Livia Soprano:''' You can't prove it by me, he's got a D+ average.
--'''Mrs. Jarecki:''' Oh, he doesn't apply himself. But he is smart. The results tell us he's a leader.
--'''Livia Soprano:''' (''chortles'')

* BrilliantButLazy: Tony's guidance counselor explains that he has scored very high in the Stanford I.Q. test and shows leadership aptitude, but has low grades because he doesn't apply himself.

* EvilUncle: Tony is close to his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti, to the point that Livia says he's the only person Tony listens to. Dickie is an unrepentant gangster who introduces young Tony to TheMafia, which leads to Tony gradually becoming the dysfunctional, narcissistic, murderous crime boss we meet in the series proper.

** Dickie seems to hide his heavy drinking from Tony, similar to how his son Christopher will repeatedly hide his alcohol and substance abuse from Tony during the original series.
* EvilUncle: Tony is close to his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti, to the point that Livia says he's the only person Tony listens to. Dickie is a violent thug who introduces young Tony to TheMafia, which leads to Tony gradually becoming the dysfunctional, narcissistic, murderous crime boss we meet in the series proper.

* GloryDays: Being set before RICO laws and open violence in the street during the riot the Jersey mob is much more intimidating and flashier than in the series.

* StartOfDarkness: The film deals with how Tony was a promising young man who was set on the path to becoming a brutal gangster.
* OedipusComplex: Vera Farmiga was clearly cast due to her resemblance to Edie Falco, and even alters her voice to sound similar, playing into the numerous hints from the series that Tony is attracted to women like his mother.

* GeniusBruiser: Tony scores high in an I.Q. and expresses a desire to go to college, and also doesn't hesitate to rough up anybody who slights him.

* ContinuityNod: Tony's guidance counselor discusses his high score on an I.Q. test, which Tony mentions to Johnny Sack in an episode of the original series.

->''"Growing up with the family takes a toll."''
-->--'''Dickie Moltisanti'''

''The Many Saints of Newark'' is a 2021 film which serves as the prequel to the Creator/{{HBO}} crime drama ''Series/TheSopranos''. It is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2021, fourteen years after the end of the original series.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/many_saints_of_newark_movie_poster.jpg]]

-->''"Growing up with the family takes a toll."''
--->--'''Dickie Moltisanti'''

Set during the run-up to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Newark_riots 1967 Newark race riots]], the film centers around Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), a soldier in the [[TheMafia DiMeo mafia family]] of North Jersey, and his young nephew [[Characters/TheSopranosTonySoprano Tony Soprano]] (Creator/MichaelGandolfini), whom he decides to take under his wing. As the [=DiMeo=] family grapples with racial unrest between Newark's Italian-American and black communities, Dickie increasingly pulls Tony into the violent lifestyle of the Jersey mob.

''"Growing up with the family takes a toll."''
-->--'''Dickie Moltisanti'''

Set during the run-up to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Newark_riots 1967 Newark riots]], the film centers around Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), a soldier in the [[TheMafia DiMeo mafia family]] of North Jersey, and his young nephew [[Characters/TheSopranosTonySoprano Tony Soprano]] (Creator/MichaelGandolfini), whom he decides to take under his wing. As the [=DiMeo=] family grapples with racial unrest between Newark's Italian-American and black communities, Dickie increasingly pulls Tony into the violent lifestyle of the Jersey mob.