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Dominick and Eugene

 Dominick and Eugene
type
TVTItem
 Dominick and Eugene
label
Dominick and Eugene
 Dominick and Eugene
page
DominickAndEugene
 Dominick and Eugene
comment
Dominick and Eugene is a 1988 American drama film written by Corey Blechman and Alvin Sargent, directed by Robert M. Young, and produced by Mike Farrell and Marvin Minoff.Eugene "Gino" Luciano (Ray Liotta) is a medical student living in Pittsburgh with his mentally disabled twin Dominick, aka Nicky (Tom Hulce). Nicky pays for Gino's education by working as a garbageman. Gino receives an offer to complete his education at Stanford University, but he doesn't want to leave Nicky alone, and he doesn't think Nicky will be able to handle being uprooted and moved across the country. Their relationship is further strained by Nicky's coworker Larry (Todd Graff), who seems to enjoy stirring up drama, and by Gino's girlfriend Jennifer (Jamie Lee Curtis), who makes Nicky worry that Gino will abandon him for her.
 Dominick and Eugene
fetched
2023-03-23T15:28:14Z
 Dominick and Eugene
parsed
2023-03-23T15:28:14Z
 Dominick and Eugene
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Dominick and Eugene / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Dominick and Eugene / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: An actual gun in this case. Early in the movie Larry uses a gun (calling it "Jesse's .22") stored in the garbage truck to get rid of rats that scavenge the garbage dump, even mentioning how Nicky is too afraid to use a gun when the latter remarks on that. Later on, after seeing Martin kill Mikey, Nicky runs to the truck, retrieves the gun and threatens the Chernak family with it when kidnapping Joey, thinking he is protecting the boy.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_22cf536c
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1.0
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Dominick and Eugene / int_22cf536c
 Dominick and Eugene / int_263e10f2
type
Nervous Tics
 Dominick and Eugene / int_263e10f2
comment
Nervous Tics: Nicky tends to rub his fingers together when he's feeling nervous.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_263e10f2
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1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_263e10f2
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Dominick and Eugene / int_263e10f2
 Dominick and Eugene / int_28cd01ca
type
Disappeared Dad
 Dominick and Eugene / int_28cd01ca
comment
Disappeared Dad: The brothers' dad "went away" after Nicky's accident. This is because it wasn't really an accident at all, but was caused by their father violently beating him.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_28cd01ca
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1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_28cd01ca
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Dominick and Eugene / int_28cd01ca
 Dominick and Eugene / int_39d7954e
type
The Caretaker
 Dominick and Eugene / int_39d7954e
comment
The Caretaker: To an extent, Eugene serves as this for Dominick, in that he has to stop his brother from being manipulated by others around him and keep an eye out for his needs, such as having to remind Dominick to eat breakfast, take Fred for a walk and making sure he gets to work on time. Not to mention his dilemma of having to leave his brother to take care of himself alone to finish his education.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_39d7954e
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Dominick and Eugene / int_39d7954e
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4781adbb
type
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4781adbb
comment
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Larry is quite sleazy and likes to pick on Nicky because he's such an easy target, but underneath it all, Larry likes and looks out for Nicky.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4781adbb
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1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4781adbb
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Dominick and Eugene / int_4781adbb
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4d7df5e2
type
Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4d7df5e2
comment
Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase: When Mikey is badly injured from being pushed down the stairs, Nicky tries to chase after the ambulance.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4d7df5e2
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_4d7df5e2
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Dominick and Eugene / int_4d7df5e2
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: When Eugene chases after Dominick who's kidnapped Joey in a misguided attempt at protecting him, Dominick explains how he's protecting Joey from being hurt by his father... just like he'd been. He then reveals he realized the true reason behind his brain damage, which Gino had known and hidden from him all along. The look on Eugene's face when Nicky says this only further confirms it.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_4e7c4536
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Dominick and Eugene / int_4e7c4536
 Dominick and Eugene / int_54adb6a3
type
Staircase Tumble
 Dominick and Eugene / int_54adb6a3
comment
Staircase Tumble: Martin tries to lock Mikey in the cellar as a punishment. When Mikey resists because he's scared, Martin shoves him through the door so that he falls down the stairs. He hits his head and dies at the hospital a few hours later. Nicky witnesses the assault, which causes him to realize the truth about his own injury.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_54adb6a3
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Dominick and Eugene / int_54adb6a3
 Dominick and Eugene / int_62b65869
type
And I'm the Queen of Sheba
 Dominick and Eugene / int_62b65869
comment
And I'm the Queen of Sheba: When Larry says that Gino and Jennifer must be having sex, Nicky says, "He's just helping her study, that's all." Larry answers, "Sure, and I'm the Pope's long-lost son."
 Dominick and Eugene / int_62b65869
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Dominick and Eugene / int_62b65869
 Dominick and Eugene / int_66e48100
type
The Kindnapper
 Dominick and Eugene / int_66e48100
comment
The Kindnapper: After Mikey's death, Nicky worries that the same fate will befall his baby brother Joey. He runs into the Chernak house, grabs Joey, threatens the family with a gun, and holes up in an abandoned warehouse. A SWAT team is sent after him, and Gino has to talk him down.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_66e48100
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Dominick and Eugene / int_66e48100
 Dominick and Eugene / int_69681e01
type
Big Brother Instinct
 Dominick and Eugene / int_69681e01
comment
Big Brother Instinct: Gino is Nicky's (non-identical) twin, but acts as a protective big brother because of Nicky's mental handicap.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_69681e01
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_69681e01
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Dominick and Eugene / int_69681e01
 Dominick and Eugene / int_6b2b3b59
type
The Reveal
 Dominick and Eugene / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: Nicky wasn't brain damaged in an accident. His father was violently beating him.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_6b2b3b59
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Dominick and Eugene / int_6b2b3b59
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c170cb1
type
Ethical Slut
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c170cb1
comment
Ethical Slut: Mrs. Vinson, the woman that Larry (and according to him, many other men) have casual sex with. While extremely sexually promiscuous, she's shown to be a kind and caring person in her interactions with Nicky and with her neighbors after Mikey's death.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c170cb1
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Dominick and Eugene / int_8c170cb1
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c678d33
type
Death by Newbery Medal
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c678d33
comment
Death by Newbery Medal: Fred the dog is hit by a car and killed during a picnic.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c678d33
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1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8c678d33
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Dominick and Eugene / int_8c678d33
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8d0785d5
type
Didn't Think This Through
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8d0785d5
comment
Didn't Think This Through: Though he had good intentions, Nicky really didn't consider the consequences of kidnapping Joey from his family at gunpoint and then going on the run and hiding out. Of course the cops would get involved and treat this as a serious kidnapping case, especially due to the presence of the gun and not knowing his motive for doing so. Justified to an extent as he is slow and likely didn't consider it, as well as being in a state of panic due to what he saw and remembered directly before the kidnapping. Still, it's a miracle he didn't suffer any consequences or punishment for that, which viewers found to be the only unrealistic element in the film.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_8d0785d5
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_8d0785d5
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Dominick and Eugene / int_8d0785d5
 Dominick and Eugene / int_978c4f8f
type
You Didn't See That
 Dominick and Eugene / int_978c4f8f
comment
You Didn't See That: A non-comedic version. Nicky goes to the hospital after Mikey’s "accident" to see how he’s doing. Martin, Mikey’s father, who was the one who hurt Mikey (though no one other than Dominick knows that) confronts Dominick in a storage room and tells him that Mikey died, and that if Dominick tells anyone he killed him Martin will kill him too.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_978c4f8f
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_978c4f8f
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Dominick and Eugene / int_978c4f8f
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97926168
type
Rewatch Bonus
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97926168
comment
Rewatch Bonus: When rewatching the movie a second time with knowledge of The Reveal, a few subtle hints can be noticed before the brothers' confrontation in the warehouse indicating that there’s more to Nicky’s Childhood Brain Damage than just "falling down": It’s been mentioned how Eugene is smart and has a great memory, yet whenever Nicky asks him to tell the story of what happened to him as a child, Gino simply says something along the lines of "You fell, hit your head, and became slower because of that.", not seeming to know any more than that. And he repeats the same story verbatim, never elaborating or explaining in any more detail. Because that story is completely made up and not what actually happened - Eugene doesn’t elaborate so that Nicky doesn’t realize something’s up or accidentally trigger his memory (which ends up occurring later on from something else). When Dominick mentions how their father had to leave after his accident, Eugene looks away and doesn’t say anything until Nicky starts talking about something else, and then Gino tells him to go to bed. He knows what their father was really like and why he actually left. Unlike Gino, Nicky doesn’t remember due to his handicap. Later before going to sleep Nicky mentions how he’s glad Eugene’s not mad at him. Eugene has a pensive, almost worried look on his face afterwards. Because he worries about becoming like their father, who was angry and took it out on them as children. Eugene looking genuinely horrified after his argument with Dominick where he shoved him into the wall and hurt him, needing to walk away and breathe afterwards, even though he had never had such a serious reaction whenever they argued before. That’s because despite having argued and lost his patience with his brother before, Gino had never physically attacked him, which was later revealed to be his worst fear - hurting his brother and becoming abusive and violent like their father, whose beatings of Nicky had been what gave him brain damage and changed their lives forever.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97926168
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Dominick and Eugene / int_97926168
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97b4c1fd
type
Cut Himself Shaving
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97b4c1fd
comment
Cut Himself Shaving: Mikey Chernak (Tommy Snelsire), a boy Nicky's befriended who lives on the garbage route, is being beaten by his father Martin (David Strathairn). He tells Nicky the bruises are from falling over.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_97b4c1fd
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_97b4c1fd
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Dominick and Eugene / int_97b4c1fd
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ae8eea9
type
Character Tics
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ae8eea9
comment
Character Tics: Nicky rubs his fingers together when he's nervous.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ae8eea9
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1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ae8eea9
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Dominick and Eugene / int_9ae8eea9
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ec132e7
type
Accomplice by Inaction
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ec132e7
comment
Accomplice by Inaction: Eugene feels a measure of guilt for always being too scared to do anything when his father would hurt him which led to Nicky always having to stand between them and take the blows for him, one of such incidents which ended up giving him brain damage.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ec132e7
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_9ec132e7
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Dominick and Eugene / int_9ec132e7
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: The day after the big fight between the brothers, they along with Jennifer, their neighbor Mrs. Gianelli and their dog Fred go on a picnic. Dominick and Eugene have a conversation where Eugene tries to explain how he's stressed over having to leave his brother to complete his education, when suddenly their dog Fred is hit by a car. The next scene shows Nicky crying in church, making it clear Fred died. Also Mikey’s death. Dominick is out on his garbage run a few days after Fred’s death, just a normal everyday run. While collecting the trash from the Chernak house, he witnesses an argument between Martin and Mikey that ends with Martin pushing Mikey down the stairs and then calling an ambulance. Dominick goes to the hospital afterwards to find out Mikey died from damage sustained to his head when he fell.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a4c37cbe
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Dominick and Eugene / int_a4c37cbe
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a66b0789
type
Fingertip Drug Analysis
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a66b0789
comment
Fingertip Drug Analysis: Guido (Joe Maruzzo), a guy from the junkyard, pays Nicky ten dollars to deliver a newspaper that has drugs hidden inside it. When Gino finds out, he opens the packet hidden in the newspaper and tastes the powder.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_a66b0789
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Dominick and Eugene / int_a66b0789
 Dominick and Eugene / int_b66a24a7
type
Trauma-Induced Amnesia
 Dominick and Eugene / int_b66a24a7
comment
Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Nicky has brain damage and a learning disability from when he fell down and hit his head as a child, which also made him lose all his memories before the accident. Or so he thinks. Overlaps with Repressed Memories: seeing Martin abuse and kill his son triggers Nicky's memories and makes him remember it was actually his own father's abuse that gave him brain damage due to the similarity between the two incidents.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_b66a24a7
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Dominick and Eugene / int_b66a24a7
 Dominick and Eugene / int_ba3454a7
type
Future Me Scares Me
 Dominick and Eugene / int_ba3454a7
comment
Future Me Scares Me: Downplayed. Eugene admits during his rooftop conversation with Dominick that he's afraid of himself when he gets angry, especially when that leads to him hurting Nicky, because he fears that he'll become just like their father, someone who was always taking out his anger and temper on them through violent beatings.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_ba3454a7
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Dominick and Eugene / int_ba3454a7
 Dominick and Eugene / int_c60e9e0c
type
Bullying the Disabled
 Dominick and Eugene / int_c60e9e0c
comment
Bullying the Disabled: Nicky is a frequent target. Once some boys surround him, knock his grocery bags out of his arms, and try to force him to touch their boogers until Gino chases them away.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_c60e9e0c
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Dominick and Eugene / int_c60e9e0c
 Dominick and Eugene / int_d1d4cf48
type
Cheating with the Milkman
 Dominick and Eugene / int_d1d4cf48
comment
Cheating with the Milkman: Larry regularly visits Mrs. Vinson (Jacqueline Knapp), a woman who lives on the garbage route, to help her with her "plumbing problems."
 Dominick and Eugene / int_d1d4cf48
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Dominick and Eugene / int_d1d4cf48
 Dominick and Eugene / int_dcd423d2
type
Affectionate Nickname
 Dominick and Eugene / int_dcd423d2
comment
Affectionate Nickname: Dominick is called "Nicky" by almost everyone in the neighborhood, and he in turn is the only one to call Eugene by the nickname "Gino".
 Dominick and Eugene / int_dcd423d2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Dominick and Eugene / int_dcd423d2
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Dominick and Eugene / int_dcd423d2
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e11e88b6
type
Thousand-Yard Stare
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e11e88b6
comment
Thousand-Yard Stare: After Nicky witnesses Martin throw Mikey down the stairs, he can do nothing but stare forward aimlessly and cry from the shock of what he saw, becoming temporarily unresponsive to anyone speaking to him. And later it's revealed that he wasn't just crying due to what he saw, but also because of his...
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e11e88b6
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Dominick and Eugene / int_e11e88b6
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e5fd8bc2
type
Hate Sink
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e5fd8bc2
comment
Hate Sink: Martin Chernak (Mikey's father) is an all-around low-life who abuses his son and eventually kills him, then lies and threatens Nicky to cover up what he did. When Nicky kidnaps Martin's younger child to protect him, Martin tries to shoot him.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_e5fd8bc2
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_e5fd8bc2
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Dominick and Eugene / int_e5fd8bc2
 Dominick and Eugene / int_f9c77812
type
Childhood Brain Damage
 Dominick and Eugene / int_f9c77812
comment
Childhood Brain Damage: Nicky "fell down" and hit his head when he was a kid. He remembers nothing from before the accident.
 Dominick and Eugene / int_f9c77812
featureApplicability
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 Dominick and Eugene / int_f9c77812
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Dominick and Eugene / int_f9c77812
 Dominick and Eugene / int_fc5e7c2e
type
Lying to Protect Your Feelings
 Dominick and Eugene / int_fc5e7c2e
comment
Lying to Protect Your Feelings: Eugene is revealed to have been doing this for Dominick by telling him that his disability was caused by a childhood fall - in reality, it was due to their father beating him. When Nicky finds out the real reason and demands to know why Eugene lied and hid the truth from him, Gino admits that he didn’t want his brother to live with the knowledge of that weighing on him if he didn’t have to.
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ItemName
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Dominick and Eugene

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Affectionate Nickname / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
And I'm the Queen of Sheba / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
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Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
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Bullying the Disabled / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Cheating with the Milkman / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Childhood Brain Damage / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Death by Newbery Medal / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Ethical Slut / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
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Fingertip Drug Analysis / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Lying to Protect Your Feelings / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Name and Name / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Nervous Tics / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
Staircase Tumble / int_7d494418
 Dominick and Eugene
hasFeature
The Kindnapper / int_7d494418