James Gandolfini: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Pat - Not Fade Away (2012)

One of the more surprising dark patches in Gandolfini's filmography was his reunion with The Sopranos creator David Chase. Surely such a project would be cause for celebration, as one of the most fruitful collaborations in modern popular culture finally come back together to make something new? Apparently not, since Not Fade Away came out two years ago and barely anybody has heard of it. Why would the cinematic directorial debut from the creator of The Sopranos make more waves? Because it's a bit naff, that's why. The Sopranos was a ballsy, complex and drama. Not Fade Away is a cheesy, nostalgic period drama seen through rose-tinted glasses, with teenager Douglas Damiano clearly being a Mary Sue insert character for Chase to live out his adolescent fantasy of being in a successful rock band during his favourite era for music in history. Gandolfini, meanwhile, is saddled with the thankless task of playing Doug's ailing and abusive father Pat. In The Juror he's nothing more than a plot device; in Not Fade Away, he exists purely to give the main character motivation. What a bore.