Buzz
This is one of the most memorable instances of an original painting making its way into a film, alongside the sinister Vigo painting in Ghostbusters II and the portrait of Ben Stiller trying to wrangle a bull in Dodgeball. A true Goodfellas aficionado can't help but think of the famous oil painting whenever they spot two dogs gazing in opposite directions in that darkly comedic dinner scene.
The scene sticks with you: After nearly beating another gangster to death, Tommy (Joe Pesci), Jimmy (Robert De Niro), and Henry (Ray Liotta) pull up late at night to Tommy’s mother’s house with a body in the trunk—just because they need a shovel. But she hasn't seen Tommy in ages and, naturally, insists on preparing a huge meal for them.
This is when Tommy’s mother, played by Martin Scorsese's real mother, Catherine, proudly shows the group her new painting. It features an elderly man with wavy white hair, sitting on a boat with his two dogs, appearing as perplexed by the 3 a.m. dinner gathering as the gangsters are.
Tommy gives an art critique that's more insightful than anything you'd read on the little plaques in galleries: 'I like this one. One dog looks one way, and the other dog looks the other way,' he observes. 'And this guy's saying, ‘Whaddaya want from me?’'”
Bone to Pick
Mothers played an integral part in both the story and the behind-the-scenes moments of Goodfellas. The painting was actually created by Nicholas Pileggi's mother, Susan Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese and wrote Wise Guys, the book that inspired the film. Susan's idea was sparked by a 1978 edition of National Geographic that featured a photograph of John Weaving and his two dogs, Twiggy and Brocky. Before being immortalized in Goodfellas, Weaving had already gained fame in his own right on the River Shannon in Ireland.
Weaving, a former banker, lived on a 60-foot houseboat. After retiring, he dedicated his time to protecting the Shannon from unsafe bridge projects and advocating for improved barge safety, earning a reputation as a local guardian of the river. His efforts were honored with a bust of his lion-like face at the harbor, and National Geographic published a 28-page feature about him, highlighted by a serene photo of him with his two dogs, captured by photographer Adam Woolfitt.
What makes this portrait stand out among other movie paintings is that it’s genuinely well done. It’s not just a throwaway gag like most art in films; this one leaves us with questions. Who is this calm-looking man with the biblical white hair? Why are the dogs looking in opposite directions? Are they angry with each other, or were they positioned that way intentionally? The mystery lingers.
In any case, the painting’s appearance in the scene offers a hilariously serene contrast to the chaos and tension that precedes it. Here’s a man enjoying a peaceful life in the artwork, while just outside the house, Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) is experiencing the complete opposite, locked away in a trunk. 'Looks like somebody we know,' Jimmy jokes in the film, as the audience uncomfortably chuckles while Batts desperately disagrees.
Alongside Brocky and Twiggy, John Weaving appeared to enjoy a more peaceful retirement than any of the mobsters in the film. Even his portrait found comfort: it now hangs above Pileggi’s desk. The author has also passed it on to his stepson, Max Bernstein, the son of renowned journalist Carl Bernstein and Sleepless in Seattle director Nora Ephron, who was married to Pileggi for 25 years until her passing in 2012. Ironically, it’s exactly the sort of thing you'd find being discussed at a family dinner.
