Buffalo '66

Buffalo '66 is a 1998 comedy-drama film that was writer-director Vincent Gallo's full-length motion picture debut. Gallo and Christina Ricci star in the lead roles and the supporting cast includes Mickey Rourke, Rosanna Arquette, Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston. Gallo also composed and performed much of the music for the film.

The film received critical acclaim and Empire listed it as the 36th-greatest independent film ever made. It was filmed in and around Gallo's native Buffalo, New York in winter. The film uses British progressive rock music in its soundtrack, notably King Crimson and Yes.

The title refers to the Buffalo Bills American football team, who had not won a championship since the 1965 American Football League Championship Game (which was actually played on December 28, 1965, four days before 1966 began). The plot involves indirect reference to the Bills' narrow loss in Super Bowl XXV, which was decided by a missed field goal.

Plot
Having just served five years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) kidnaps a young tap dancer named Layla (Christina Ricci) and forces her to pretend to be his wife. Billy is compelled to deal with his own demons, loneliness and depression.

The subplot of Billy seeking revenge on the man indirectly responsible for his imprisonment, Scott Wood, is a reference to a former Buffalo Bills kicker, Scott Norwood, who missed the potential game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants in 1991.

Cast

 * Vincent Gallo (John Sansone, young) as Billy Brown
 * Christina Ricci as Layla
 * Anjelica Huston as Jan Brown
 * Ben Gazzara as Jimmy Brown
 * Kevin Corrigan as Goon/Rocky
 * Mickey Rourke as The Bookie
 * Rosanna Arquette as Wendy Balsam
 * Jan-Michael Vincent as Sonny
 * Kevin Pollak and Alex Karras as TV sportcasters
 * John Rummel as Don Shanks
 * Bob Wahl as Scott Wood
 * Penny Wolfgang as The Judge
 * Carl Marchi as Cafe Owner
 * Michael Maciejewski as Guy in Bathroom,

Production
Gallo had difficulties working with his cast and crew, and reportedly did not get along with Ricci on set. Gallo called Ricci, whom he did not mention in the film's credits, a "puppet" who did what she was told. Ricci vowed to never work with Gallo again. She also resented comments Gallo made about her weight three or four years after filming. Anjelica Huston also had issues with Gallo, and Gallo claimed Huston caused the film to be turned down by the Cannes Film Festival. Director Stéphane Sednaoui suggested to Gallo to use cinematographer Lance Acord, who was widely credited with the film's distinct visual style, though Gallo has claimed credit for designing most of the film's cinematography. Gallo also publicly disparaged Acord, saying "This guy had no ideas, no conceptual ideas, no aesthetic point of view." Kevin Corrigan chose to opt out of the credits because he did not want to be associated with the film at the time.

Gallo was unable to use real NFL logos or to refer to the team as the "Buffalo Bills", just "Buffalo" or "the Bills", as NFL Properties was uncooperative. Kicker Scott Norwood was invited to participate in the film but declined, meaning Gallo had to change the character's name to Scott Wood.

The film was made for just under $2 million. It was filmed on reversal stock to give it a classic look similar to that of NFL Films reels from the 1960s, with high color saturation and contrast.

Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 76% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 59 reviews; the average rating is 7.2/10. At Metacritic it has a rating score of 68/100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

In popular culture

 * Dialogue from the film is sampled in reverse during the song "I'm Getting Closer" on M83 by the band M83.