Goodfellas#Academy Awards

In 1955, teenager Henry Hill becomes enamored by the criminal life and Mafia presence in East New York, a working-class Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He begins working for local caporegime Paulie Cicero and his associates Jimmy Conway, an Irish-American truck hijacker and gangster, and Tommy DeVito, a fellow juvenile delinquent. Henry begins as a fence for Jimmy, gradually working his way up to more serious crimes.

Throughout the 1960s, the three men excel at carjacking, stealing cargo trucks from JFK Airport, and eventually commit the Air France Robbery. They spend most of their nights at the Copacabana nightclub, carousing with women. Henry starts dating Karen Friedman, a Jewish woman who is initially confused by Henry's criminal activities. She is soon seduced by Henry's glamorous lifestyle, and marries him, despite her parents' disapproval.

In 1970, Billy Batts, a made man in the Gambino crime family who was recently released from prison, insults Tommy at a nightclub that is owned by Henry. In response, Tommy and Jimmy beat, stab and fatally shoot Billy. Realizing that the unsanctioned murder of a made man will invite retribution, Jimmy, Henry and Tommy bury the body in Upstate New York. Six months later, Jimmy learns that the burial site is slated for development, prompting them to exhume and relocate the decaying corpse.

In 1974, Karen harasses Henry's mistress Janice, and threatens Henry at gunpoint. Henry moves in with Janice, but Paulie insists that he return to Karen after collecting a debt from a gambler in Tampa with Jimmy. Jimmy and Henry are arrested after being turned in by the gambler's sister, an FBI typist, and they receive ten-year prison sentences. To support his family on the outside, Henry has Karen smuggle in drugs from Pittsburgh, which he sells to fellow inmates.

Four years later, Henry is paroled and expands his cocaine business with Jimmy and Tommy, against Paulie's orders. Jimmy organizes a crew to raid the Lufthansa vault at JFK Airport, stealing six million dollars in cash and jewelry. After some members purchase expensive items against Jimmy's orders and the getaway truck is found by police, he has most of the crew killed. Only Henry and Tommy are spared, as Henry is making money through his Pittsburgh connection, and Tommy is about to become a made man. However, Tommy is killed when he arrives at the bogus initiation ceremony, in retribution for murdering Batts.

By 1980, Henry has become a nervous wreck due to heavy cocaine use. He sets up another drug deal with his Pittsburgh associates but is arrested by narcotics agents and incarcerated. After bailing him out, Karen explains that she flushed $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet to prevent FBI agents from finding it during their raid, leaving the Hills penniless.

Feeling betrayed by Henry's drug dealing, and realizing that he is a liability, Paulie gives him $3,200 and ends their association. Henry meets Jimmy at a diner and is asked to travel to a hit assignment, but the request makes him suspicious. Realizing that Jimmy plans to have him killed, Henry decides to finally become an informant and enroll with his family in the witness protection program. Henry gives sufficient testimony and evidence in court to have Paulie and Jimmy convicted, and moves to a neighborhood in an undisclosed location, in accordance with the witness protection program. Henry describes his unhappiness by leaving his exciting and turbulent gangster life, feeling condemned to live a boring, average life as a "schnook".

• Ray Liotta as Henry Hill
• Christopher Serrone as Young Henry{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/19/goodfellas-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-joe-pesci-ray-liotta|title=Goodfellas review – a brash, menacing hightail through the death of the mob|work=The Guardian|date=January 19, 2017|access-date=June 25, 2020|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618163340/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/19/goodfellas-review-martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-joe-pesci-ray-liotta|url-status=live}}
• Robert De Niro as James "Jimmy" Conway
• Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito
• Joseph D'Onofrio as Young Tommy
• Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill
• Paul Sorvino as Paulie Cicero
• Frank Sivero as Frankie Carbone
• Tony Darrow as Sonny Bunz
• Mike Starr as Frenchy
• Frank Vincent as Billy Batts
• Chuck Low as Morris Kessler
• Frank DiLeo as Tuddy Cicero
• Henny Youngman as himself
• Gina Mastrogiacomo as Janice Rossi
• Catherine Scorsese as Tommy's mother
• Charles Scorsese as Vinnie
• Suzanne Shepherd as Karen's mother
• Debi Mazar as Sandy
• Margo Winkler as Belle Kessler
• Welker White as Lois Byrd
• Jerry Vale as himself
• Julie Garfield as Mickey Conway
• Elaine Kagan as Henry's mother
• Beau Starr as Henry's father
• Kevin Corrigan as Michael "Mike" Hill
• Michael Imperioli as Spider
• Robbie Vinton as Bobby Vinton
• John Williams as Johnny Roastbeef
• Illeana Douglas as Rosie
• Frank Pellegrino as Johnny Dio
• Tony Sirico as Tony Stacks
• Samuel L. Jackson as Stacks Edwards
• Paul Herman as Dealer
• Edward McDonald as himself
• Louis Eppolito as Fat Andy
• Tony Lip as Frankie the Wop
• Anthony Powers as Jimmy Two Times
• Vinny Pastore as Man w/Coatrack
• Tobin Bell as Parole Officer
• Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Doctor
• Richard "Bo" Dietl as Arresting Narc
• Ed Deacy as Detective Deacy
• Victor Colicchio as Henry's '60s crew
• Vincent Gallo as Henry's '70s crew
• Joseph Bono as Mikey Franzese
• Katherine Wallach as Diane
• Bob Golub as Truck Driver at Diner

File:Martin Scorsese Berlinale 2010 (cropped2).jpg

Goodfellas is based on New York crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy.{{cite news |work=The A.V. Club |title=Goodfellas turned Wiseguy's simple prose into cinematic gold |last=Vlastelica|first=Ryan |date=September 18, 2015 |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/goodfellas-turned-wiseguys-simple-prose-cinematic--224013|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918190329/http://www.avclub.com/article/goodfellas-turned-wiseguys-simple-prose-cinematic--224013|archive-date=September 18, 2015|url-status=live}} Martin Scorsese did not intend to make another Mafia film, but he saw a review of Pileggi's book, which he read while working on The Color of Money in 1986.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|p=164}} He had always been fascinated by the mob lifestyle, and was drawn to Pileggi's book because he thought that it was the most honest portrayal of gangsters that he had ever read.{{cite news |last=Linfield |first=Susan |title=Goodfellas Looks at the Banality of Mob Life |work=The New York Times |date=September 16, 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/16/movies/film-goodfellas-looks-at-the-banality-of-mob-life.html|access-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007070355/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/16/movies/film-goodfellas-looks-at-the-banality-of-mob-life.html|archive-date=October 7, 2017|url-status=live}}

After reading the book, Scorsese knew what approach he wanted to take: "To begin Goodfellas like a gunshot and have it get faster from there, almost like a two-and-a-half-hour trailer. I think it's the only way you can really sense the exhilaration of the lifestyle, and to get a sense of why a lot of people are attracted to it."{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Mike |title=GoodFellas step from his childhood |work=USA Today |date=September 19, 1990}} According to Pileggi, Scorsese cold-called the writer and told him, "I've been waiting for this book my entire life," to which Pileggi replied, "I've been waiting for this phone call my entire life."{{cite book |last=Kelly |first=Mary Pat |title=Martin Scorsese: A Journey |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |year=1991 |isbn=9780938410799}}{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/goodfellas-classic-feature |title=The Making of Goodfellas |date=November 1990 |work=Empire Magazine |access-date=June 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924053255/http://www.empireonline.com/features/goodfellas-classic-feature|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=live}}

Scorsese decided to postpone making the film when funds materialized in 1988 to make The Last Temptation of Christ. He was drawn to the documentary aspects of Pileggi's book. "The [Wiseguy] book gives you a sense of the day-to-day life, the tedium, how they work, how they take over certain nightclubs, and for what reasons. It shows how it's done." He saw Goodfellas as the third film in an unplanned trilogy of films that examined the lives of Italian-Americans "from slightly different angles".{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Matthew |title=Scorsese Tackles the Mob |work=Boston Globe |date=September 16, 1990}} He has often described the film as "a mob home movie" that is about money, because "that's what they're really in business for". Two weeks in advance of the filming, the real Henry Hill was paid $480,000.

Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay, and during the course of the 12 drafts that it took to reach the ideal script, the reporter realized that "the visual styling had to be completely redone... So we decided to share credit." They chose the sections of the book that they liked and assembled them like building blocks.{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=David |author-link=David M. Thompson |first2=Ian |last2=Christie |author-link2=Ian Christie (film scholar) |title=Scorsese on Scorsese |pages=150–161 |isbn=9780571178278|year=1996|publisher=Faber and Faber}} Scorsese persuaded Pileggi that they did not need to follow a traditional narrative structure.

Scorsese wanted to take the gangster film and deal with it episode by episode, but start in the middle and move backward and forward. Scorsese compacted scenes, realizing that if they were kept short, "the impact after about an hour and a half would be terrific". He wanted to use narration in a manner reminiscent of François Truffaut's 1962 film Jules and Jim, and use "all the basic tricks of the New Wave from around 1961". This is the first time since Mean Streets that Scorsese is credited as a co-writer.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|p=164}}

The names of several real-life gangsters are altered for the film: Tommy "Two Gun" DeSimone became Tommy DeVito, Paul Vario became Paulie Cicero, and Jimmy "The Gent" Burke became Jimmy Conway, after Burke's birth surname.{{cite book |last=Hughes|first=Howard |title=Crime Wave: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Crime Movies |date=August 22, 2006|isbn=978-1845112196|pages=176–177}}{{cite web |date=August 30, 2021 |title=Jimmy Burke aka Jimmy the Gent |url=https://ganglandwire.com/jimmy-burke-aka-jimmy-the-gent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107135450/https://ganglandwire.com/jimmy-burke-aka-jimmy-the-gent/ |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |access-date=January 7, 2024}} Scorsese initially titled the film Wise Guy, but he and Pileggi decided to change the title of their film to Goodfellas because two contemporary projects, the 1986 Brian De Palma film Wise Guys and the 1987–1990 TV series Wiseguy, had used similar titles.

Once Robert De Niro agreed to play Jimmy Conway, Scorsese was able to secure the money needed to make the film.{{cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Richard |title=The Making of Goodfellas |work=Hotdog}} Ray Liotta, who played Henry Hill, had read Pileggi's book when it came out and was fascinated by it. A couple of years afterward, his agent told him that Scorsese was going to direct a film adaptation. In 1988, Liotta met with Scorsese over a period of a couple of months and auditioned for the film. He campaigned aggressively for a role, although Warner Bros. wanted a well-known actor; he later said, "I think they would've rather had Eddie Murphy than me".{{cite news |last=Portman |first=Jamie |title=Goodfellas Star Prefers Quiet Life |work=Toronto Star |date=October 1, 1990}}

Scorsese cast Liotta after De Niro saw him in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild (1986); Scorsese was surprised by "his explosive energy" in that film. Al Pacino{{Cite web|url=https://www.shortlist.com/news/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas|title=50 genius facts about GoodFellas|date=February 11, 2011|website=Shortlist|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918043846/https://www.shortlist.com/news/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas|url-status=live}} and John Malkovich were considered for the role of Conway, and Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise were considered for the role of Hill.{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/goodfellas-making-of-behind-the-scenes-interview-scorsese-deniro|title=Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas: A Complete Oral History|publisher=gq.com|date=September 20, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321004107/https://www.gq.com/story/goodfellas-making-of-behind-the-scenes-interview-scorsese-deniro|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/07/29/alec-baldwin-goodfellas-audition-henry-hill/|title=Alec Baldwin auditioned to play Henry Hill in 'Goodfellas'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 27, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927233911/https://ew.com/article/2015/07/29/alec-baldwin-goodfellas-audition-henry-hill/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/25-didn-goodfellas-article-1.2194719|title='Goodfellas' at 25: Here are 25 things you never knew about Martin Scorsese's mobster flick|first=Rachel Maresca, Philip|last=Caulfield|website=New York Daily News|date=April 23, 2015 }}

To prepare for the role, De Niro consulted with Pileggi, who had research material that had been discarded while writing the book.{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |title=Real Fellas Talk about Mob Film |work=The Washington Times |date=September 25, 1990}} De Niro often called Hill several times a day to ask how Burke walked, held his cigarette, and so on.{{cite news |last=Wolf |first=Buck |title=Rap Star 50 Cent Joins Movie Mobsters |work=ABC News |date=November 8, 2005 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=1338853 |access-date=June 24, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054917/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=1338853|archive-date=March 12, 2007|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Papamichael |first=Stella |title=GoodFellas: Special Edition DVD (1990) |publisher=BBC |date=October 22, 2004 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/10/22/goodfellas_se_2004_dvd_review.shtml |access-date=June 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717052614/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/10/22/goodfellas_se_2004_dvd_review.shtml |archive-date=July 17, 2007 |url-status=live}} Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill, so that he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart.

Madonna was considered for the role of Karen Hill. To research her role, Lorraine Bracco tried to get close to a mob wife but was unable due to the insular nature of Mafia communities. She decided not to meet the real Karen, saying that she "thought it would be better if the creation came from me".{{cite news |last=Witchel |first=Alex |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/27/movies/a-mafia-wife-makes-lorraine-bracco-a-princess.html|title=A Mafia Wife Makes Lorraine Bracco a Princess |work=The New York Times |date=September 27, 1990}} Paul Sorvino had no problem finding the voice and walk of his character, but found it challenging to find what he called "that kernel of coldness and absolute hardness that is antithetical to my nature except when my family is threatened".{{cite news |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/12/movies/at-the-movies.html|title=At the Movies |work=The New York Times |date=October 12, 1990}}

Former EDNY prosecutor Edward A. McDonald appeared in the film as himself, re-creating the conversation that he had with Henry and Karen Hill about joining the Witness Protection Program. McDonald, who was friends with Pileggi, was cast on a whim; while a location scout was taking pictures of his office, McDonald casually remarked that he would be happy to play himself if needed. Pileggi called him an hour later asking if he was serious, and he was cast. The scene was unscripted, with McDonald improvising the line referring to Karen as a "babe-in-the-woods".{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=Dan |title=A Q&A With "Goodfellas" Actor (and Dechert Lawyer) Ed McDonald |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-5842 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-date=June 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626034739/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-LB-5842 |url-status=live }}

The film was shot on location in Queens, Upstate New York, New Jersey and parts of Long Island during spring and summer 1989, with a budget of $25 million. Scorsese broke the film into sequences and storyboarded everything because of the complicated style throughout. The filmmaker stated, "[I] wanted lots of movement and I wanted it to be throughout the whole picture, and I wanted the style to kind of break down by the end, so that by [Henry's] last day as a wise guy, it's as if the whole picture would be out of control, give the impression he's just going to spin off the edge and fly out."{{cite news |last=Malcolm |first=Derek |title=Made Men |work=Film Comment |date=September–October 1990}}

He added that the film's style came from the opening scenes of Jules and Jim: extensive narration, quick edits, freeze frames and multiple locale switches. It is this reckless attitude toward convention that mirrors the attitude of many of the gangsters in the film. Scorsese remarked, "So if you do the movie, you say, 'I don't care if there's too much narration. Too many quick cuts?—That's too bad.' It's that kind of really punk attitude we're trying to show." He adopted a frenetic style to almost overwhelm the audience with images and information. He also put plenty of detail in every frame because he believed that the gangster life is so rich. Freeze frames were used for certain scenes because Scorsese wanted to highlight that "a point was being reached" in Henry's life.

Joe Pesci did not judge his character, but found that the scene in which he kills Spider hard to do until he forced himself to feel the way Tommy did. Bracco found the shoot to be an emotionally difficult one because of the male-dominated cast, and realized that if she did not make her "work important, it would probably end up on the cutting room floor". When it came to the relationship between Henry and Karen, Bracco saw no difference between an abused wife and her character.

According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals wherein Scorsese let the actors do whatever they wanted. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines that the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script from which the cast worked during principal photography. For example, the scene in which Tommy tells a story and Henry is responding to him—the "Funny how? Do I amuse you?" scene—is based on an actual event that Pesci experienced. Pesci was working as a waiter when he thought that he was making a compliment to a mobster by saying he was "funny"; however, the comment was not taken well.{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/goodfellas-joe-pesci-funny-how-scene-2015-5?r=US&IR=T|title=One of the most famous scenes in 'Goodfellas' is based on something that actually happened to Joe Pesci|work=Business Insider|date=May 4, 2015|access-date=January 13, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114035346/https://www.businessinsider.com/goodfellas-joe-pesci-funny-how-scene-2015-5?r=US&IR=T|url-status=live}}{{cite book|title=The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies: Featuring the 100 Greatest Gangster Films of All Time|first1=George|last1=Anastasia|first2=Glen|last2=Macnow|publisher=Running Press|year=2011|isbn=9780762441549|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kY5tHAksa7kC&q=funny|access-date=November 11, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114035346/https://books.google.com/books?id=kY5tHAksa7kC&q=funny|url-status=live}} It was worked on in rehearsals at which he and Liotta improvised, and Scorsese recorded four to five takes, rewrote their dialogue and inserted it into the script.{{cite AV media|last1=Kaplan|first1=Jonah |first2=Stephen (Producer)|last2=Altobellow|first3=Jeffrey (Producer)|last3=Schwartz|title=Getting Made: The Making of Goodfellas|date=November 19, 2004|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415005/|medium=Documentary short|publisher=Automat Pictures|access-date=May 8, 2020|archive-date=August 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820144754/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415005/|url-status=live}}

The dinner scene with Tommy's mother (portrayed by Scorsese's mother Catherine) was also improvised, with the only scripted line being "Did Tommy tell you about my painting?". Tommy's mother's painting of the bearded man with the dogs was painted by Nicholas Pileggi's mother and based on a photograph from the November 1978 edition of National Geographic magazine.{{cite web |last1=Godfrey |first1=Alex |title=Whaddya want from me? |url=http://mrgodfrey.tumblr.com/post/66620475687/whaddya-want-from-me |website=mrgodfrey |date=November 2013|access-date=August 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904015411/http://mrgodfrey.tumblr.com/post/66620475687/whaddya-want-from-me|archive-date=September 4, 2014|url-status=live}} Pesci's character Tommy DeVito shared a name with (but was otherwise unrelated to{{Cite web |title=Jersey Boys Movie vs True Story - Real Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito |url=https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/jersey-boys/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=HistoryvsHollywood.com |language=en}}) a close friend and employee of Pesci's, musician Tommy DeVito.{{Cite web |last=Elfman |first=Doug |date=June 1, 2009 |title=How a Jersey boy worked his way back |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/how-a-jersey-boy-worked-his-way-back/ |access-date=February 17, 2024 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal}} The cast did not meet Henry Hill until a few weeks before the film's premiere. Liotta met him in an undisclosed city; Hill had seen the film and told the actor that he loved it.

The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because of a practical problem: the filmmakers could not get permission to go in the short way, and this forced them to go round the back. Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot to symbolize that Henry's entire life was ahead of him, commenting, "It's his seduction of her [Karen] and it's also the lifestyle seducing him". This sequence was shot eight times because Henny Youngman messed up his lines.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|pp=164-165}}

Henry's last day as a criminal was the hardest part of the film for Scorsese to shoot because he wanted to properly show Henry's state of anxiety and paranoia caused by cocaine and amphetamine use. In an interview with film critic Mark Cousins, Scorsese explained the reason for Pesci shooting at the camera at the end of the film: "Well that's a reference right to the end of The Great Train Robbery...and basically the plot of this picture is very similar to The Great Train Robbery. It hasn't changed, 90 years later, it's the same story, the gun shots will always be there, he's always going to look behind his back, he's gotta have eyes behind his back, because they're gonna get him someday." The director ended the film with Henry regretting that he is no longer a wise guy, about which Scorsese said that "I think the audience should get angry at him and I would hope they do—and maybe with the system which allows this".

Scorsese wanted to depict the film's violence realistically, "cold, unfeeling and horrible. Almost incidental". However, he had to remove 10 frames of blood to ensure an R rating from the MPAA. Goodfellas was Scorsese's most expensive film to that point, but still a medium-sized budget by Hollywood standards.

It is also the first time that he was obliged by Warner Bros. to preview the film. At two preview screenings in California, audiences were "agitated" by the sequence depicting Henry's final day as a gangster, which Scorsese argued was his and editor Thelma Schoonmaker's intention. In the first test screening, forty audience members walked out in the first ten minutes. One of the favorite scenes for test audiences was the "Funny like a clown? Do I amuse you?" scene.

{{Main|Goodfellas (soundtrack)}}

Although there is no incidental score in the film, Scorsese chose songs for the soundtrack that he felt obliquely commented on the scene or the characters. In any given scene, he used only music contemporary to or older than the scene's setting. According to Scorsese, many of the non-dialogue scenes were shot to playback. For example, he had "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos playing on the set while shooting the scene in which the dead bodies are discovered in the car, dumpster and meat truck. Sometimes, the lyrics of songs were inserted between lines of dialogue to comment on the action. Some of the music Scorsese had written into the script, while other songs he discovered during the editing phase.

Goodfellas premiered at the 47th Venice International Film Festival, where Scorsese received the Silver Lion award for best director.{{cite news |last=Malcolm |first=Derek |title=The Venice Film Festival ends in uproar |work=The Guardian |date=September 17, 1990}} It was given a wide release in North America on September 21, 1990.

Goodfellas was released on DVD in March 1997, in a single-disc, double-sided, single-layer format that requires the disc to be flipped during viewing. In 2004, Warner Home Video released a two-disc, dual-layer version, with remastered picture and sound, and bonus materials such as commentary tracks.

In early 2007, the film became available on single Blu-ray with all the features from the 2004 release; an expanded Blu-ray version was released on February 16, 2010, for its 20th anniversary,{{cite web|title=GoodFellas Blu-ray 20th Anniversary Edition |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-Blu-ray/7972/ |access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030203957/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-Blu-ray/7972/|archive-date=October 30, 2009|url-status=live}} bundled with a disc with features that include the 2008 documentary Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film.{{cite web |url=http://news.moviefone.com/2010/02/10/making-the-up-grade-goodfellas/ |title=Making The (Up) Grade: Goodfellas |date=February 10, 2010 |first=Todd |last=Gilchrist |publisher=Moviefone |access-date=August 27, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140827133312/http://news.moviefone.com/2010/02/10/making-the-up-grade-goodfellas/ | archive-date= August 27, 2014 | url-status= dead}} On May 5, 2015, a 25th anniversary edition was released.{{cite web|title=GoodFellas Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-Blu-ray/122386/ |access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511172150/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-Blu-ray/122386/|archive-date=May 11, 2015|url-status=live}} The film was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on December 6, 2016.{{cite web|title=GoodFellas 4K Blu-ray |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-4K-Blu-ray/161258/ |access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201020210/http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/GoodFellas-4K-Blu-ray/161258/|archive-date=February 1, 2018|url-status=live}} The 25th anniversary release and subsequent releases include a Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes collection with the shorts I Like Mountain Music (1933), She Was an Acrobat's Daughter (1937), Racketeer Rabbit (1946) and Bugs and Thugs (1954).

Goodfellas grossed $6.3 million from 1,070 theaters in its opening weekend, topping the box office.{{cite web |title= 'GoodFellas' Claims No. 1 at Box Office |author= Pat H. Broeske |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-24-ca-1086-story.html |website= Los Angeles Times |date= September 24, 1990 |access-date= January 21, 2021 |archive-date= May 9, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210509015716/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-24-ca-1086-story.html |url-status= live }} In its second weekend, the film made $5.9 million from 1,291 theaters, falling just 8% and finishing second behind newcomer Pacific Heights.{{cite web |title= 'Pacific Heights' Tops Box Office; 'GoodFellas' 2nd : Movies: 'Ghost,' third place in ticket sales, shows no signs of dying. |author= Pat H. Broeske |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-01-vw-1417-story.html |website= Los Angeles Times |date= October 1, 1990 |access-date= January 22, 2021 |archive-date= January 29, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210129032331/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-01-vw-1417-story.html |url-status= live }} It went on to make $46.8 million domestically.{{cite web |title=Goodfellas |url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0099685/?ref_=bo_rl_ti |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=December 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218124834/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=goodfellas.htm|archive-date=December 18, 2014|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url= https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/Goodfellas |title= Goodfellas (1990) - Financial Information |work= The Numbers |access-date= January 22, 2021 |archive-date= January 28, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210128173754/https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/Goodfellas |url-status= live }}

According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 166 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 9.00/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic—and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career."{{cite web |title=Goodfellas (1990) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1032176_goodfellas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817123029/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1032176_goodfellas |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2025 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango}} Metacritic has assigned the film a weighted average score of 92 out of 100, based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/goodfellas |title=Goodfellas (1990) |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706220854/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/goodfellas|archive-date=July 6, 2018|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A− on a scale of A+ to F.{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |website=CinemaScore |access-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104063502/https://www.cinemascore.com/|archive-date=January 4, 2015|url-status=live}}

In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave the film a full four stars and wrote, "No finer film has ever been made about organized crime – not even The Godfather."{{cite news |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19900902/REVIEWS/9020301 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |title=GoodFellas |date=September 2, 1990 |access-date=October 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111122457/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19900902%2FREVIEWS%2F9020301|archive-date=January 11, 2012|url-status=live}}

In his review for the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel wrote, "All of the performances are first-rate; Pesci stands out, though, with his seemingly unscripted manner. GoodFellas is easily one of the year's best films."{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/09/21/scorseses-goodfellas-one-of-the-years-best/ |title=Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' One of the Year's Best |last=Siskel |first=Gene |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 21, 1990 |access-date=October 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028162829/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-09-21/entertainment/9003190299_1_goodfellas-henry-hill-mob|archive-date=October 28, 2014|url-status=live}} Both critics named it the best film of 1990. In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby wrote, "More than any earlier Scorsese film, Goodfellas is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances... The movie has been beautifully cast from the leading roles to the bits. There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames, fast cutting and the occasional long tracking shot. None of it is superfluous."{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/19/movies/review-film-a-cold-eyed-look-at-the-mob-s-inner-workings.html|title=A Cold-Eyed Look at the Mob's Inner Workings |work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 1990}}

USA Today gave the film four stars out of four, and called it, "great cinema—and also a whopping good time".

David Ansen, in his review for Newsweek magazine, wrote, "Every crisp minute of this long, teeming movie vibrates with outlaw energy."{{cite news |last=Ansen |first=David |title=A Hollywood Crime Wave |work=Newsweek |date=September 17, 1990}}

Rex Reed said, "Big, rich, powerful and explosive. One of Scorsese's best films! Goodfellas is great entertainment."{{cite news |last=Reed |first=Rex |date=September 24, 1990 |title=Goodfellas |work=New York Magazine}}

In his review for Time, Richard Corliss wrote, "So it is Scorsese's triumph that GoodFellas offers the fastest, sharpest 2½-hr. ride in recent film history."{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |title=Married to the Mob |magazine=Time |date=September 24, 1990 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971220,00.html |access-date=January 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220094359/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971220,00.html|archive-date=February 20, 2009|url-status=dead}}

The film is ranked the best of 1990 by Roger Ebert,{{cite web |url=http://www.innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm |title=Siskel and Ebert Top Ten Lists (1969–1998) |publisher=Innermind.com |date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426105327/http://www.innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm |archive-date=April 26, 2013 |url-status=live}} Gene Siskel and Peter Travers.{{cite web |url=http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/travers.html |title=Peter Travers' Top Ten Lists 1989–2005 |publisher=caltech.edu |access-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206120135/http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/travers.html |archive-date=February 6, 2015 |url-status=dead}} In a poll of 80 film critics, Goodfellas was named the best film of the year by 34 critics. Director Martin Scorsese was chosen as the year's best director in 45 of the 80 ballots.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/01/12/and-the-winner-is/1fa1a16b-3410-4528-a530-a61cf56ac11e/ |title=AND THE WINNER IS... |date=January 12, 1992 |last1=McGilligan |first1=Pat |last2=Rowl |first2=Mark |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818115322/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/01/12/and-the-winner-is/1fa1a16b-3410-4528-a530-a61cf56ac11e/ |url-status=live}}

Goodfellas is ranked No. 92 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list, published in 2007. In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed Goodfellas as the fifteenth best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.{{cite journal |title=The 75 Best Edited Films |journal=Editors Guild Magazine |date=May 2012 |volume=1 |issue=3 |url=https://www.editorsguild.com/magazine.cfm?ArticleID=1102 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317101140/https://www.editorsguild.com/magazine.cfm?ArticleID=1102 |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |url-status=live}} In the 2012 Sight & Sound polls, it was ranked the 48th-greatest film ever made in the directors' poll.{{cite journal |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time |title=The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time |issue=September 2012 |date=August 1, 2012 |journal=Sight & Sound |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=June 6, 2013 |editor-link=Ian Christie (film scholar) |editor-first=Ian |editor-last=Christie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301135739/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time |archive-date=March 1, 2017}} In the subsequent 2022 polls, it was ranked 28th in the directors' poll and tied for 63rd (with Casablanca and The Third Man) in the critics' poll.{{Cite web |title=GoodFellas (1990) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/b573c997-0970-5531-8f89-b193e2f8b143/goodfellas |access-date=April 25, 2023 |website=BFI |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425152702/https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/b573c997-0970-5531-8f89-b193e2f8b143/goodfellas |url-status=live }}

Goodfellas is 39th on James Berardinelli's 2014-made list of the top 100 films of all time.{{cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |url=http://www.reelviews.net/specials/james-berardinelli-s-all-time-top-100 |title=Berardinelli's All Time Top 100 |publisher=Reelviews.net |date=2014 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410133026/http://www.reelviews.net/specials/james-berardinelli-s-all-time-top-100 |archive-date=April 10, 2017 |url-status=live}} In 2014, WhatCulture included Joe Pesci's role in top "10 Most Convincing Movie Psychopath Performances".{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Ryan |date=2014-10-13 |title=10 Most Convincing Movie Psychopath Performances |url=https://whatculture.com/film/10-most-convincing-movie-psychopath-performances |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=WhatCulture.com |language=en}} In 2015, Goodfellas ranked 20th on BBC's "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from around the world.{{cite web|date=July 20, 2015|title=100 Greatest American Films|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916105535/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films|archive-date=September 16, 2016|access-date=July 21, 2015|work=BBC}} The February 2020 issue of New York Magazine lists Goodfellas as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."{{cite news|title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html|magazine=New York Magazine|access-date=March 17, 2025}}

Goodfellas is one of eight films to have won Best Picture from three out of the four major U.S. film critics' groups (LA, NY, and NSFC, in its case), along with Nashville, All the President's Men, Terms of Endearment, Pulp Fiction, The Hurt Locker, Drive My Car, and Tár.

Goodfellas is No. 94 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Movies" list and moved up to No. 92 on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) from 2007. In June 2008, the AFI put Goodfellas at No. 2 on their AFI's 10 Top 10—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the movie-related community.{{Cite web |url=https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/Movies_ballot_06.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years Movies: Ballot |website=American Film Institute|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014130225/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/Movies_ballot_06.pdf|archive-date=October 14, 2018|url-status=live}}

Goodfellas was regarded as the second-best in the gangster film genre (after The Godfather).{{cite news |publisher=American Film Institute |title=AFI's 10 Top 10 |date=June 17, 2008 |url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/gangster.html |access-date=June 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116145351/http://www.afi.com/10top10/gangster.html |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |url-status=live}} In 2000, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Roger Ebert named Goodfellas the "best mob movie ever" and placed it among the ten best films of the 1990s.{{cite episode |title=Best Films of the '90s |series=At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper |airdate=February 27, 2000 |url=http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/specials/bestof90s.html |access-date=March 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808062528/http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/specials/bestof90s.html |archive-date=August 8, 2007}} In December 2002, a UK film critics poll in Sight & Sound ranked the film No. 4 on their list of the 10 Best Films of the Last 25 Years.{{cite news |work=Sight and Sound |title=Modern Times |date=December 2002 |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/63/ |access-date=August 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312084249/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/63/ |archive-date=March 12, 2012 }} Time included Goodfellas in their list of Time's All-Time 100 Movies.{{cite magazine |last=Schickel |first=Richard |title=All-Time 100 Movies |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,goodfellas,00.html |access-date=January 29, 2009 |date=February 12, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122115212/http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,goodfellas,00.html|archive-date=January 22, 2009|url-status=dead}} Channel 4 placed Goodfellas at No. 10 in their 2002 poll The 100 Greatest Films, Empire listed Goodfellas at No. 6 on their "500 Greatest Movies Of All Time,"{{cite news |title=The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time |work=Empire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/94.asp |access-date=December 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101010231/http://www.empireonline.com/500/94.asp|archive-date=November 1, 2013|url-status=live}} and Total Film voted Goodfellas No. 1 as the greatest film of all time.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4370918.stm |work=BBC News |title=Goodfellas named "greatest movie" |date=October 25, 2005|access-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617052719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4370918.stm|archive-date=June 17, 2012|url-status=live}}

Premiere listed Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito as No. 96 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time," calling him "perhaps the single most irredeemable character ever put on film".{{cite news |title=The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time |work=Premiere |url=http://www.premiere.com/features/1539/the-100-greatest-movie-characters-of-all-time-page2.html |access-date=March 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317001135/http://www.premiere.com/features/1539/the-100-greatest-movie-characters-of-all-time-page2.html |archive-date=March 17, 2008}} Empire ranked Tommy DeVito No. 59 in their "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" poll.{{cite news |title=The 100 Greatest Movie Characters |work=Empire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=59 |access-date=December 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107044642/http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=59 |archive-date=November 7, 2011 |url-status=live}}

Goodfellas inspired director David Chase to make the HBO television series The Sopranos. He told Peter Bogdanovich, "Goodfellas is a very important movie to me and Goodfellas really plowed that ... I found that movie very funny and brutal and it felt very real. And yet that was the first mob movie that Scorsese ever dealt with a mob crew. ... as opposed to say The Godfather ... which there's something operatic about it, classical, even the clothing and the cars. You know I mean I always think about Goodfellas when they go to their mother's house that night when they're eating, you know when she brings out her painting, that stuff is great. I mean The Sopranos learned a lot from that."{{cite news |url=http://www.hbo.com/html/error/browser_message_b.html?return=http://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos/cast-and-crew/dr-elliot-kupferberg/interview/peter-bogdanovich.html |publisher=HBO |title=HBO: The Sopranos: Interview with Peter Bogdanovich |year=1999|access-date=September 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012090557/http://www.hbo.com/html/error/browser_message_b.html?return=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hbo.com%2Fthe-sopranos%2Fcast-and-crew%2Fdr-elliot-kupferberg%2Finterview%2Fpeter-bogdanovich.html|archive-date=October 12, 2017|url-status=live}} Indeed, the film shares a total of 27 actors with The Sopranos,{{cite web |url=http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas |title=50 genius facts about GoodFellas |work=ShortList |date=February 11, 2011 |access-date=December 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205114330/http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/50-useless-but-genius-facts-about-goodfellas |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |url-status=live}} including Bracco, Sirico, Imperioli, Pellegrino, Lip and Vincent, who all had roles in Chase's HBO series.{{Cite web |last=Nugent |first=Annabel |date=September 15, 2020 |title=All 27 Goodfellas actors who later featured in The Sopranos |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/goodfellas-the-sopranos-actors-anniversary-lorraine-bracco-michael-imperioli-b435765.html |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121062046/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/goodfellas-the-sopranos-actors-anniversary-lorraine-bracco-michael-imperioli-b435765.html |url-status=live }}

July 24, 2010, marked the 20th anniversary of the film's release. The milestone was celebrated with Henry Hill hosting a private screening for a select group of invitees at the Museum of the American Gangster in New York City.{{cite news |title=Goodfellas' Henry Hill Back in NYC for 20th Anniversary |work=WPIX |url=http://www.wpix.com/videobeta/20627713-2235-476f-b903-9675e153acfb/News/Goodfellas-Henry-Hill-Back-in-NYC-for-20th-Anniversary |date=July 24, 2010 |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724024659/http://www.wpix.com/videobeta/20627713-2235-476f-b903-9675e153acfb/News/Goodfellas-Henry-Hill-Back-in-NYC-for-20th-Anniversary |archive-date=July 24, 2011}}

In January 2012, it was announced that the AMC Network put a television series version of the movie in development. Pileggi was on board to co-write the adaptation with television writer and producer Jorge Zamacona. The two were set to executive produce with the film's producer Irwin Winkler and his son David.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2012/01/goodfellas-series-in-the-works-at-amc-with-films-nicholas-pileggi-irwin-winkler-212428/ |title='Goodfellas' Series in the Works at AMC With Film's Nicholas Pileggi & Irwin Winkler |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=January 10, 2012 |last=Andreeva|first=Nellie |access-date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113005924/http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/goodfellas-series-in-the-works-at-amc-with-films-nicholas-pileggi-irwin-winkler/|archive-date=January 13, 2012|url-status=live}}

Luc Besson's 2013 film The Family features a sequence in which Giovanni Manzoni (De Niro), a gangster who is in witness protection for testifying against a member of his family, watches Goodfellas.{{Cite web |url=http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/film/interviews/568945-exclusive-interview-luc-besson-on-the-family |title=Exclusive Interview: Luc Besson on The Family |last=Bibbiani |first=William |work=CraveOnline |date=September 11, 2013 |access-date=May 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506015417/http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/film/interviews/568945-exclusive-interview-luc-besson-on-the-family |archive-date=May 6, 2015 |url-status=dead }}

In 2014, the ESPN-produced 30 for 30 documentary series debuted Playing for the Mob, depicting the point shaving scandal orchestrated by Hill, his Pittsburgh associates, and several Boston College men's basketball players during the 1978–79 season. The episode was narrated by Liotta and contains references to Goodfellas.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.espn.com/watch/film/a51b7134-c362-4bb3-bd3e-c35a210fd624/playing-for-the-mob |title=30 for 30: Playing for the Mob |publisher=ESPN |access-date=March 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328185117/http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=playingforthemob |archive-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=live}}

In 2015, Goodfellas closed the Tribeca Film Festival with a screening of its 25th-anniversary remaster.{{cite news|last1=Cox |first1=Gordon |title='GoodFellas' Anniversary Screening, Event to Close 2015 Tribeca Film Festival |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/goodfellas-tribeca-film-festival-2015-closing-night-1201455382/ |work=Variety |access-date=March 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074023/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/goodfellas-tribeca-film-festival-2015-closing-night-1201455382/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}

In 2020, AMC began including a content warning when airing Goodfellas: "This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today's standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers." By comparison, The Godfather gets a standard "viewer discretion" warning.{{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Kevin E. G. |date=2024-05-21 |title=Goodfellas labeled with 'cultural stereotypes' warning on streaming service |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/goodfellas-streaming-cultural-stereotypes-warning-amc-b2548305.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The Independent |language=en}}

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies - #94
• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - #92
• AFI's 10 Top 10 - #2 Gangster film
• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains - Tommy DeVito - Nominated Villain
• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes - "Funny how?" - Nominated Quote

• List of films featuring psychopaths and sociopaths
• List of films considered the best

{{More citations needed section|date=July 2024}}

Although the film is mostly true, several of the differences between it and real life are worth noting. For instance, Thomas DeSimone, on whom Tommy DeVito is based, was much taller, younger and muscular.{{cite web| title="Everything GoodFellas Doesn't Tell You About The True Story"| website=Looper.com | date=October 10, 2022 | url=https://www.looper.com/1047605/everything-goodfellas-doesnt-tell-you-about-the-true-story/}}{{clarify|date=June 2024}}

Also, although the real Billy Batts probably did insult Tommy and make remarks about shining his shoes, the reason that Tommy attacked him was that Jimmy Burke wanted to take over his loan-shark business in Queens.{{cite web| title="Goodfellas True Story: How Billy Batts' Real Murder Was Different"| website=ScreenRant.com | date=March 24, 2020 |url=https://screenrant.com/goodfellas-movie-true-story-billy-batts-death-changes/}}{{Tone inline|date=July 2024}}.

The film had its behind-the-scenes featurette premiere in spring 1990 on Cinemax on Beyond the Screen, hosted by Matt Lauer and many other hosts.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Kelly|first=Mary Pat |title=Martin Scorsese: A Journey |date=2003 |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |isbn=978-1-56025-470-6}}
• {{cite book |last1=Pileggi|first1=Nicholas |last2=Scorsese|first2=Martin |title=Goodfellas |date=1990 |publisher=Faber and Faber |isbn=978-0-571-16265-9}}
• {{cite book |last=Pileggi|first=Nicholas |title=Wiseguy |date=1990 |publisher=Rei Mti |isbn=978-0-671-72322-4}}
• {{cite book |last1=Thompson|first1=David |last2=Christie|first2=Ian |title=Scorsese on Scorsese |date=2004 |publisher=Faber and Faber |isbn=978-0-571-22002-1}}
• {{cite book|last=Wilson |first=Michael |title=Scorsese On Scorsese |publisher=Cahiers du Cinéma |date=2011 |isbn=9782866427023}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• {{Wikiquote-inline}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201010/goodfellas-making-of-behind-the-scenes-interview-scorsese-deniro |title=Getting Made The Scorsese Way |work=GQ |date=October 2010}}
• {{IMDb title|0099685|Goodfellas}}
• {{TCMDb title|76747|Goodfellas}}
• {{Mojo title|goodfellas|Goodfellas}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|1032176-goodfellas}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=Goodfellas}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/goodfellas.php |title=Reel Faces: Fact vs. Fiction |website=Chasingthefrog.com}}
• Goodfellas essay by Daniel Eagan in [https://books.google.com/books?id=4GNRD_icEmkC America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry], A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 802-803

{{Martin Scorsese}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Goodfellas

|list1 =

{{BAFTA Best Film 1981–2000}}

{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}

{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}

{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}}

{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}

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